The University of St.Gallen boasts an abundance of student clubs and organizations and their number is not decreasing. Every year students have new ideas for clubs and associations. One of the most interesting and promising new associations this year is the St.Gallen Momentum Club. I am here today with Dionysios Anastasopoulos and Tristan Krech, the two founders of the Momentum Club.

DenkBar Campus: I understand you are founding a new club at the University. Why don't you start by telling me a bit about its goals and purpose.

Anastasopoulos:
The club’s first aim will be to attract third party companies that will create and offer competitions to students.
Let’s consider some examples:

• A consultancy company will offer a competition in regards to its area.
• A banking company, a competition in banking or trading.
• A company from industry will offer a relevant competition in marketing, innovation or another subject.

The club aims to offer a platform for each company to invite students not only from HSG, but also visiting students from other selected universities of Switzerland or other countries under the steering of HSG.  The tool to make this possible will be an IT web-based system that will allow the club to manage the various activities and will allow each participant company to administer its own competition by its own resources.
The second aim will be to invite and attract known personalities for seminars and speeches in the context of the competitions. These individuals can be innovative entrepreneurs, managers or banking industry professionals. The purpose of these seminars will be to give examples to HSG students mainly, a better insight into the market and to provide connections.
The third aim of the club will be to create synergies among the already established clubs and organizations of the university. It is our opinion that the already established organizational entities in the university will find beneficial to take a part in the process, since it will be a good chance to create new contacts and gain from additional resources and technology.

DenkBar Campus: The goals are interesting but they seem pretty similar to other clubs at the University. What is new or special about the St.Gallen Momentum Club?

Krech:
As a whole concept, the new proposed club is a new idea. The opportunity to attract established corporate competitions and organize new ones have not been explored prior to the conception of the Momentum Club. The club will encourage students to use their game theoretical knowledge in practice, using the advice of third party companies. In addition, the effort to create synergies between the already existing clubs and other organizational and student entities of the HSG will be entirely new. This could very well be a solid next step in the way with which the HSG interacts with the external environment and may even result to a considerable reinforcement of the University’s brand name.

DenkBar Campus: We are all business students and this leads me to my next question.  How will the students benefit from this new club? Why do I need you?

Anastasopoulos:

They will benefit in several ways:

1. At first, the students will directly benefit from the close connection with the companies. They will have additional chances to meet with professionals from the industry and service sector.
2. In addition, students will satisfy and test their interests not only by hearing speeches and descriptions, but by the chance to form teams and take part in real case studies and games that will truly simulate real-case circumstances. These intended ‘real world situations’, will allow the students to reveal their talent and to establish stronger relations with corporations as individuals.
3. Furthermore, the proposed club will have as a target to invite innovative people not only from areas around Switzerland, but also from areas known as ‘pools of innovation’.  Until this moment we have not seen such efforts from any of the University’s recourses, and the aim is to endeavor such efforts. Students will benefit by hearing entrepreneurial stories directly from the source and by making contacts.
4. The students will also benefit from increased diversity. As mentioned, our aim will be to invite and attract overseas companies also. These will be an additional source of knowledge and inspiration since the current clubs concentrate mainly in attracting domestic companies.

DenkBar Campus: Why does the University as an institution need that kind of club?

Krech:
Since the club will try to establish a new type of connection with companies,  the HSG will probably benefit directly. Firms will begin collaboration with dynamic resources at the University such as this club, in a new way, wich is more directly involved with the market needs. In addition, the club will endeavor to create synergies between the already existing entities at the University. This will lead to increased coherence and better collaboration within the internal environment. This can even result in third party commercial companies beginning to conceive their collaboration with the HSG in a completely new way. As a result, the HSG brand will be reinforced as it will be connected more directly to a concept that better understands and covers the needs of the market.This endeavor could also improve similar events organized by the University itself. In addition, the club’s activities might prove to be an additional source of income. As from other clubs of the University, a percentage of the club’s income will be returned to the institution. Also, let’s keep in mind that a main focus of the Momentum Club will be to attract overseas firms, and not only strictly from the area of Switzerland or the immediate surrounding countries. Distant offices and branches might further expand the reach of HSG.

DenkBar Campus: Sounds like a good idea and a solid concept, but ultimately, talk is cheap. Why haven't you started yet?

Anastasopoulos:
Momentum Club has been created, as a Students’ Club in the University of St. Gallen. However, the Club has not yet received accreditation, solely due to bureaucratic reasons. Although the club constitution has been submitted to the Student Union since December 2010, as we are informed due to internal regulations and discussion for changes in the accreditation system caused a serious time delay. The Club would have been operational at this time if these delays were not taking place.
We are optimistic in starting our operations under an accredited form in the end of April. As we are informed by the Student Union, the conclusion on the new accreditation rules took place on the end of March, and a new club accreditation meeting will be assembled in April.  We have received positive signals that the “Senatsausschuss” might give accreditation to club in its assembly on April 19th.

DenkBar Campus: It seems like a pity that bureaucracy is getting in the way of a good business idea again. But are you preparing for you launch already? For example, do you have potential clients already?

Anastasopoulos:
Since we haven’t initiated our operations at this time, we cannot claim that we have established certain collaborations with the firms we are aiming for. The reason is simply that we cannot operate and deliver our promise.
Nevertheless, our intentions have been extensively communicated to some of these overseas firms, and as it seems we managed to attract their strong interest. Due to this, we are optimistic that if we have enough time before summer in order to proceed with organizational matters, we will be able to launch two to three main events in the first semester of next academic term.

DenkBar Campus: That would be great. I am confident you will launch a great club in the next future. Thank you for taking your time.