On the bright and sunny day of Friday, April 26th, the second annual Port Saint John case study competition unfolded just over a week before the anticipated arrival of cruise ships to the port. This year’s central question revolved around the potential of digitization and data analytics to uncover the motivations of independent cruise ship passengers, offering insights for Port Saint John and its partners.
With over 30 teams vying for participation, the competition attracted graduate students from the University of New Brunswick’s computer science and MBA programs. Following careful selection, five teams of five students each were selected to present their solutions:
- AnchorAllies (first photo)
- APEX (second photo)
- CASSA (third photo)
- NEXUS (fourth photo)
- TourWise (Fifth photo)
Each of the five teams attended four workshops to prepare for their solution. These workshops provided an overview of Port Saint John, explored digitization in depth, discussed systems change, and helped them prepare their pitches
The panel of judges comprised industry experts:
- Natalie Allaby, Director of Cruise Excellence at Port Saint John
- Danielle Timmons, Vice President of Cruise Operations & Shore Excursions at Aquila Tours
- Sarah Rumley, Executive Director of Cruise Atlantic Canada
- Jake Arsenault, Founder & CEO of Black Arcs
- Michel Rod, Vice-Provost Strategic Enrolment at the University of New Brunswick
Tasked with researching global port strategies, student teams focused on enhancing the experience of independent cruise ship passengers, particularly in exploring Uptown Saint John. Their solutions aimed to benefit cruise travellers and other visitors and newcomers to Saint John.
Claiming the top spot was Team CASSA, awarded $5,000 along with the opportunity network and share their idea at Port Days and to attend Pond-Deshpande Centre’s GovMaker event. Additionally, the team earned the opportunity to share their insights on the port’s podcast.
For more details about the competition, read the competition brief.