Asper School of Business

Asper Business Case Competition

The fifth annual Asper Business Case Competition is a five-day international-level graduate case competition hosted at the I. H. Asper School of Business.
 

Image of Human Rights Museum with ABCC logo.

Schedule ABCC 2027

February 15

Team arrival day

February 16

Opening Ceremonies

2-Week Prepared Case Presentations

February 17

4-Hour Boardroom Case Round

February 18

Excursion Day

February 22

10-Hour Case Preparation

February 20

10-Hour Case Presentation

10-Hour Case Finals Presentation

Awards Dinner

A group of students shakes the hands of the group they are presenting to.
A group of people sit at a boardroom table presenting an idea.
A group of students pose for a photo.
A group of students jokingly pose with their teammate in the middle.
A group of people standing in front of a staircase are all looking above.
Woman sits at a table addressing a room of people, a man sits next to her
A group of judges watches a presentation with an audience behind them.
A woman giving a presentation points towards the screen as she speaks with her team beside her.
A group of people posing for a photo.

Follow Asper_BCC Instagram  

for live updates during the competition

Your destination Winnipeg

An image of winnipeg, featuring a bridge and the human rights museum
An Image of the forks
An Image of people walking in Winnipeg's Exchange District

Winnipeg is a growing economic hub offering a tight-knit, influential business environment. Key industries include supply chain, transportation, aerospace, and agribusiness.

The strong sense of community here is backed up by a rich cultural scene, diverse international cuisine, and remarkable outdoor attractions. 

Visit Tourism Winnipeg and Travel Manitoba to learn more about the vast breadth of experiences available in Canada's heart.

Locations

  • COMPETITION

    Asper School of Business

    Opened in 1987, the Drake Centre has been the heart of the Asper School of Business for nearly 40 years. Designed by renowned Manitoba architect Étienne Gaboury, the building brings generations of students, faculty, staff and community partners together—and even has a royal connection, with Queen Elizabeth II participating in its sod-turning ceremony.

    Home to the Stu Clark Graduate School, the Drake Centre brings together graduate students, faculty and researchers in a collaborative environment focused on research, innovation and real-world impact. With strong connections to industry and the broader business community, Asper offers a welcoming place to exchange ideas, build networks and explore new perspectives.

  • Image of the Drake Centre in winter.

  • ACCOMODATION

    Delta Hotels Winnipeg

    Located in the heart of downtown Winnipeg, Delta Hotels Winnipeg offers convenient access to many of the city’s major cultural, dining and entertainment destinations. Connected to the RBC Convention Centre by skywalk and within easy reach of The Forks, Canada Life Centre and Winnipeg Art Gallery–Qaumajuq, it provides a comfortable and central base for exploring the city.

  • Exterior of Delta Hotel in Winnipeg

  • EXCURSIONS 

    Visit The Forks, a gathering place for more than 6,000 years at the meeting of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, now one of the city’s most popular destinations for dining, shopping, public art and year-round events. In winter, lace up your skates and glide along the river trails and outdoor rinks at The Forks, one of Winnipeg’s most memorable cold-weather experiences. 

    Experience Festival du Voyageur, Western Canada’s largest winter festival, celebrating Manitoba’s Francophone and Métis heritage through live music, traditional food, snow sculptures and outdoor festivities. 

    Beyond these signature attractions, Winnipeg offers a vibrant arts community, nationally recognized museums, diverse neighbourhoods and an acclaimed culinary scene—all with the welcoming character of a prairie city.

  • Students pose for a photo at Festival du Voyageur

Case Instructions

Case 1: Prepared Case

  • Presentations will be 25 minutes long, with a 15-minute question period.
  • Teams will receive a 5-minute (yellow card) warning and a 1-minute (red card) warning in both the presentation period and the question and answer period.
  • Every team member must speak during the presentation.
  • There are no limits to the number of slides and exhibits a team may use.
  • Teams may use all resources at their disposal for the prepared case. This includes course materials, advisor input, and all other available material.
  • However, please refrain from reaching out to employees of the case sponsor organization.
  • Should the team not submit on time they will be placed in the bottom of their pool for that round.

Case 2: Boardroom Case

  • Once the case is released participants are not allowed to contact coaches or anyone outside of their team.
  • Students are asked to use their own laptops (one laptop per student) and as such, prebuilt templates are allowed. No other electronic devices beyond the four laptops are allowed.
  • Students will engage in a discussion with judges. This will be a boardroom style presentation and as such the team will be seated. A wireless keyboard and mouse will be provided for students to navigate their deck.
  • Judges will be provided with a black and white copy of the one-page brief to read in advance of the discussion. Following this, teams will have 3 uninterrupted minutes to present their recommendation to judges using their single summary slide (appendices may not be accessed during this time). Teams will receive a 1-minute (red card) warning during this time
  • After 3 minutes have elapsed, there will be a 22-minute discussion person where teams may access both their executive summary slide as well as their appendix slides. Teams will receive a 5-minute (yellow card) warning and a 1-minute (red card) warning during this time. Teams are encouraged to use the provided mouse to navigate through their slides.
  • There are no limits to the number of appendix slides.
  • Every team member must speak during the discussion but everyone does not need to speak during the 3 minutes of protected time.
  • Cellphones or smart watches are not permitted.
  • Volunteers may step into the preparation room periodically to ensure that rules are being followed.
  • Competitors will be seated for the presentation.

Case 3: Traditional Case

  • Presentations will be 20 minutes long, with a 10-minute question period.
  • Teams will receive a 5-minute (yellow card) warning and a 1-minute (red card) warning in both the presentation period and the question and answer period.
  • Every team member must speak during the presentation Participants are not allowed to contact coaches or anyone outside of their team.
  • Students are asked to use their own laptops (one laptop per student) and as such, prebuilt templates. No other electronic devices beyond the four laptops are allowed.
  • Cellphones or smart watches are not permitted.
  • There are no limits to the number of slides and exhibits a team may use.
  • Volunteers may step into the preparation room periodically to ensure that rules are being followed.

Final Round Presentation

  • Scores will be tabulated from the prepared case round and the traditional case round. Prepared case is weighted 25%, boardroom case is weighted 30% and the traditional case is weighted 45%.
  • Three teams will be selected to participate in the final round where they will present their traditional case to a new panel of judges.
  • Teams are not allowed to make changes to their slide deck.
  • In the event of a tie, the team with the higher traditional case score will proceed.
  • Faculty advisors whose team makes it to the final round are prohibited from communicating with their team until after they have presented
  • Teams that qualify for the final round will be escorted to a holding room until it is time to present.
  • Presentations will be 20 minutes long, with a 15-minute question period.
  • Teams will receive a 5-minute (yellow card) warning and a 1-minute (red card) warning in both the presentation period and the question and answer period.
  • Should there be a tie, we will look at performance in each round. The team that does better in the highest weighted rounds will proceed to the finals. If the weighted rounds are the same, performance in each category of the rubric will be look at with the highest weight prioritized.

Past cases

Sponsors

The Asper School of Business gratefully acknowledges the generous support of sponsors, and we look forward to continuing the legacy of giving for our future competitions.

  • The Associates logo.

  • Diamond Sponsors

    The Associates

    For 41 years Manitoba’s business community has merged its skills in leadership, mentorship and entrepreneurship into The Associates. Comprising 368 business executives, The Associates have relentlessly provided guidance, financial support and networking for the I.H. Asper School of Business and its students.

  • Stu Clark Graduate School Logo

  • Stu Clark Graduate School

    The Stu Clark Graduate School, also known as the Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba, offers a variety of graduate programs, including MBA, MFin, and MSCM degrees. It focuses on developing new businesses and fostering entrepreneurial thinking among students. The school also provides resources for students to turn their ideas into successful ventures, including workshops and competitions aimed at enhancing entrepreneurial skills.

“I am a huge supporter of this method of experiential learning, particularly at the graduate school level. The face-to-face, peer-to-peer, competitive nature of these events presents a real life, out-of-classroom opportunity for students to engage with peers from graduate business schools across Canada, and to build their confidence as they prepare to face the myriad of complex problems in their future business careers. ”
Dr. Stu Clark [BComm(Hons)/76, LLD/2011]
Stu Clark smiling, wearing a UM sports jacket.

Interested to know more?

What is a Business Case Competition?

Case competitions are a transformative experiential learning opportunity. They provide students with real-life experiences while developing and leveraging their problem-solving and analytical skills. 

Students are given complex business challenges and are asked to work as a team to provide a recommendation that considers the needs of all stakeholders, the resources required, and the changing nature of business. 

The Asper Business Case Competition hosts graduate teams from top Canadian business schools to tackle contemporary business challenges through three rounds of competition, each with a different style of case analysis and presentation. 

The event helps students develop skills including adaptability, confidence in public speaking, and creativity that will be widely applicable to their professional careers. 

Contact us

Drake Centre
181 Freedman Cres.
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, MB R3T 5V4

Judith Jayasuriya 
Instructor & Lead, Experiential Learning

Steven Harrison 
Case Competition Coordinator

aspercasecomps@umanitoba.ca