Two weeks in an intensive programme like the MARPE IP we’ve had in Gent are not easy to forget.

First, there was the exhaustive and challenging schedule, with a lot of information and teamwork management. With pressure, focus on delivering the best, tensions and a lot of „hoorays!”  after tasks accomplished. With fears before and joy after the crucial presentations and their targets. With cultural collisions and attempts to overpass them when bringing together students from countries worldwide.

Yes, from an academic point of view, it was all a great exprience about lobbying, public affairs and the EU.  About exploring a field known by us mostly only from hearings. Officially, about „Public Relations: Government Relations and Lobbying in a European perspective”.

But up above this, just like the practice of lobbying, it was a whole relationship-driven process, about PEOPLE and networking without borders. It ended up with one big connection of 57 students from all over the world: Spain, Brasil, Portugal, Belgium, France, England, Japan, Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, Venezuela, India.

IP MARPE in some figures counted by me:

• 57 students
• 34 lecturers
• 13 intensive days of classes
• More than 40 activities (teambuildings, speeches, workshops, assignments)
• 3 live assignments + 1 as homework
• 4 meetings with lobbyists professionals
• 1  meeting at Interel, one of Brussels’ largest and most established consultancies, offering the full range of Public Affairs services to a wide variety of cliens across all major policy and business sectors

And the list could go on with more astonishing numbers, but it’s not the case, because they wouldn’t have meant a thing without the great people behind. I leave the story here for this night, with the promise of continuing it in the next days, as it deserves to be told :), in words, photos and videos.

I miss u, IP people!