Italy’s top business school does sporting events in style, and its ninth annual Ski Cup won’t disappoint.
The Ski Cup takes place from March 22 to 24 at the picturesque Cortina resort, a UNESCO World Heritage site nestled in the spectacular Dolomite mountain range.
The two-day affair will include après-ski events, a sumptuous gala dinner at the chic Grand Hotel Savoya, a networking conference, and of course the hotly anticipated ski race between the participating teams.
Check out the trailer: these MBAs are serious skiers and serious party-goers!
We caught up with Ski Club Vice President Ivayla Tzvetkova to find out what participants can expect.
She had just come back from Cortina, where the team had gone to check the slopes and hotel and negotiate with the ski clubs and sponsors.
“Our clubs are run like little businesses with budgets and sponsors and it is quite a nice challenge as most of the students are international and we work with local businesses to help is bring a great event together,” she said.
The SDA Bocconi Ski Club has already got the attention of global sports outfitters Head. They’ve also got the support of car manufacturer Audi, and wine producers Berlucchi will provide great wine for the gala dinner. To top it off, Red Bull will be doing the countdown, and you know they like to put on a good show.
The Ski Cup won’t be all about jumping off mountains. Expect amazing Italian cheeses and prosciuttos, and scrumptious Italian desserts at the dinner. Competitors will have burned off enough calories on the slopes to let themselves indulge! Ivayla has tasted the food and said it was “amazing”.
This is an MBA event so of course there will be dedicated networking time. The networking conference will bring together MBAs from nine European business schools, Harvard and NYU Stern, as well as SDA Bocconi alumni who are now industry insiders.
Expect some fun surprises too: last year’s dinner instructed guests to arrive in shades and their worst ski sweater…
Who’s competing? SDA Bocconi is fielding an especially strong Argentinian skier and will be fighting to achieve their third consecutive win following the success of EMBA alumni, Marco Piacentini at last year’s Ski Cup in Bormio, Italy and Stephanie James' win in St. Moritz the year before. We hear IE Business School is sending an amazing skier too!
They’re bringing their A-team because the big race is for advanced skiers. However there will be an event for snow boarders and newbie skiers will get a training weekend to equip them with the techniques required to tackle the competition.
Ivayla, a Canadian national, has been skiing since she was three years old. Her top tip for new skiers is not to be afraid to fall: “You have to show that you love snow and want to play with it and don’t give up easily”, she said. She also recommends skiing for the first time in spring as it’s warmer and the snow is softer.
The Ski Club are looking forward to welcoming participants in a few weeks. They’re keen to work well to represent their corporate sponsors and provide a low cost event to students.
Ivayla says the biggest lesson they’ve picked up while organising the event was learning how to do business in Italy: “Companies love collaborating with MBAs but you have to write to the right people. Don’t be afraid of rejection”, she said. It was also a learning experience negotiating in their imperfect Italian since the Ski Club is made up of several non-Italians.
“We’re a team of twelve snow loving enthusiasts who would like to share our love for winter sports with like-minded MBA students and alumni and get some non-skiers and non-snowboarders excited about the sport,” she said
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