Keolis Transportation
Keolis Transportation was a very compelling presentation. I noticed as soon as I walked in that the architecture of the building was so intriguing because it was something you would not see in the United States. Keolis is the leading global passenger transport business with around 133,000 people employed with them across their various businesses around the world.
They had four different speakers, and each had personal slideshows they made tailored to themselves which showed how passionate they were about each position they held. You could feel just how strong their internal culture was and how much every person loved to work there. I have since looked at internships and career opportunities with this company, because of the strong culture and pride I felt from the walkthrough.
Callier Chocolate Factory
One of the best parts of the Callier Chocolate factory tour was being able to move at my own pace. I was able to read as much, or as little, information about certain aspects of the chocolate making process as I wanted to. Of course, the best thing from the whole tour was being able to try multiple different chocolates that Callier makes.
Swarovski Crystals
Swarovski Crystals was one of the most interesting visits we had. When I was young, my grandmother always bought me Swarovski figurines as presents every time she would travel for my birthday and Christmas presents. They are now some of the most prized possessions I own and always remind me of her and my pawpaw when I see them.
Not only did we get to sit through a presentation for the company, but we also got to go to their famous Crystal World exhibit, which featured so many cool designs and different rooms filled with many crazy, interesting things they have designed. At the end of the tour, they had a store with many exclusive items only sold in that store. I bought my grandmother a piece of jewelry with a moving crystal inside and seeing her reaction was priceless. She has never visited the Crystal World exhibit, so this was a very special moment to both of us.
Hard Rock Café
Hard Rock Café in Munich, Germany was one of the presentations that I resonated the most with. I have worked in customer service in restaurants for 6 years now, going on 7. I learned that they run their restaurants in almost the same way the company I worked for runs.
I enjoyed the fact that even though they are a huge corporate company, they tailor a lot of their restaurants to have local flavors and dishes that reflect where they are located. This was something I wish the company I work for could do since the headquarters are located in South Florida and the flavors and food are totally different in the different parts of the United States. My favorite part was the tasting of the food we got to enjoy after, naturally. It was amazing, to say the least!
Redoro di Salvango
Redoro di Salvango, the olive oil producer, was hands down my favorite seminars we attended during the entire trip. Daniele and his whole family made the group feel like we were their family. They started by giving us all an espresso shot and breakfast cookies. From here we got one of the most entertaining and interesting tours of any factory I have ever attended. Not only do they still use almost all their old practices, but they have just innovated a new way to make the process a little bit faster. This is without diminishing the product’s value in any way as well.
After the factory tour, you had a chance to taste their oil, which is an experience in itself! From the factory to their bed and breakfast for lunch, then a tour of their private wine cellar, the tour of Redoro will always be something I will remember and cherish from the trip and those memories are priceless.
