As every year, the end of the academic year for the Master’s Degree in Management of Sport Entities + MBA, includes a trip to the United Arab Emirates with the students, so that they can obtain first-hand knowledge on how top-level sporting facilities and institutions are managed and organised. During this trip, the students visited different world-renowned sports facilities, which gave the students an extremely enriching point of view.

On the first day, the students enjoyed a desert safari in 4X4 cars, which culminated with a cultural activity in an original Dubaian camp, where students enjoyed a typical dinner and a show of authentic Emirati dances and performances.

On the second day, the group travelled to Abu Dhabi, in particular to Yas Island, to visit Ferrari World™, where Phil Smith, Event Sales Manager, explained how motorsport transcends its competitive aspect to reach a luxury car consumer sector, as well as offer unrivalled user experience. In addition, the students were able to enjoy the park and its leisure activities.

Without leaving Yas Island, it was the turn of CLYMB™. Here students experienced the wind tunnel and did rock climbing. The fact that extreme and adventure sports are becoming more and more prevalent in consumer preferences was made apparent.

The next day it was time to visit Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club. During the visit, guided by the instructors from the Peter Cowen Academy Luke Tidmarsh and Jake Twineham, the students learned about the management of this golf centre, which is a benchmark in the preparation of players of all levels. They also learned the importance of taking care of every detail in the user experience to offer consumers a more comprehensive experience.

The halfway point of the trip was still in Abu Dhabi. In the morning, a visit was made to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque which, while not being aimed at an academic concept, has great cultural value.

After the visit to the Grand Mosque, the group travelled on to Yas Marina Circuit, where Michael Golding, Marketing and Communications Director, explained to the students what it is like to manage a Formula 1 circuit and the social and economic impact of Formula 1 sports events.

On the morning of the fifth day they visited Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club. The students were able to take a great tour of the facilities and enjoy several high-quality presentations by the technical team. They had the opportunity to learn more about the world of polo and equestrian sports, as well as the management of the facilities in this category.

In the afternoon, it was time to visit the Dubai International Cricket Stadium of the International Cricket Council (ICC), one of the most important centres for this sport. Our former student, Shrivardhan Keni, the Business and Digital Content Executive, welcomed the group at the stadium and guided them through the facilities, showing them the different sections which make up the stadium and teaching them how communication is handled in professional cricket competitions.

Finally, on the last day, the activity programme was more relaxed and the students enjoyed a free morning. They then went to Dubai's impressive skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa, for a view of the city from 452 metres above.

That was the end of yet another year of this experience for the students. This way, they obtain first-hand knowledge of what day-to-day life is like in world-class companies and facilities and thus complement all the groundwork they received during the academic year in the classroom. It is undoubtedly the perfect finishing touch to the academic part of the master's degree. 

Now it is time for students to complete their internships and finish their Master's dissertation, which will give them an even closer look into the reality of the labour market in the sports industry.

If you are interested in living this experience from inside our Master's, click on the following link to find out more about it.