EBS 35: A Mission-Inspired Event “This is Just the Beginning”

Last year, Estonia’s oldest business school, Estonian Business School (EBS), celebrated a significant milestone – the 35th anniversary of its founding. This distinguished occasion deserved a fitting celebration.

The mission of EBS is to inspire and support its community members in achieving their full potential and creating shared value. When designing the event concept, we were guided by principles of ethics, social responsibility, and sustainability.

These principles inspired the creative solution “This is Just the Beginning.”

People drive societal changes, so we focused primarily on the community and empowering participants. We moved away from sweet nostalgia and offered a bold, forward-looking experience. EBS is a trailblazer in its field, being the best both today and tomorrow. This idea was reflected throughout the event’s artistic program, offering guests inspiration, innovation, and modernity.

The concept tied together 35 years of experience and a forward-thinking approach, highlighting significant moments in EBS’s history and bringing them to life through staging.

The Estonia Concert Hall was chosen as the venue because it serves as the launching pad for EBS students, from where hundreds of young people begin their journey every summer.

We utilized contemporary AI-generated visual art and thoughtful sound design to bring key moments to life using video projections and LED screens. Visual narratives that unified the entire event were supported by video artist Alyona Movko Mägi and director-dramaturg Veiko Tubin.

The musical director of the concert-performance, Aleksandr Žedeljov, is a young composer who has written both chamber and film music, and created award-winning works for theater productions and multimedia performances. The musical backbone was provided by a jazz trio, complemented by Žedeljov’s world of electronic instruments. The event also featured performances by the EBS Chamber Choir and top-class soloists, including EBS alumna Anett Kulbin. The event was hosted by representatives of the younger generation, the excellent actor Franz Malmsten and the talented singer Rahel Ollisaar.

In summary, the celebration of EBS’s 35th anniversary was a powerful and successful event that effectively conveyed the school’s mission and values while inspiring participants to look toward the future.