From 17 to 21 November 2025, six students of the Faculty of Applied Languages at the Bratislava University of Economics and Business participated in the prestigious BIP Understanding International Brand Management in Annecy. The programme was implemented within the Erasmus+ project 2025-1-BE02-KA131-HED-000326359-4 and brought together more than 65 students and 10 teachers from CEU Cardenal Herrera (Spain), University of Economics in Katowice (Poland), Howest University of Applied Sciences (Belgium), Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences (Germany) and Université Savoie Mont Blanc (France).
Our faculty was represented by Natália Kádeková, Júlia Vašečková, Nina Urminská, Alica Mandúchová, Nela Jánošová and Kateryna Petrenko, who demonstrated a high level of expertise, independence and cultural sensitivity throughout the programme. The team was coordinated by Ildikó Némethová, Vice-Dean for International Relations, and Eva Stradiotová, Vice-Dean for Education.
The central component of the programme was work with the simulation platform BrandY, one of Europe’s most advanced pedagogical tools for teaching marketing and branding. BrandY is an online business simulation in which students act as brand managers and make decisions under the pressure of a competitive European market. They were required to analyse consumer behaviour, set pricing and product strategies, prepare campaigns, respond to market reports and defend their solutions before industry experts.
Working in multicultural teams demanded not only high-level communication skills in a foreign language but also the ability to respect diverse working styles, negotiate continuously, take responsibility and guide the team towards results. The students developed leadership competencies, strategic thinking, presentation skills and a nuanced sense for intercultural cooperation—an essential capability in today’s professional environment.
The intensive programme provided new knowledge, professional contacts and valuable experiences extending far beyond traditional classroom learning. Our students returned from Annecy motivated, more confident and prepared to apply the competencies gained to their further studies and future careers. Through their active engagement and excellent representation of our faculty, they proudly showcased both the Faculty of Applied Languages and the Bratislava University of Economics and Business on a significant European academic platform.
