#InterviewAlumni — Emilie Esparon (BSB'19): “At Vivatech, I am helping people discover...
Project Manager at Viva Technology
Who are you, before being Project Manager at Viva Technology?
My name is Emilie, I am 25 years old and I am originally from the Paris region. I now live in Paris after having had the opportunity to live in Dijon, Lyon and Hong Kong in particular, all thanks to BSB. I am passionate about music, a pianist myself, and I love to eat well.
And if not, what do you do for a living... professionally?
I am a Project Manager at VivaTech, within the marketing team. I am responsible for the student system: since its inception, VivaTech has wanted to make this event accessible to students who are also future entrepreneurs or tech enthusiasts. I manage a portfolio of 70 partners, business schools, engineering schools but also universities and specialized training in France and abroad. The second part of my missions is to create and develop projects for these audiences, before and during VivaTech. For example, last year we created an entrepreneurship pilot project for students, the Next Startupper Challenge, which we are deploying even more this year. Initiatives of this type abound, I think this is one of the assets of our event, which is celebrating its 5th anniversary this year. And then there are many other transversal projects, such as this HR system with our partners who come to look for talent. This transversal side is one of the assets of my job: I build bridges with a lot of teams in the organization.
A word about your background between BSB and your current job?
I quickly joined VivaTech after graduation. After an end-of-study internship in “employer brand” project management in another company, I applied for an offer via Welcome to the Jungle because I knew the event, in particular because I had already been there, and it finally went quite quickly.
If you had to introduce VivaTech to a child?
It's the place where you discover the future! To develop, VivaTech is the global meeting place for startups and innovation. This international event is dedicated to the growth of startups, digital transformation and innovation. For 3 days (2 B2B days and one day open to the general public), companies, researchers, investors, investors, startups, students, media, etc. come together to create new business opportunities, follow the latest technological innovations and be inspired by renowned speakers. And finally, we are celebrating all of this! — hence the “Viva” by VivaTech.
A striking anecdote to tell?
In 2019 we expanded the event venue. When everything was over, and the adrenaline was back, the whole team found themselves in Stage One, in this huge and empty place. It was very funny to us but we were happy to be here all together, with the feeling of accomplishment.
What's the last big pride you should have celebrated more?
Precisely, after the event I was very proud that we succeeded in setting up the entrepreneurial challenge that I mentioned earlier, everyone was happy about it. Maybe I should have celebrated it but it's not really my temperament...
What's the biggest challenge you've experienced so far with VivaTech?
I cannot say that I have experienced major difficulties. So yes there are moments that can be a bit complicated, I am thinking of the period before the event, with small bursts of stress, but frankly, team spirit really compensates for this type of inconvenience.
An actor of change who inspires you?
There is no personality that spontaneously affects me. I would rather tend to be inspired by everyday people, whom I will meet in the professional environment or not elsewhere, who get active and change things at their level.
Your morning routine to have the energy to change things every day?
It's very simple: I listen to music and hey presto I take my bike to work. That and the morning air boosts me up a lot! The event that made you want to contribute to change? I would say that it is my current job that stimulates me to contribute to change. I do things that make sense and for the common good: create projects and content to empower students and entrepreneurs, and that only fuels this desire to contribute to change.
What kind of student were you?
I was very involved in associations, and in particular I was part of the elected list of the Bureau des Arts. Loved that. I think it's also what made me want to do project management.
If you could relive your student days, what would you do differently?
I would not change anything except maybe try to travel more — although it is true that I have already moved a lot, whether in Lyon during a gap year, in Hong Kong on an academic exchange, and I also had the opportunity to do a road trip to Latin America.
What was the choice of path or the action taken when you were a student that served you the most?
It is really to have joined an association. It's as if we were already in a company, it's very rewarding, we do a lot of things, we collaborate with people with whom it turned out great... Otherwise in the fourth year I did the MSc Arts & Cultural Management, almost no longer for fun because I have an artistic flair. And then my international mobility was also super interesting. In short, a lot of things! BSB is full of opportunities.
Your next big ambition?
In the short term, it's about having a great 2020 edition of VivaTech. In the longer term, why not start my own business.
Any advice or a message for a BSB student?
Take advantage of all the opportunities offered by BSB, gap year, academic stays abroad, community life, internships, etc. And then keep and maintain your networks well: in life you never know who you will cross paths with again!
Any last words?
See you on June 11, 12 and 13 for the 5th edition of Viva Tech!
Learn more about Viva Technology
Sito web: vivatechnology.com
Twitter: @VivaTechInstagram: @VivaTech
Youtube: VivaTech channel
Facebook: @VivaTech
Viva Technology photo credit: GUILLOUX Jean-Claude/VIVA TECHNOLOGY 2019
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