In its continued support of hospitality, tourism and real estate education around the world, CoStar Group’s SHARE Center held five student market competitions in October and November 2023.

Teams of three to six students, with the assistance of their faculty advisor, selected a market and were provided with a standard set of reports and data. Teams then analyzed the data, drew on outside resources and worked together to create a market study presentation, which was then presented to a panel of senior-level industry judges.

“This year we held four regional competitions and, for the first time, one global competition,” said Duane Vinson, STR Vice President and Assistant Director of the CoStar Group SHARE Center. “For the global competition, top teams in each region competed head-to-head to determine the best team in the world. The results were incredible, and it was amazing to watch every student do their part. Several of the judges commented that they felt excited and invigorated knowing that these students would someday be leading the hospitality and tourism industry.”

Read more on each competition below, with more quotes from Duane Vinson as well as professors and students who participated in the events.

"For Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla, securing victory for the third consecutive time in the Spanish Student Market Study Competition speaks volumes about the unparalleled dedication and excellence that our students have in the field of hospitality and tourism,” said Selene Itzia Perez Martinez, a professor at Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla. “Their adeptness in crafting an in-depth market study and delivering their findings impressively to distinguished judges and industry professionals underscores their outstanding analytical skills and leadership capabilities. Collaborating with such driven and talented students has been a privilege, and this exceptional achievement further solidifies our institution's commitment to fostering excellence in our students' academic and professional endeavors.”

Out of five teams from two countries (Mexico and Peru), Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla in Mexico won first place in this competition.

1. Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla, Mexico

2. Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas, Peru

3. Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico

Finalist Universidad Anahuac, Mexico

Out of nine participating teams from seven countries (Hungary, Lithuania, Romania, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey, and the UK), EHL (Switzerland) achieved first place in this competition.

1. EHL, Switzerland

2. Les Roches, Switzerland

3. University of Surrey, United Kingdom

Finalist Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom

Finalist Singidunum University, Serbia

“We are profoundly honored and filled with pride to have embarked on this unique learning journey, representing EHL Hospitality Business School in the EMEA Market Study Competition,” said the EHL Student Market Study Team. “Emerging as champions in the EMEA region and securing a place as finalists in the global competition, which reunited contestants from both undergraduate and graduate teams, ignited and amplified our passion for hotel insights and analysis. Within this competition, we delved deep into the art of crafting compelling narratives from intricate data, while also enhancing essential soft skills such as teamwork, critical thinking, and conducting extensive quantitative analyses, all within the constraints of a tight timeline. Our heartfelt appreciation extends to the CoStar Group SHARE Center for their organization of the competition, to the judges for their refined expertise, and to our dedicated coaches, Christina Tavares, Maggie Chen, and Kassem Jouni, for their unwavering support.”

Republic Polytechnic (Singapore) won first place out of thirteen participating teams from six countries (Australia, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam).

1. Republic Polytechnic, Singapore

2. Beijing Hospitality Institute, China

3. Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China

Finalist University of Santo Tomas, Philippines

Finalist LPU Manila, Philippines

Finalist LPU Batangas, Philippines

"Participating in this competition is an effective learning platform for our students,” said Celine Quec, a senior lecturer at Republic Polytechnic. “It enables us and our students to embrace challenges and work with esteemed industry experts from Singapore, Australia, Germany, and America to enrich our journey with invaluable insights."

“The students developed invaluable skills such as teamwork, networking with industry professionals in person and via Zoom, data analysis, and time management,” said Shaniel Bernard, an assistant professor at Virginia Tech. “They were able to synthesize data from a large market such as Washington, D.C., and innovatively tell the story from the perspective of multiple stakeholders (DMO, hotelier, broker, owner/investor).

“I am extremely proud of the hard work, resiliency, and dedication of our Howard Feiertag HTM students who spent countless hours outside the classroom, even in the wee hours of the night, working cohesively on this project to achieve this well-deserved outcome. This milestone achievement sets them apart from the rest in this competitive job-market climate."

Among 22 teams from three countries (Canada, Mexico, and the U.S.), Virgina Tech University won.

1. Virginia Tech University

2. Utah Valley University

3. University of Houston

4. Toronto Metropolitan University

5. Cal Poly Pomona

Finalist Southern Utah University

Finalist Penn State University

Finalist Universidad Panamericana, Mexico

Virginia Tech University finished first among thirteen participating teams.

1. Virginia Tech University

2. University of Houston

3. Utah Valley University

4. Cal Poly Pomona

Finalist Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla, Mexico

Finalist EHL, Switzerland

Finalist Les Roches, Switzerland

“We strongly encourage schools that perhaps have not participated in the past to join us for a future competition,” said Vinson. “The overall experience for the students is overwhelmingly positive. Every student participant and faculty advisor received a certificate signifying their involvement and ultimate placement in their competition. The top-placing teams also received plaques, and the winning team in each region and the global competition received a US$1,000 prize.”

The CoStar Group SHARE (Supporting Hospitality and Real Estate Education) Center supports schools around the globe by providing large volumes of hotel, tourism and real estate data, as well as related resources to professors and students for research, student projects and use in the classroom. The SHARE Center’s objective is to help improve the quality and increase the industry relevance of hospitality, tourism and real estate research and education. Launched in 2011, the SHARE Center has assisted nearly 1,000 schools from 85 countries. If you would like to find out more about the CoStar Group SHARE Center, please email sharecenter@str.com.

CoStar Group (NASDAQ: CSGP) is a leading provider of online real estate marketplaces, information, and analytics in the property markets. Founded in 1987, CoStar Group conducts expansive, ongoing research to produce and maintain the largest and most comprehensive database of real estate information. CoStar is the global leader in commercial real estate information, analytics, and news, enabling clients to analyze, interpret and gain unmatched insight on property values, market conditions and availabilities. Apartments.com is the leading online marketplace for renters seeking great apartment homes, providing property managers and owners a proven platform for marketing their properties. LoopNet is the most heavily trafficked online commercial real estate marketplace with over twelve million monthly global unique visitors. STR provides premium data benchmarking, analytics, and marketplace insights for the global hospitality industry. Ten-X offers a leading platform for conducting commercial real estate online auctions and negotiated bids. Homes.com is the fastest growing online residential marketplace that connects agents, buyers, and sellers. BureauxLocaux is one of the largest specialized property portals for buying and leasing commercial real estate in France. Business Immo is France’s leading commercial real estate news service. Thomas Daily is Germany’s largest online data pool in the real estate industry. Belbex is the premier source of commercial space available to let and for sale in Spain. CoStar Group’s websites attract nearly 100 million unique monthly visitors. Headquartered in Washington, DC, CoStar Group maintains offices throughout the U.S., Europe, Canada, and Asia. From time to time, we plan to utilize our corporate website, CoStarGroup.com, as a channel of distribution for material company information. For more information, visit CoStarGroup.com.

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