[media-credit name=”Photo courtesy of Quinnipiac University” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]This year marks Quinnipiac’s 8th annual Global Asset Management Education (G.A.M.E.) VIII Forum. The financial conference was held in New York City from March 22-24. The event is run by Quinnipiac and cosponsored by NASDAQ. Students and faculty from Quinnipiac as well as numerous other universities have the ability to attend this event.

“G.AM.E. Forum is not a product, nor a service. G.A.M.E. Forum is an experience,” Student Oversight Chair Christopher Gosselin said. “This experience involves interacting with and learning from key leaders in the fields of finance and economics as well as other students and faculty from all the around the world.”

At G.A.M.E. Forum, attendees have the opportunity to hear from keynote speakers that have excelled in investment management to learn about industry best practices to translate into the workforce.

“The networking opportunities between current and future leaders from the financial services industry are unprecedented,” Professor of Finance David Sauer said. “The G.A.M.E. Forum provides a unique, interactive learning environment where students and faculty can see the connection between what is learned in the classroom and industry best practices.”

As the largest student-run conference in the world, over 41 countries and 46 states were represented last year. Over 1,500 college students from 157 universities globally were in attendance. There were 140 speakers and 100 companies and organizations at the event, as well. Since its founding in 2011, G.A.M.E. Forum has grown in recognition and becomes more popular every year.

Sauer founded the event and has organized it every year since its founding. The first G.A.M.E. Forum in 2011 was held in the TD Bank Sports Center. The following year it was hosted in Midtown Manhattan, and has been in New York City ever since.

Most students that attend G.A.M.E. Forum are finance, economics or business majors, but all undergraduate and graduate students from different disciplines are invited to attend.

“My favorite part of G.A.M.E. Forum was listening to the questions that students from all over the world have about different current financial issues and the answers that the different panelists gave,” Caleb Shulman, a 3+1 second year accounting major said. “I learned that no matter your major or school, it’s important to work hard and continuously trying to learn more as there is always someone that you can learn from. My favorite speaker was Tom Keene.”

Tom Keene is a Chief Financial Advisor (CFA) and Editor-at-Large at Bloomberg News. He is the host of “Bloomberg Surveillance,” a morning program that highlights economic, financial, and investment news.

The event kicked off on Wednesday, March 21, when the first 40 colleges and universities to register for Quinnipiac G.A.M.E. Forum were able to nominate one student to attend the NASDAQ Closing           Bell Ceremony.

Each student has the unique opportunity to network with industry professionals such as Dr. David Kelly, CFA of J.P. Morgan Funds. Students engage with these professionals directly in order to provide participation from notable keynote speakers and representation from various companies and organizations.

The event also allows students in attendance to gain experience associating with students from across the country and of different backgrounds both educationally and personally.

Starting on Thursday, different panels presented on various topics. On the first day, the keynote speaker panel topics included global markets, corporate governance, global economy and global investment strategy.

On Friday, students participated in breakout panels and workshops. Examples of these in 2017 included investment management trends leading to 2020, how to manage risk and the recruiting process.

Saturday was the last day of G.A.M.E. Forum and focused on exploring career opportunities. Examples of this from 2017 included investment banking, career paths in trading and investing and innovations in investment management education.

There were various speakers present that spoke with attendees and taught them various industry best practices to excel in the business world.

“I enjoyed networking with students from different schools around the country and with the speakers,” Christopher Alese, a 3+1 second year accounting major said. “My takeaway is how important it is to always keep up with current events in your field so that you can have educated conversations with your peers.”