Industrial Visit to Berlin 2012

May 4th, 2012

Berlin was the destination for the spring industrial visit in April 2012. GBCM students and faculty arrived in the city on Thursday evening and kicked off a 2-day visit full of interesting and insightful cultural and industrial experiences.

On Friday morning the group met for the first industrial visit to the Irish Embassy. Following an interesting and relevant presentation by Kanini Mutooni on Microfinance and peer to peer lending, the group were treated to a talk by the ambassador Mr. Dan Mulhall. Following this, embassy staff provided the group with an insight into the workings of an international embassy and discussed the marketing of Irish foods in Germany and further afield.

Following lunch the GBCM group visited Finow Automotiv GmbH where Mr. Patrick von Hertzberg (the owner/manager of the firm), gave the group a tour of the production facilities. He also spoke to the group and provided a fascinating insight into the company (which produces steel parts for automotive industry in Germany).

That evening the group gathered to enjoy a delicious meal at the trendy Cookies Cream restaurant on the stunning Unter den Linden. The experiences of the day were discussed into the evening.

Saturday morning saw the group at the Jewish museum. Before the flight back on Saturday evening the more adventurous participants enjoyed the thrills of a Base Fly by Jochen Schweizer, which took place from the roof of the Park Inn hotel on Alexanderplatz (one of the largest buildings in Berlin).

Though we only caught a glimpse of the possibilities and attractions in Berlin, we made the most of our 2 days, both educational and entertaining. The trip was particularly poignant for the third year students, who will graduate with their bachelor degrees in autumn and separate this summer to pursue their individual career ambitions and further studies.

A fun and informative trip was enjoyed by all.