After successfully breaking ground in 2005, we set out in search of new challenges in 2006. The previous year, there had been criticism from various sides voicing the opinion that our plan to organize an international business conference on the BiTS campus would be practically impossible for a team of students. The success achieved in 2005 proved just the opposite, however. We were consequently able to concentrate on accomplishing something even greater: we invited Bill Clinton.

The invitation alone was of course only the beginning. We had to draw up a concept for the event long beforehand, even without any assurance that Bill Clinton would actually accept. But he did, his acceptance triggering the start of a gigantic, challenging project for the students; one that definitely brought each individual to the limits of their capabilities.

And all our efforts were unquestionably worthwhile. In short: the Campus Symposium 2006 was a resounding success. A 4000 m² marquee town was set up for the first time on the parking lot of the BiTS. This was necessary because the universite auditorium simply would not have provided adequate space for an event on this scale. At the same time, though, this meant creating the entire infrastructure for such a huge tent construction on the BiTS campus as the location for the Symposium. On top of that, there were thousands of other things to be organized, planned and optimized so that it was no longer possible to accomplish this semi-professional work from our base in a class-room.

As a result of the subsequent move into office premises in building 6 (opposite the university) the Campus Symposium team became noticeably more professional. The event attracted more than 1000 visitors and over 150 journalists, very likely due to the prestigious speakers, such as Bill Clinton, Lord Chris Patten and General James L. Jones, the NATO Supreme Commander for Europe.

This was a major achievement, not only for the town of Iserlohn, the BiTS and the Campus Symposium itself, but also for the whole Region of South Westphalia.

Have a look at our 2006 photo gallery!

Speakers 2006

	William J. Clinton Ehemaliger US-Präsident		General James L. Jones Damaliger Oberbefehlshaber des NATO-Hauptquartiers Europa
	Chris Patten Ehemaliger Gouverneur Hongkongs und Kanzler der Universität Oxford		Peter M. Endres Vorstandsvorsitzender KarstadtQuelle Versicherungen AG
	Christian Berner CEO Lekkerland Europa		Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair CEO Mashreq Bank und Präsident der Abdulla A. Al Ghurair Group
	Ram Ramakrishnan CEO Bajaj Electricals Limited

Mr. Michael M. Rüdiger	Member of the  Board of  Credit Suisse
Mr. Peer Steinbrück	Federal Minister of Finance
Mr. Ralph Weyler	Management Board Member for Marketing and Sales for Audi
Mr. German Drechsler	Federal Chairman of Wirtschaftsjunioren
Prof. Dr. Bernhard Friedmann	President of European Economic Senate
Mr. Rudolf Gröger	CEO of O²
Mr. Wolfgang Grupp	Owner and CEO of Trigema GmbH & Co. KG
Mr. Horst-Werner Maier-Hunke	President of the Employer Association of NRW
Monsignore Prof. Dr. theol. habil. Peter Schallenberg	Moral Theologian at the University of Fulda
Mr. Hartmut Schauerte	Parlamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministary of Economic Affairs and Technology
Mr. Felix Tenkmann	Director of the NRW.Bank