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ESN Sea Battle
www.esnseabattle.org
The ESN Sea Battle – Fall 2012: Unforgettable experience!
The ESN Sea Battle – Fall 2012 took place from the 18th to 21st of November, 2012. The event had in total 2200 participants from the six officially participating ESN countries: ESN Denmark, ESN Estonia, ESN Latvia, ESN Lithuania, ESN Norway and ESN Sweden. In total 38 ESN sections participated in the event; this edition of the event saw the participation of two new Norwegian ESN sections (ESN Ås and ESN Bergen) and two new Swedish ESN sections (ESN Borås and ESN BTH). The ESN Sea Battle Coordinator of the Swedish National ESN Board is the main coordinator of the ESN Sea Battle. The Fall 2012 edition of the ESN Sea Battle was based on the long-going traditions of the event, but also saw some new additions. For the first time, all participants were given a free ESN Sea Battle t-shirt, and new activities such as ERASMUS Bingo, ESN Quiz and Latin Party were organized. In order to honor the 25th anniversary of the ERASMUS Program, the ESN Sea Battle organized several ERASMUS related events such as ERASMUS Bingo, ERASMUS Quiz, ESN Quiz, etc. Thanks to the cooperation with Timetravels travel agency, one student also won a free student trip to Russia, organized by Timetravels. Each night of the event saw the students participating in a different theme party, with the ESN Write-On-Me Party being the most popular one. Over 500 students were also able to join the organized ESN sightseeing tours in Tallinn and Stockholm. For the first time ever, prior to the event, a high number of participants also participated in a virtual flash mob on the social media website Facebook. The Fall 2012 edition of the ESN Sea Battle saw also a record number of international guests, ESN volunteers from other countries, attending the event; we look forward to a similar interest towards the event also in the future. After the ESN Sea Battle an evaluation form of the event was sent out to all participants. 401 participants, representing a bit less than 20% of all participants, decided to evaluate the event. The results were great.: Over 88% of the participants were Satisfied or More than satisfied with the event. Over 75% thought that the ESN Group Leaders had done a Good or Excellent job during the event. 50% of the participants also expressed that they would definitely attend the event again the following spring. The complete results of the ESN Sea Battle – Fall 2012 Evaluation can now be found on the website of the ESN Sea Battle (http://esnseabattle.org/evaluation-fall-2012) as well as an annex to this cover letter. ESN Sweden is more than satisfied with the outcome of the event and the results of the evaluation. There are areas that can still be improved, but in general the event seems to have been a great success full with unforgettable experiences! The communication, both internally and with the participants of the event has been improved which leads to better informed participants. Other improvements are already being planned and the preparations for the next edition of the ESN Sea Battle are already in full progress! ESN Sweden and the ESN Sea Battle Coordinator are very much looking forward to the next edition of the ESN Sea Battle: Spring 2013, which will take place from the 21st to 24th of April, 2013.
ESN Sea Battle
www.esnseabattle.org
The ESN Sea Battle Coordinator and ESN Sweden wishes to thank all participants that attended the ESN Sea Battle – Fall 2012, and all persons that filled in the evaluation form after the event. In addition special thanks goes to all Local and National ESN Sea Battle Coordinators as well as all partners that contributed to the event: Tallink Silja, Timetravels, all participating ESN sections and countries, DJ’s, Projekt Sex (P6) and Student Dance. We look very much forward to see you all at the ESN Sea Battle – Spring 2013!
For more information please contact: Oscar Boije, ESN Sea Battle Coordinator, ESN Sweden, [email protected] www.esnseabattle.org
The ESN Sea Battle is an international student cruise between Stockholm (Sweden) and Tallinn (Estonia). The event takes place twice every year; usually in April and November. With its over 4300 participants annually, the ESN Sea Battle is one of the biggest student event in Europe. The ESN Sea Battle is proudly brought to you by ESN Sweden.
-- The Erasmus Student Network (ESN) is one of the biggest non-profit interdisciplinary student associations in Europe, founded in 1989 to support and develop student exchange. ESN is present in more than 420 Higher
Education Institutions in 35 countries involving around 29,000 young people, offering its services annually to over 160,000 international students.
Evaluation of the ESN Sea Battle – Fall 2012Oscar Boije
ESN Sea Battle Coordinator
ESN Sweden
1. Introduction
The ESN Sea Battle – Fall 2012 took place from the 18th to 21st of November, 2012. The event had in total
just under 2200 participants from the six officially participating countries: ESN Denmark, ESN Estonia,
ESN Latvia, ESN Lithuania, ESN Norway and ESN Sweden. In total 38 ESN sections participated in the
event, with the addition of two new Norwegian and two new Swedish sections. The ESN Sea Battle
Coordinator of the Swedish National ESN Board is the head organizer of the ESN Sea Battle.
The participant evaluation form was launched the 25th of November and closed the 6th of December. In
total 401 participants from all the different participating countries filled in the evaluation form. The
results represent hence about 18% of the total amount of participants. The figure is high enough to give
a good overview of the general opinion of all participants of the event. The evaluation form was
anonymous, with the option to leave an email address in order to participate in the lottery of a free
ticket for the next ESN Sea Battle event.
The results of the evaluation form will be presented and studied below. Graphs and the most common
submitted comments as well as suggested areas of improvements will be studied and discussed.
2. Results
2.1 Result graphs
2.1.1 General satisfaction
In total just under 90% of all participants said to have been Satisfied or More than satisfied with the ESN
Sea Battle. Even if improvements can still be done in order to achieve an even higher percentage of
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satisfaction, the figure reached already this fall is remarkable and shows that the event and its
implementation seems to have been successful. The areas of improvement that could lead to an even
higher satisfaction percentage will be discussed below.
2.1.2 Organization
2.1.2.1 Buffet dinner
Just over 80% of all participants rated the buffet dinner that is included in the price of the ESN Sea Battle
to have been Good or Excellent. Another 15% was of the opinion that the buffet was of average
standard. This figure is also satisfactory. From the submitted comments it can be noted that the actual
organization of the dinner seems to be the main reason for possible lower rating, more than the actual
culinary content of the dinner.
2.1.2.2 Tax-free shopping
Almost 65% of the participants thought the Tax-Free shops on-board had Good or Excellent deals. An
additional 26% thought the prices were OK. Certain comments were submitted wishing for a greater
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variety of cold food in the shops, this is something that is out of ESN's hands, but the wishes will be
forwarded to the ferry company, who is responsible for the shops on-board.
2.1.2.3 ESN Group Leaders
Just under 75% of all participants estimated that the ESN Group Leaders did a Good or Excellent job
during the event. Only a small part, around 5% of the participants did not rate favorably the work of the
Group Leaders. The number is low, but need to be worked on further. Some of the comments that might
have affected this rating were related to the lack of information when being requested for assistance as
well as missing or late information regarding departures from home towns and other relevant practical
local information. Participants also requested from the Group Leaders a more united standing point
regarding the rules and their implementation. For future events the ESN Sea Battle organization will
ensure that all Group Leaders have a common understanding of the rules and how they should be
implemented.
2.1.2.4 Security guards
The work of the security guards was rated with lower scores than the work of the ESN Group Leaders. In
general the numbers are though satisfactory. The work of the security guards is always more straight
forward than that of the Group Leaders, which automatically leads to some discontent among the
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participants. Some specific example of the actions of the security guards were submitted and the most
relevant ones will be discussed with the security personnel when evaluating the past event and planning
the next one.
2.1.3 Program and activities
2.1.3.1 Sightseeing tours
In total around 500 students participated in the sightseeing tours in Stockholm and Tallinn. Most
participants attended only one of the sightseeing tours, but some few ones had the possibility to attend
the tours in both cities. Satisfaction with the tours was not rated in the evaluation, but from the
comments it appears that the satisfaction with tours divided the participants. Even if a high amount of
students appreciate the tours there is still room for improvement.
2.1.3.2 ESN Sea Battle t-shirt
Only a small part of the participants did not get their ESN Sea Battle t-shirt, less than 5%. Many students
requested smaller t-shirt sizes; this is something the ESN Sea Battle organization will work with to
improve for the next event. The small group of participants that did not get the t-shirts could be
explained with the fact that the students didn't find fitting sizes or that they simply forgot to pick-up the
t-shirts. In any case the sizing issue will be one of the priorities to be improved for the next event.
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2.1.3.3 Favorite activities
The different theme parties organized during the event, together with the Karaoke and the ESN Sea
Battle dance, were the most popular events on-board. The Write-On-Me party was overwhelmingly the
most popular one, followed by the Pirates vs. Vikings party. Many participants expressed their
satisfaction with smaller events and requested more such events during later hours of the evening.
These suggestions will be evaluated and if possible implemented at the next event. The most important
conclusions from the evaluation was that participants appreciate smaller, more intimate events and
would be interested in attending such events in a greater extent, if only available.
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2.1.3.4 Favorite dance floor
The participants are split when it comes deciding the most popular dance floor on-board. Both the Ibiza
Disco and the Starlight Palace both got almost an equal high rating, the Ibiza Disco club being just slightly
more preferred than the Starlight Palace. These two dance floors are though remarkably more popular
than the Tango Lounge, possibly due to the styles of music played at them and also their opening hours.
2.1.4 Communication
2.1.4.1 Information prior to the event
Over 90% of all participants were of the opinion that they had got enough information about the event
prior to the actual event. The figure is notably similar to the results on the question if the participants
had got the official ESN Sea Battle mail (see 2.1.4.4), hence it could be that these issues are interrelated.
It becomes hence a higher priority to ensure that in the future 100% of all participants get the official
mail prior to the mail. As was mentioned earlier above, some students though also expressed that they
lacked proper or on-time information from their local levels regarding practical local arrangements.
There are hence several areas of improvement, both for the local organizations and for the central ESN
Sea Battle organization.
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2.1.4.2 Information during the event
In general just under 90% of the participants were satisfied with the information they got during the
event. Taking into consideration the high amount of participants and all on-going activities the figure is
satisfactory but should of course still be improved. Participants requested more frequent
announcements in the central speakers, as well as better informed ESN Group Leaders. Unfortunately
due to logistical problems also a part of the participants did not got access to the printed program fliers;
something that will not occur again in the future.
2.1.4.3 ESN Sea Battle website
The big majority of all participants had visited the ESN Sea Battle website prior to the event, even though
the number was a bit lower than the amount of students that received the official ESN Sea Battle mail.
Since the website contains the most practical and important information regarding the event, it becomes
essential to underline in the future the necessity to visit the website in order to be well-informed prior to
the event. The content of the website was not evaluated in the evaluation form, but neither did any
participants submit any complaints about missing information on the website, besides maybe the fact
that proper guides and information should be available on what to see and do in Stockholm and Tallinn.
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2.1.4.4 ESN Sea Battle emails
As mentioned above, the number of participants that received the ESN Sea Battle mail prior to the event
was very similar to the amount of participants that felt they had got enough information about the
event, prior to attending. Hence, in order to increase the awareness of the participants about the event's
information, it becomes relevant to aim for a higher percentage of email readers/receivers. This is a
technical issue that will be worked on by the central organization.
2.1.4.5 Best communication method
As expected, both the Facebook pages of the ESN Sea Battle and of the local ESN sections were
mentioned as the top three most useful ways to get information about the ESN Sea Battle. It is though
very satisfactory to also see that over 50% of the participants considered the website of the ESN Sea
Battle to be the best way to get information about the event. This is especially relevant since this
communication channel is different and more complete than social media channels like Facebook. It
must be concluded that to enable proper communication towards the participants, the ESN Sea Battle
organization and local ESN sections both need to work on maintaining active communication on their
Facebook channels, as well as the ESN Sea Battle organization needs to maintain the website of the ESN
Sea Battle up-to-date at all moments.
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2.1.4.6 Information about rules
It is very satisfactory to see that over 90% of the participants were of the opinion that they had been
informed about the rules of the ESN Sea Battle, prior to the event. It could be assumed that the inclusion
of the rules in the official ESN Sea Battle mail had a positive effect on the high number of students that
were aware of the rules. Regarding this point the most feasible way to increase the percentage of
awareness about the rules of the event would be to increase the successful reception of the ESN Sea
Battle mail.
2.1.5 Final questions
2.1.5.1 Previous participation
About 8% of the persons that filled in the evaluation form informed that they had taken part in the ESN
Sea Battle before. Since most participants are exchange or international students who only stay one or
two semester in one of the participating ESN countries, it must be assumed that most of the submissions
regarding previous participation come from ESN Group Leaders and other actives who indeed have
participated in previous editions of the event. In the evaluation of the spring edition of the ESN Sea
Battle it will become more relevant to compare if the figure is higher since the majority of international
or exchange students that stay for two semester do so over an academic year.
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2.1.5.2 Interest in future participation
It is positive to see that around 50% of the participants were of the opinion that they would absolutely
be interested in attending the event also next spring. It is though also a very remarkable amount of
students, about 25%, that is of the opinion that they would attend the event one more time, but only if
the destination was different from the one visited this fall. This has been evaluated in the past and will
be up for discussion also in the future. For the moment there are though no plans to change the
destinations of the event.
2.2 Most common submitted comments
2.2.1 Food
A high number of the participants that filled in the evaluation form requested also a second buffet
dinner the second evening. A smaller amount of participants requested other cheap food solutions for
the second evening. There are certain practical challenges with trying to provide food to participants also
the second night, and in the case of not being possible, at least the information regarding the catering
possibilities the second evening will be explained better.
Some participants also explained that the organization of the buffet dinner was complicated due to too
high number of persons eating. The ESN Sea Battle organization will consider how this problem could be
solved for the future, taking into consideration that the maximum available seats are already being used
at the moment to provide the dinner for all participants; this is especially applicable in the case of the
students from Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
2.2.2 Sightseeing tours
The comments regarding the sightseeing tours in Stockholm and Tallinn are split when it comes to
positive and negative feedback. All positive comments related to committed guides, while most negative
comments related to lack of guiding experience by the student guides. It will be a task for the next
edition to train even better and prepare the ESN guides for their tasks during the sightseeing tours.
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2.2.3 Program and activities
Many participants informed that they would have like to see the program spread out over a longer
period of time during the evenings, especially the evening of the 19th of November. Many of the activities
were said to have happened while the students were having their dinner and to have ended rather early.
The participants requested more small and intimate events that would be good alternatives to the dance
parties going on at the Ibiza Disco and Starlight Palace. This request will be considered and evaluated for
the next event.
2.2.4 You're great!
A high number of the participants that filled in the evaluation form expressed in many different ways
their gratitude towards the organization of the event and their satisfaction with it.
3. Areas of improvements
3.1 Communication
From the results of the evaluation form it can be included that the communication from the local level
towards the participants can still be improved. Earlier and more detailed information regarding
departure times and general information about the event needs to be communicated to the participants
by the local ESN sections in the future.
Considering it's importance to the general reception of information about the event, the central
organization of the ESN Sea Battle needs to work to reach an even higher percentage of participants that
receive the official ESN Sea Battle email prior to the event.
3.2 Group Leaders
The role of the ESN Group Leaders should be explained better to the participants in the future. At the
same time, the Group Leaders should be trained even more and have more general information about
the event in the future. At the moment certain participants felt like certain ESN Group Leaders were not
able to provide all the necessary information to the participants that these would have needed.
3.3 Programming
For future events it should be specified that there is indeed a limited amount of tickets to the sightseeing
tours in Stockholm and Tallinn. Also the schedule for the selling of the tickets will be revised in order for
all participants to have an equal fair chance to buy the tickets.
As has already been mentioned above, the participants requested more smaller, social events, but that
these should take place at a later time of the evening. The arrangements of the schedule will be re-
considered for the next event in order to offer a wider selection of events that would take place during a
more spread out time of the evening.
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Two other areas of improvements are the organization regarding the buffet dinner and the distribution
of ESN Sea Battle t-shirts. New solutions will be evaluated in order to better offer all participants with t-
shirts that suit them. Regarding the buffet dinner, the issue will be discussed with the ferry company and
solutions will be evaluated in order to make the practical arrangements of the buffet dinners work better
and easier for the participants.
4. Final words
To end this report the ESN Sea Battle would like to thank everybody who took the time to fill in the
evaluation form. We received a lot of very useful comments and suggestions, out of which some for
certain will be implemented at the next editions of the ESN Sea Battle. All comments, both positive and
negative, help us to improve the event and make it even better than it already is!
Besides thanking all participants of the ESN Sea Battle, a big thank you goes to all ESN'ers that put a lot
of effort and enthusiasm into the organization of the event; from selling of tickets to organizing smaller
events on-board. Your help is more than appreciated: without it the event would not be possible!
For any additional comments or questions regarding this evaluation or the ESN Sea Battle in general,
you're all more than welcome to contact us at [email protected].
Thank you once again to everybody that participated in the ESN Sea Battle this fall. We hope to see you
soon again,on-board the ESN Sea Battle – Spring 2012!
Oscar BoijeESN Sea Battle Coordinator
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