MEWC
FMWC
TAC
EEO
If Day 1 was the warm-up, Day 2 was where things got serious. Attendees were back in the Luxor Egyptian Ballroom for a fresh lineup of Masterclasses, with the Excel Esports Gaming Room open from first coffee to late afternoon. Just after lunch, the Last Chance Qualification Round results finally ended the overnight suspense.
By evening, the action had moved to the HyperX Arena. The MECC Team and Individual Semi-Finals decided who would play for the titles on the final day, before the professionals took over for the MEWC Quarterfinals. [a line on the mood at morning registration, e.g. sleepy but excited faces after the parade]
The Morning Masterclasses
With coffee in hand and the parade still fresh in everyone’s minds, the Masterclasses picked up right where it left off.
Rob Langrick: Topic To Be Announced
Rob Langrick got the day started. Last year he showed the room just how much of Wall Street runs on Excel, and this time he returned with [FILL: one or two lines on what he covered and the key takeaway]. [a standout moment, quote or audience reaction]
Joseph Palisoc: Topic to be announced
Next on stage was Joseph Palisoc, [FILL: who he is, e.g. role and company]. His session [FILL: one or two lines on the topic and what attendees walked away with]. [a standout moment, quote or audience reaction]
Amber Johnson: Debugging Debt – You Are the Most Important Input Variable
Amber Johnson, industrial engineer and founder of Peachy Profitability, closed out the morning with a refreshingly personal session. Starting with her own $40K of credit card debt, she showed that the balance only moved once her behavior did, treating life like a formula where the result changes only when the inputs do. Attendees practiced root-cause analysis on their spending habits and left with an Excel template to track the inputs behind their own goals. [FILL: a key takeaway or quote from her session]
Lunch & Networking: Nerves, Predictions and New Connections
Lunch on Day 2 had a different energy. With the Semi-Finals only hours away, students compared strategies, shared last-minute tips and tried their best to stay calm. Professionals and faculty were quick to offer advice, and plenty of conversations drifted from formulas to careers, internships and life after university.
For many, it was also the last quiet moment before the Last Chance Qualification Round results. Predictions flew around the tables as everyone wondered whose names would appear on the leaderboard.
[a specific moment, e.g. a team huddle, a mentor conversation or a speaker who stayed to chat]
The Last Chance Qualification Round Results & FMWC Awards
Straight after lunch, the room filled up for the moment many had been waiting on since the night before. First, Andrew Grigolyunovich, founder of the Financial Modeling World Cup, took the stage to celebrate this season’s FMWC champions. [FILL: FMWC winner(s) and a line on their season]
Individual LCQR Qualifiers
Then it was the students’ turn. Ten places in that evening’s MECC Individual Semi-Finals were on the line, and cheers filled the room as soon as the list of qualifiers appeared on screen. There were relieved faces and a few high fives as students spotted their names, and for some, the realization that their Championships weren’t over yet took a moment to sink in. [a reaction or moment, e.g. a first-timer who made it or a nail-biting final name]
Through to the MEWC Quarterfinals
Finally, the professionals found out who had earned a place in the MEWC Quarterfinals. Among the qualifiers were [FILL: number] students, who now had the chance to compete in both MECC and MEWC. With a packed schedule of Excel Esports games ahead of them, it was time to step up to the task. [FILL: a standout name or story]
The Afternoon Masterclasses
With the results out of the way, attention turned back to the stage for two final sessions before the Arena.
Carolina Lago: How To Use AI as Your Personal Python Coder in Excel
Carolina Lago, founder of Tactic Financial with 25 years of FP&A experience, proved you don’t need to know Python to use it. With Excel’s =PY() function and AI writing every line of code, she trained a machine learning model live on 1,000 of her own workout sessions to find out which songs actually make her run. The audience even went head to head with the model before it revealed its predictions. [FILL: the finale prediction or the room’s reaction]
Microsoft: The Most Fresh Out-of-the-Oven MS Excel Feature and Future of Excel
To close the Masterclasses, [FILL: presenter name and role] from Microsoft gave attendees a first look at Excel’s newest feature, straight out of the oven, and a glimpse at where Excel is heading next. [FILL: the feature revealed and the room’s reaction]
Lights On at the HyperX Arena in Las Vegas
As the Masterclasses wrapped up, everyone made their way to the HyperX Arena. The MECC Game Day Opening set the stage, with Oz du Soleil and Jon Acampora settling in behind the casting desk and the competitors taking their seats under the lights. [FILL: a highlight from the opening, e.g. walk-outs, a welcome speech or the crowd’s reaction]
MECC Team Semi-Finals
First up were the MECC Team Semi-Finals. The 20 teams who came through the Day 1 MECC Team Quarter-Finals had 30 minutes to battle it out for just four places in the Team Finals, some on the main stage and others at stations on the arena floor.
The case, [FILL: case name], was designed by [FILL: case author]. [FILL: one line on the case theme]
It didn’t take long for the first points to land. [FILL: team] got on the board after [FILL: time], and by the five-minute mark [FILL: team] led with [FILL: points], with [FILL: team] and [FILL: team] in close pursuit.
By the halfway point, the leaderboard had started to shuffle. [FILL: team] sat on top with [FILL: points], while [FILL: team] were making a serious push. [the turning point, e.g. a full solve, a bonus question claimed or a team strategy]
As the clock ran down, every point counted. [FILL: team] [how they finished], and when time was up the Team Finalists were confirmed:
- [FILL: team]
- [FILL: team]
- [FILL: team]
- [FILL: team]
MECC Individual Semi-Finals
With barely a moment to breathe, the stage was reset for the MECC Individual Semi-Finals. 80 students, 70 who qualified through the season’s Qualification Round and the 10 fresh from the LCQR, had 30 minutes to fight for just 12 spots in the Individual Finals, with some on stage and the rest at stations across the arena floor. The case, [FILL: case name], came from [FILL: case author]. [FILL: one line on the case theme]
The opening exchanges were quick. [FILL: name] posted the first correct answer in [FILL: time], and by the five-minute mark [FILL: name] had taken an early lead with [FILL: points].
From there, the race only got tighter. [FILL: name] pulled ahead at the halfway point with [FILL: points], but the chasing pack never let up. [a key moment, e.g. a late climber or a tense battle for the final qualifying spot]
When the clock ticked down to zero, these 12 competitors had booked their place in the Individual Finals:
The Pros Take Over: MEWC Quarterfinals
After a short break, the Arena had a new look for the MEWC Game Day Opening, and the professionals stepped up for the MEWC Quarterfinals. [FILL: number] competitors played through two games, each one fighting for a place in the Semifinals on Day 3, and among them were [FILL: number] students ready to show what the next generation of Excel Esports can do. [FILL: one or two lines on how the games went, including how the students got on]
Two Down, One to Go
From morning Masterclasses to a packed Arena, Day 2 delivered from start to finish. The finalists are set, the nerves are building, and only one day stands between them and the titles. Tomorrow, Hilary Smart, Sameer Jagetia, David Fortin and Nora Junaid lead the final morning of Masterclasses before the HyperX Arena hosts the MECC Team and Individual Finals, where the new student champions will be crowned, followed by the MEWC Semifinals and Finals.
Watch the Semi-Finals Back
Missed the action in the HyperX Arena? Catch every moment of the MECC Team and Individual Semi-Finals again on MECC’s YouTube channel.