Staff report
Northern Kentucky University’s Econ Games, featuring 3CDC as the data sponsor, drew students from 20 universities from across the country last week who gathered at Memorial Hall in Over-the-Rhine to come up with solutions to the 2025 Econ Games challenge.
“Develop a data-driven communication strategy based on your findings to showcase the value of the activation of civic spaces and the availability of safe, accessible parking to current and prospective tenants. Your goal is to create a persuasive narrative that combines insights, visualizations, and actionable recommendations to strengthen tenant attraction efforts.”
Participants were given access to anonymized datasets and supporting resources on civic space usage, parking trends, and commercial asset performance.
The winners were:
1st place: University of Dayton
2nd place: Denison University
3rd place: Elon University
4th place: University of Kentucky
The Econ Games were created in 2017 by NKU students who set out to design an economics competition that combined business-relevant skills with data analytics to solve real-world problems.
Since then, the Econ Games have evolved to include partnerships with private firms to incorporate the use of actual company data to give students a hands-on experiential learning opportunity.
During the event, students work to solve a complex, real-world business problem. The Econ Games are an opportunity for students to showcase their talent and knowledge in front of some of the most influential corporations in the region.
“The Econ Games have profoundly impacted our students, equipping them with the skills and confidence needed to excel in their careers,” said Dr. Hassan Hassabelnaby, Dean of the Haile College of Business. “We are deeply grateful to 3CDC for their support in providing real-world challenges that bridge the gap between academia and industry. I also want to thank Abdullah Al-Bahrani and Darshak Patel, whose vision and dedication have made this program a cornerstone of experiential learning.”
Like many programs from the Haile College of Business, the Econ Games prepares students for success both inside the classroom and in the workforce. 3CDC, the data sponsor for the 2025 Econ Games, will provide participants with an industry-relevant problem to solve and will sit on the judging panel.