This year I was an active participant and planner in Olin Business Council’s largest annual programming event: Olin Week. Essentially it is an entire week of exciting events hosted by the business school’s governing body aimed at building a strong community within Olin. This year’s event was, as OBC president, Harry Bolson, proudly put it, “the best Olin Week ever.” Each day was filled with fun, and free, programming that really brought the students together both professionally and socially.
MONDAY
The week started off with a bang as students attended the LinkedIn Photo Shoot. Students had professional profile pictures taken for the popular networking site, enhancing their ability to successfully make connections. In similar fashion, students attended the “Dress for Success” presentation by Brooks Brothers and learned about the nuances of professional attire.
TUESDAY
Events focused on relaxing with Olin. In the afternoon, our own Molly Mulligan held a vinyasa yoga class, which was followed by a petting zoo outside of Simon Hall! Llamas, goats, and students all enjoyed the short break from our busy schedules.
WEDNESDAY
The night’s festivities occurred at the Pin Up Bowl on the Delmar Loop. Free bowling, food and prizes were provided by OBC for an exciting night of competition and camaraderie.
THURSDAY
A catered breakfast from Saint Louis Bread Co. brought crowds of students to the BSBA lounge in Simon Hall before the day’s classes.
FRIDAY
Finally, the week’s star attraction was hosted on Friday night. Olinpalooza, the annual concert, was located off campus for the first time. Plush was the perfect venue for the excellent line-up secured by Casey Hochberg, the council’s VP Social. Headliners Vic Mensa and Flaxo put on an incredible show with their engaging performances. It was a concert to remember.
To check out the highlights of the week, take a look at this video and get excited for next fall’s Olin Week!
THE FUTURE OF OLIN WEEK
I sat down with OBC president, Harry Bolson to talk about his thoughts on Olin Week; we discussed how it has grown, where it could improve, and his vision for future business school programming. Harry described the week’s greatest success by explaining that OBC set out to make Olin Week bigger and better than ever. OBC wanted the programming to be more socially focused, so there was only one presentation, and attendance was better than ever before.
Harry believes that Olinpalooza was one of the best concerts of the year. As far as how the events could be improved, Harry believes that better communication would create smoother events with even better attendance. He explained that the marketing and outreach came a bit late, but “in the end, everyone came together to create exceptional programming and activities to better the undergraduate community.”
One event that the OBC president would like to see repeated is Olinpalooza at an off campus venue like this year’s concert. New events he would love the week to include are: inviting more businesses to come to school to build stronger connections between our undergraduates and the top companies that recruit here. Future Olin Weeks can better appeal to the interests of the undergraduate community by using the feedback OBC receives at open forums.
