Robi Bangladesh YouthFest 2017 Powered by Sailor is an initiative aimed for ‘Transforming 8 Divisions through Knowledge and Innovation’. The endeavor this year covered all the divisions of Bangladesh. The finale has kicked off from May 13, 2017 and the Grand Finale was held on the May 19, 2017 at the Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB).
The universities that were a part of the Finale are: Jahangirnagar University (Leadership and Values), BRAC University (Digital Literacy), East West University (Marketing), Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (Communication), Daffodil International University (Entrepreneurship), Dhaka University (Critical Thinking) and the Gala round will take place at Independent University of Bangladesh (IUB).
The registration process started at 9 am and the gala round was kicked off at 10 am with the opening speech by the Managing Director of Bangladesh Brand Forum Md. Shariful Islam. Prof. Sarwar Uddin Ahmed, PhD, Dean, School of Business Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB), as well delivered his pleasure to welcome the Robi Bangladesh YouthFest 2017 Powered by Sailor- Grand Finale. Proctor Prof. M. Anwer, B.Sc. (Eng., BUET), M.S. & Ph.D. (Arizona State University, USA) also spoke at the opening.
The session started with Inspiration Talk & Skill workshops involving experts from all around the country who are well known as entrepreneurs or motivational speakers. They will take the workshops and give out inspiring lectures to enhance the participants’ credibility and prepare them for a successful and exciting career in the future. These speakers include: Solaiman Sukhon, Head of Business, Aamra Smart Solutions; Shadab Khan, MD, Coca-cola Bangladesh; Mehreen Mahmud, Singer; Sohana Saba, Actor; Abdun Noor Tushar, Media Personality; Hitesh Ramchandani, Motivational Speaker, Singapore; Mashahed Hasan Simanta, Motivational Speaker; Zaved Akhter, Brand Building Director, Unilever Bangladesh Ltd.; Shehzad Munem, Managing Director, BATB; Dr. Arif Dowla, Managing Director, ACI Ltd.; and Arif R Hossain, Co-Founder, Aamrai Bangladesh.
Simultaneously at 10.30 am, both Idea Competition and the Interactive Expert Engagement Sessions were conducted. There were 8 divisional rounds and winners from the divisional rounds participated in the Grand Finale – Gala Round. There were 5 teams from 8 divisions that sums up to 40 teams who participated in the gala round.
The competition itself was kept simple as the mass categories were selected from the overall divisional rounds, the mass categories for the gala round competition were: Place, Food, Product, Fest, Famous (place).
The divisional winners received BDT 25,000 per team and the national round winners after the competition won the opportunity to participate in the Spikes Asia Competition 2017. In the Gala Round, the previous regional round speakers got involved in closed interactive sessions with these participants.
The winning teams were as follows:
Category A (Food): Kalai Ruti: Companion Strikers(RAJ 203) Category B (Fest): Betel Leaf: Betelion(MMS 204) Category C (Famous): Branding Dhaka: Second String(DHK 104) Category D (Product): Silk of Rajshahi: EDRU Erudites(Raj 503) Category E (Place): Haors of Sylhet: Word of Mouth(SYT 304)
Handpicking a few innovation projects that are ideated, initiated and developed by students from around the country was also showcased on the Gala Round providing the students with opportunities to develop their ideas to a bigger platform.Calling the closing ceremony, a musical performance was honored by Mehreen, Elita Karim and Miles.
The Gala Round venue accommodated Partner Booths (Size 8’X8’) also including the following ones – Robi Axiata Ltd., Sailor, WE Phones, REVE Antivirus, Rahimafrooz Solar Ltd., Bangladesh Youth Leadership Centre (BYLC), Unilever Ltd. (Knorr Soup) and Nescafe.
The sponsors for whom the event was successful were; Title Sponsor Robi, Powered by: Sailor, In Association with: WE, Strategic Partner: The Daily Star &Samakal, Green Entrepreneurship Partner: Rahimafrooz Solar, Official Carrier Partner: Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Learning Partner: IUB, University Club Partner: IUB, School of Business | IMA, Online Security Partner: REVE Antivirus, Leadership Education Partner: BYLC, Youth Engagement Partner: Shout, Media Partner: Gazi TV, Radio Partner: Radio Foorti, PR Partner: Masthead PR, Career Partner: Next Step, Technology Partner: Aamra Network, Social Innovation Partner: Toru, Social Media Partner: WebAble,and Visual Partner: Aatosh.
