MBA-Trip to the Baltic Management Institute in Vilnius, Lithuania

Author: Michael Döring (MBA XIV)

From 25th to 27th of May, a group of alumni and current MBA-students, joined by Prof. Freidank and Ms. Feierabend, paid a visit to the Baltic Management Institute (BMI) in Vilnius, Lithuania. The BMI is the newest addition to our family of international cooperation partners.

From 25th to 27th of May, a group of alumni and current MBA-students, joined by Prof. Freidank and Ms. Feierabend, paid a visit to the Baltic Management Institute (BMI) in Vilnius, Lithuania. The BMI is the newest addition to our family of international cooperation partners.

Hosted by  Jaunius Pusvaskis, Director General BMI, and Jurga Bendikaitė Ursavas, Director EMBA program BMI we took part in a three-day special module „ Doing business in and out of the Baltic countries“. This module was another step in the cooperation between the two programs, consisting of highly interesting presentations at BMI-Institute and a number exiting field trips to a whole series of local companies. Both parts of the program provided the opportunity to gather a clear and vivid picture of Lithuania and its highly dynamic economy.
Whether about the general development of economy, society and country, the booming manufacturing industry or the rising service sector, we learned a lot about this strongly export oriented country and its just 2.8 million inhabitants.

The BMI is located in the three top floors of the highest building in the Baltics (the Europa Tower, 33 stories and 148 meters high), providing a great view on Vilnius and its surrounding area.
Our most interesting visit was probably the field trip to the InTegra House owned by Tegra State, a corporation that develops and markets building materials. In a rural environment at the shores of a lake, this location offers nature and creative atmosphere for its employees and guests.

Vilnius, the countries capital, is a beautiful city with many sights worth visiting (Castle Gedimas, Cathedral, Old Town and many, many churches and museums). Most of them we saw at a guided city tour in bright sunlight. Luckily, we were in Vilnius during the three days of the year with decent weather, the locals said.
In addition, the local food needs to be mentioned: local dishes worth trying and delicious are for example the cold beetroot soup and the “zeppeline” (filled dumplings with a sour cream sauce). On our field trip to a circleK gas station, we learned that even in such a location, you get good food and coffee in Lithuania.

Almost everybody under the age of 35 is fluent in the English language, making it easy to communicate with the locals and to orientate. The whole country has a certain Scandinavian “feel” to it.
Overall, we had the pleasure to experience a greatly organized, packed, exciting and informative three-day program. We have to thank our hosts for a great time and an exciting experience and hope to welcome them soon in Germany.

 \\ Michael Döring (MBA XIV)