Student Simulation Competition

Competition Overview

Simio invites you to participate in our biannual simulation contest. This is open to both graduate and undergraduate student teams. In addition to the fame and glory as well as "bragging rights" and exposing your work to potential employers there will be cash prizes totaling $5500, twice a year, for the top 4 teams!

Note: Spring 2023 competition coming soon!

Below is a summary of the December 2022 problem (July through December 2022):

The Simio Soccer Committee (SSC) is an organization that was newly developed to help improve the fan experience for exhibition matches (friendlies) that are held at the venue Estadio Simio. The operations team at the venue is presently under scrutiny for low profits, excessive wait times, and poor fan satisfaction. The committee has brought in your simulation team to understand the present state of the stadium operations, and then seek recommendations for how to improve upon them moving forward.

SSC has compiled historical data from Estadio Simio’s recent matches it played host to and is requesting that this information be used to understand how and why the issues are occurring. The team will need to examine fan interactions at ticketing, security, concessions, merchandising, and seat selection, as these areas have been frequently mentioned as poorly managed based on fan surveys. Factors such as poorly allocated staffing, outdated and/or minimal equipment, and a lack of line control policies greatly affect the ability of the stadium to operate effectively. Factors such as the score of the match, weather conditions, and point in time during the match will also heavily influence fan behavior. We need help understanding why the profits, wait times, and fan satisfaction has suffered to this point.

The SSC is asking that your team develops a new matchday operations strategy. The strategy should improve the profitability of the venue while also lessening the time spent waiting in lines at various areas within the stadium. Your team will prepare a video presentation for the Simio Soccer Committee outlining your findings and your proposal for how to improve operations.

Student Team Registration

Students: If your instructor is assigning this as a required class project, ask your instructor how you register. If you are doing this as an ad-hoc project or optional assignment, register for the contest, visit here. Consult the Contest Rules and Guidelines for additional important information and helpful success tips.

Instructor Class Registration

Instructors: Registration is now open. To register, visit here. Consult the Contest Rules and Guidelines for additional important information and helpful success tips.

Judging Criteria

Judging will be done by an independent panel of judges drawn internationally from both academic and commercial simulation practitioners. Judging is based on a 10-item scoring system where each item is worth between 0.0 and 3.0 points. For more detail see the Contest Judging Criteria.

Previous Competition Results