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In less than two weeks, more than 150 Ivey MSc in Management students tackled one of business’s biggest frontiers: harnessing artificial intelligence to redefine the customer experience.
That challenge was at the heart of the 2025 Ivey Digital Innovation Conference (IDIC), a student-led, cross-field competition connecting innovation-minded students with industry leaders.
Presented in partnership with PwC Canada and Adobe, the event, held October 10–24, brought together students from the MSc in Digital Management, Business Analytics, and International Business fields to explore how organizations can design smarter, more adaptive digital journeys.
Below, three IDIC executive team members – Ayaz Ghasempourbalou, Vice President, Communications; Haya El-Roz, Co-Vice President, Logistics; and Bjarne Wemme, Vice President, Sponsorships – share how they created a real-world experience for participants.
Q&A with Ayaz Ghasempourbalou, Haya El-Roz, and Bjarne Wemme
What inspired you to organize this year’s Digital Innovation Conference?
Ayaz: Attending last year's conference inspired me. Seeing students create something so impactful made me want to help deliver that experience for this year’s cohort.
What inspired this year’s focus topic? Why did you choose AI and customer journeys?
Ayaz: The core philosophy of IDIC is to embrace innovation and let students work with technologies that might not even be taught in class yet. After last year’s excitement around generative AI, we wanted to build on that and, with our sponsors, explore how Agentic AI can solve industry-wide challenges.
How did you divide responsibilities among your organizing team?
Ayaz: Each team member took on a designated role when joining the executive, but we also supported one another whenever needed. While we each had our specialties, the team dynamic let us flex our strengths and collaborate across functions.
What was the process like working with faculty and industry partners to shape the program? Did anything surprise you about that collaboration?
Bjarne: We worked closely with Adobe and PwC Canada to design the competition and align it with both student and sponsor skills and needs.
It was a pleasure – they treated us as equals and valued our insights, helping make the competition both engaging and challenging for students across all MSc fields and graduating years.
What were your goals for student participants, and how did you measure success?
Haya: We wanted students to step outside their comfort zones, collaborate across fields, adapt to different working styles, and connect with industry leaders who could inspire and guide them.
Beyond technical or presentation skills, we hope the participants experienced personal and professional growth by learning how to share ideas confidently and working together toward a common goal. We also hope it served as a welcoming introduction to the Ivey culture.
We measured success by tracking engagement, participation, and feedback from faculty, sponsors, and students, as well as post-event reflections.
What was the biggest logistical challenge in organizing the event, and how did you overcome it?
Haya: Coordinating between multiple stakeholders – PwC, Adobe, Ivey faculty, and student teams – while managing tight timelines was definitely challenging. Weekly meetings, clear responsibilities, and shared documents helped us stay aligned and deliver smoothly.
How did this experience connect with what you’ve learned in the MSc program?
Ayaz: The MSc program teaches us to think critically about emerging technologies and their strategic impact across industries. For example, in previous projects, I explored generative AI applications in commercial banking and education.
Working with our sponsors showed us how disruptive tools drive transformation, reinforcing what we learn in digital strategy and innovation management.
What part of the conference are you most proud of?
Ayaz: Seeing the entire event come to life was incredibly rewarding. IDIC is fully student-led, so watching our small executive team’s months of work result in such a high-impact experience — especially with sponsors like Adobe and PwC — was special.
More than 150 students attended the first round, with 10 finalist teams (60 students) presenting to industry judges. It was inspiring to see how much impact a small but dedicated team can achieve.
How did students respond to the conference? Did any feedback stand out?
Haya: Students were highly engaged throughout and valued starting their Ivey journey with such a high-impact, hands-on experience that showcased the power of collaboration between industry and academia.
Several students even expressed interest in joining the IDIC executive team next year, which demonstrates the event's inspiring and community-building impact.
What did you personally learn from organizing such a large-scale event? Any advice for next year’s team?
Ayaz: Organizing such a large-scale event taught me the importance of clear communication, adaptability, and trust. With so many moving parts, we had to stay structured yet flexible.
I learned that effective leadership isn’t just about delegating tasks; it’s about creating an environment where everyone feels ownership and accountability.
My advice for next year’s team: start planning early, communicate often, and lean on each other’s strengths. It may seem daunting at first, but it’s one of the most rewarding experiences you’ll have in the MSc program.
Congratulations to the IDIC winners: Team 14 – 18Yorkers (first place), Team 23 – Adope (second place), and Team 16 – StratIQ (third place).
(Photo above) The winning team with IDIC sponsors and Ivey representatives.
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