My MBAT Experience

(by Maria Godsey)

As mentioned in a previous post, Noah and I decided to join the IMD class in a trip to Paris to compete in the MBA Tournament (MBAT). In total, I believe there were 88 students, 25 partners and 8 IMD babies who made the venture.

Leading up to the event, there was a lot of excitement in the air. IMD clothing was issued, posters and banners were made, class song and cheers were selected and final logistical arrangements communicated. Looking at the students, you could tell they were ready to let loose for a couple of days and the partners were ready to join them in the fun! After several months of planning and practicing for the competition, the class was ready to head to Paris!

The IMD team competed very well, especially considering there are only 90 of them to show their talents and the class curriculum doesn't offer much time for practicing. The final results…. 6 medals! A silver and two bronze in cross country running, silver and bronze in tennis and a bronze in squash. Not too bad! If I had a vote, I'd also give the team a gold for best team spirit!

Overall, the experience was nice, but not exactly what I expected. While I appreciated so much that partners were able to join, it would be hard for me to recommend the trip for future partners, especially given the expense and if you have children. Perhaps my weekend could best be summarized by borrowing Mastercard's priceless campaign. My version would go something like this:

• MBAT attendance fee (incl. transportation, hotel, food, parties)....... 500 CHF
• Additional expense for food due to late/sparse dinner offering...... 150 CHF
• Sightseeing trips around Paris..... 100 CHF
• Four days of uninterrupted family time away from IMD: .... PRICELESS!

If I had to do it over again, I would still join the class in Paris (the time with Joseph and Noah really was priceless), but would save the attendance fee expense and arrange my own travel, hotel and food. Some other lessons learned I can offer to the future partners are:

• • MBAT takes place on the HEC campus which is very widespread. Getting from one end of the campus to the other with a stroller is very difficult. If you're traveling with a child, try to bring a carrier or come by car so you can get around easier.
  • The dinners offered by HEC start at 8 PM and probably not the best if you are bring a child. We decided not to attend the dinners since they were so late and enjoyed a nice relaxing dinner at our hotel while Noah slept in our room. The feedback from other partners that went to the dinners were that the dinners were mainly finger foods, there were long lines and no tables to sit at. As well, although the dinnertime was communicated to be 8 PM, food was not served until much later.
  • The lunches provided by HEC were bag lunches and of decent quality.
  • It's about a 6 hour drive to the HEC campus, but much longer by bus due to mandated breaks for the bus driver. Depending if you are traveling with child or not, you may want to choose another method of transportation.
  • The campus is very close to Versailles. If you haven't visited this site, I would definitely recommend you reserve some time for this. Those with babies, don't forget your baby carrier as strollers are not permitted in the palace. :)
  • When we put our budget together last year, we did not budget anything for MBAT. The trip is free to the students, but the partners who wanted to join had to pay their way. Depending if next year's class participates in MBAT, raises enough sponsorship funds to cover the partners, etc, it would be wise to plan some money for MBAT, just in case. As you can see from my 'priceless' campaign, the expense is not small.

So those are my lessons learned and what I wish I knew beforehand. For the future class.. best of luck next year!! GO IMD!!