BEE Club Explores Istria

A three-day school trip to the stunning Istrian peninsula, complete with first-class accommodation, good company, and getting an exclusive peek into internationally known companies? RIT Croatia’s Business Environment Exploration (BEE) Club has got you covered. The club continued with its highly anticipated annual business trips that take place in various European destinations, with this year’s choice being Istria. One of many clubs at RIT Croatia, the BEE Club organizes student trips to enhance their professional skills by visiting leading firms throughout Europe.

Students fundraise for the trip throughout the school year with BEE-Club-sponsored cookie sales, Secret Santa exchanges, and Valentine’s Day gifts, which are great ways for team members to get to know one another and develop teambuilding skills.

The BEE Club’s journey began on Sunday, May 14, when 20 students and 2 accompanying chaperones, Professor Maja Vidović and Student Services Assistant Barbara Gabud, departed from RIT Croatia’s Zagreb campus destined for Poreč's lavish Hotel Park Plava Laguna. After a three-hour bus ride, the group was ready to call Hotel Park their home for the night, but not before they did some sightseeing, of course. Must-dos included admiring the Euphrasian Basilica, and strolling along Decumanus Street, the Poreč promenade.

Following a day of travel and rest, the BEE Club got down to business and visited several companies in the hospitality and IT industries in order to accommodate students’ fields of interest, which are mainly international business and information technology and analytics. The “BEEs” first visited Hotel Maestral in Novigrad, part of the chain Aminess Hotels & Resorts. After a brief presentation, the Aminess Group’s hospitality was on full display when the BEE club was treated with lunch and afternoon coffee on their stunning terrace. Aminess even offered students work opportunities during the summer season, leaving many students hopeful and satisfied.

The club then journeyed to CMG Digital in Pula, one of the leading IT firms in Croatia, and a worldwide known company whose clients include GSK, P&G, and Rimac. CMG Digital builds websites and creates designs while taking different market needs into consideration. After an informative presentation about the firm’s structure and services, the BEE club toured the space with a company representative, voicing any questions and comments along the way.

On the third and final day, the BEEs visited IT company Lloyds Digital in Labin. Lloyds Digital concentrates on creating websites, website design, and software development. In addition, they also organize “Digital Labin,” an award-winning conference where flocks of IT workers gather to focus on the improvement of the industry. Digital Labin was named as one of the best conferences in the world and hosts big-name companies such as Netflix, Google, and Amazon. Attendees praised the relaxed and student-oriented mindset of the presentation, and the fact that the company was presented by the owner himself. The CEO was transparent about his life experience, offered tips on how to improve student mindset and life, and gave out his contact for future networking opportunities. BEE club member and RIT Croatia student Luka Puntijar can attest to the benefits of such transparency and networking opportunities: “Students getting invited to work for the companies we visited is a great way to boost connections, not only for seniors seeking job opportunities, but also for younger RIT Croatia generations seeking potential co-op opportunities.”

Following Labin, the club ventured back to Pula to the luxurious Park Plaza Histria Pula, which is part of the Arena Hospitality Group. The group is globally recognized thanks to its locations in Pula and Medulin, Croatia; Budapest, Hungary; Cologne and Nuremberg, Germany; and Nassfeld, Austria. The Arena Hospitality Group is the first Croatian firm of its kind that owns and manages hotels outside of Croatia. Arena also got the exclusive right to manage and develop hotels under the multinational private brand Park Plaza, which is part of one of the biggest hotel groups in the world. The director of the Histria Hotel led the hotel tour and served as a wonderful panelist, even giving his business card to all those interested.

Overall, Luka Puntijar concludes that the essence of the BEE club is invaluable: “Students were very grateful for the trip because they were able to get an inside look on how hotels and certain IT firms operate, what their corporate cultures are, and how their own lives would look like if they were to work in said firm.” From complimentary lunch at Hotel Maestral to the relaxed environment at Lloyds Digital, the BEE Club is a testament to the general support, networking opportunities, and confidence in post-college life that RIT Croatia students are more than capable of.