Northeastern Duo Wins First Place at Disney Industrial Engineering Case Competition
Industrial engineering students Aaron Wang, E’27, and Kristina Carandang, E’27, won first place at The Walt Disney Company’s third annual Disney Industrial Engineering Case Competition. Their achievement marks the first time a Northeastern team has taken the top spot in this national event.
Hosted by Disney’s Industrial Engineering department, the Disney Industrial Engineering Case Competition invites students from leading universities across the country to tackle real-world operational challenges inspired by Disney’s global parks and resorts. This year, the prompt asked participants to act as external consultants and redesign the lobby experience for a national hotel chain. Thus, teams presented recommendations to improve guest satisfaction, reduce check-in wait times, and increase café and ancillary revenue.
Designing a Better Guest Experience
Wang and Carandang used data analysis, guest-feedback trends, and quantitative modeling to develop a hybrid check-in system that blends self-service kiosks with traditional front desks. Additionally, they proposed a grab-and-go café model designed to improve guest flow and reduce perceived wait times. Moreover, by identifying pain points from Boston hotel reviews and testing the throughput of their design, the pair demonstrated a solution that was innovative, efficient, and grounded in guest experience.
Next Steps for the Northeastern Duo
As a result of their first-place finish at the Disney Industrial Engineering Case Competition, Wang and Carandang have already connected with full-time Disney industrial engineers and gained insights into the field and its potential career opportunities.
Moving forward, their success showcases how innovation, collaboration, and analytical thinking can make a powerful impact, no matter a team’s size.