Fall 2014 Newsletter

CCE Project Drives Ticket Sales  |  Alumni Mixer  |  Welcome to New Associate Director  |  Alumni Profile  |  Advisory Board News  |  Hiring CCE Students  |   Spring Projects  |  We Thank Our Clients  |  Update Your Contact Info


Update: CCE Project Drives Gopher Football Ticket Sales, Bucking National Trend

After working with the CCE in 2012 to improve student attendance at University of Minnesota football games, Gopher Football is seeing a dramatic increase in ticket sales to students. Student ticket sales grew nearly 20 percent the first year after the student team’s recommendations were implemented, and grew at an even faster clip this season, up an impressive 37 percent. The results are especially impressive in comparison to the downward attendance trends seen nationally and closer to home in the Big 10 conference.

A recent Star Tribune article looked at the problem of student attendance at Gopher football games, but did not use the recent data from the Wall Street Journal highlighted in the graphic below.

The CCE team conducted extensive primary and secondary research to identify key drivers of student attendance, and then developed comprehensive recommendations to improve student engagement and ticket pricing strategies. Key tactics implemented include the creation of a student tailgate lot, bundled ticket packages, and increased in-game entertainment. CCE Director Sarah Gisser believes the project is indicative of CCE client work: "In the CCE, we focus on developing actionable insights and recommendations for our clients to address key challenges. It's great to see the turnaround and the impact of our work right here on campus, especially in comparison to regional and national trends."

Change in Student Season Ticket Sales

Prior to the CCE project in 2012, Gopher football ticket sales had been falling at a rate of 28% per year since the new stadium opened in 2009, to a low of 3,800 in 2012.


Great Turnout for Annual Alumni Student Mixer

CCE_Alumni_Event

CCE hosted the 12th annual alumni mixer on Friday, September 26, at Marin Restaurant and Bar in downtown Minneapolis with more than 70 alumni, students, and Advisory Board members in attendance. The evening provided great opportunities for alums to reconnect and also to meet current CCE’ers.

 

 

 

 

 


Welcome to New Associate Director

 

Kate Reigel

CCE is thrilled to announce that Kate Reigel has joined us as Associate Director. In this role she coaches and mentors students as well as contributes to developing client relationships and scoping projects.

Prior to joining the Carlson School, Kate worked as an independent strategy consultant, serving clients such as Life Time Fitness. Previously, she was a project leader at the Boston Consulting Group, working out of the Boston office. Earlier in her career, she served as a platinum consultant for SAP America, leading client implementations and teaching courses on the software. She holds a bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering and a bachelor of arts degree in art history from Northwestern University as well as an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.


Alumni Profile: Kaitlin Klaustermeier

Kaitlin Klaustermeier

Kaitlin Klaustermeier – 2012 CCE Undergraduate Graduate
Post-CCE Career – Associate, Boston Consulting Group; Strategy Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

CCE: What do you remember the most about your CCE experience?
Kaitlin: Talking to lots of farmers. The first CCE project I did was with a food company and involved a large amount of phone interviews with farmers. I grew up on a farm so I knew the lingo. More generally I remember getting to do a lot of client interviews and interaction.

CCE: What did you learn from CCE that you've used in your career so far?
Kaitlin: One of the most helpful skills I learned was how to brainstorm with teams and synthesize from team discussion. This helped give me a head start as a consultant at BCG. I also learned a lot about teamwork, individual responsibility within a team, and working with clients.

CCE: Do you think your CCE and previous consulting experience helped in your role with BCG and in your current position with the Gates Foundation? If so, how?
Kaitlin: I think I learned things like stakeholder engagement, interview skills, and project management, then working at BCG exponentially grew these skills.

CCE: What is your current role at the Gates Foundation? In that role, what do you see as the most interesting problems you're tackling?
Kaitlin: I’m at the Gates Foundation on loan from BCG for one year, working as a strategy officer with an integrated healthcare delivery team. I’m currently working on developing strategies for improving delivery of healthcare in Ethiopia. I try to get vertical teams within the Gates Foundation to address the healthcare system in Ethiopia as a whole.

CCE: What advice do you have for current CCE'ers?
Kaitlin: I would recommend that undergrads take time to learn from the MBA students. As an undergrad, don’t be afraid to push back within your team. Brainstorming in a team reflects what happens at consulting firms. You’ll probably be the youngest person on your team there, too.

CCE: What are your plans for the future?
Kaitlin: I’m currently applying for MBA/MPP (Master of Public Policy) programs. Down the road I would like to run a nonprofit or work in education.


Advisory Board News

Jen Bratton

We are excited to welcome one new member to the CCE Executive Advisory Board. The Advisory Board includes senior leaders from several of the CCE’s clients as well as management consulting firms. The board meets twice yearly to discuss strategic issues with CCE leadership as well as to work with students directly, advising them on project-related challenges and career development.

Jen Bratton is a partner and managing director in the BCG Minneapolis office. Jen is a core member of BCG’s operations and organization practice areas and has been with the firm since 2001. Her work spans across industries, with significant experience in consumer goods, healthcare, industrial goods and retail. Jen holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and an BS in chemical engineering from Vanderbilt University. Prior to joining BCG, Jen worked for Enron in a variety of divisions.


Interested in Hiring CCE Students?

The season for full-time recruiting is in full swing. Five CCE’ers have accepted full-time job offers and 35 are still actively seeking full-time positions. In addition to their MBA and CCE project experience, CCE students have an average of 4.5 years of work experience. Student career interests and experience span a broad range of industries and functions.

To receive an electronic resume book based on your criteria, email the Graduate Business Career Center at gbccinfo@umn.edu, or request a resume book directly through our online recruiting system, TalentLink, at: https://www.mbafocus.com/Products/ResumeBooks/Buy/Minnesota.aspx


CCE Seeks Spring 2015 Projects

The CCE is currently seeking projects for our students to tackle during the upcoming spring semester. Our second-year MBAs will take on eight full-semester projects (13 weeks, running approximately January 26 – May 8, 2015). Projects that present interesting strategic or operational challenges are a great fit for the CCE. Please contact Sarah Gisser at sgisser@umn.edu or 612-626-7751 if you have a potential project you'd like to discuss.


We Thank Our Clients

Fall 2014 Thank Our Clients

 

Update your Contact Info

If you have recently changed jobs or have a new email address or phone number, please send your updated information to mlarson@umn.edu. We would like to keep up-to-date with our alums and keep you updated with news from CCE!

Â