Haaga-Helia to compete in top US sales competitions for higher education students

Haaga-Helia will represent Finland in two sales competitions for higher education students in the United States. In November, the next challenge will be the International Collegiate Sales Competition (ICSC), hosted by the University of Florida. It is the world's largest sales competition for higher education students and will be held in Orlando on 4–7 November 2026.

The competition season continues in the spring semester when Haaga-Helia takes part in another US-based competition, the National Collegiate Sales Competition (NCSC) in Georgia. Organised by Kennesaw State University, the competition will take place from 26 February to 1 March 2027.

Towards international competition

Haaga-Helia is participating in the Florida competition for the second time, while the competition at Kennesaw State University will be a first. The competition teams were selected through qualifying rounds organised as part of the Solution Sales study unit.

– Students complete the Solution Sales study unit, which prepares them for sales competitions in the USA. Through the course qualifiers, six students are selected to represent Haaga-Helia. Four students will participate in the competition in Florida and two in the competition in Georgia, says Senior Lecturer Anu Nieminen.

One of the students heading to Florida is Vivien Pászli, who is studying Finance in the International Business degree programme.

– I expect the competition to offer the same opportunities as the course: a chance to challenge myself. Working under pressure, receiving honest feedback and using it to develop my skills, as well as learning from other talented students, Vivien says.

– I also hope to meet new people and build an even more international network. I believe these skills will be valuable beyond sales roles as well.

Sales skills open new opportunities

According to Senior Lecturer Anu Nieminen, Haaga-Helia’s strengths in these competitions are its high-quality sales education and the strong motivation and enthusiasm of its students. The main expectations for the competition trips are the creation of new international networks and the opportunity to strengthen Haaga-Helia’s reputation as a leader in sales expertise.

– For students, the experience supports career development in sales. The competition provides concrete evidence of goal-oriented development of sales competences and can open doors even to an international career, she says.

Haaga-Helia already has a strong background in sales competitions. Each year, together with Turku University of Applied Sciences, it organises the national Best Seller Competition and has also participated for many years in the European Sales Competition, which brings together European sales students and companies.

In the main picture: The Solution Sales study unit at Haaga-Helia prepared students for the sales competitions. The students travelling to Florida are Benjamin Esltob, Jean Fernandez, Vivien Pászli and Lorenzo Tomasoni. The students travelling to Georgia are Ivonne Salas Agudelo and Nischal Bhandari. Also pictured are Aleksi Laine, Risto Yli-Jyrä and Hien Long Tran, who joined the course to systematically develop their sales expertise. Photo: Anu Nieminen.

Text: Hanna Helminen and Anu Nieminen, Haaga-Helia.