As the curtains came down in Miami, I reflected with my team of fellow Boothies on how immersive the past three days had been – we were at the World MBA Summit, hosted from March 9th to 12th at the University of Miami, and at several locations around the city. At this conference, I had the opportunity to speak to a group of the world’s top MBA students about a topic that I am deeply passionate about – “What Business can learn from the Arts.”
The World MBA Summit is a 3-day conference featuring the top-100 MBA students from around the globe. It is in a creatively-designed program that facilitates stimulating conversations and exchange of ideas. Personally, the conference gave me the opportunity to have some deeply transformative conversations; and share something with a diverse, international audience that stems from my background as a classical musician.
Sharing Stories of Business and Art
Every year, the summit receives over 3,000 applications from students across the globe – of which only 100 are selected to attend the annual conference and host a Summit Laboratory Session. As a professional classical musician trained for 18 years, I wanted to share lessons that the performing arts has taught me – lessons, that are almost entirely applicable to business. Concepts such as gaining market share in a saturated market, managing your personal brand, managing your career trajectory, multi-stakeholder management – are all relevant business concepts that we, as future CEOs and CXOs can learn from the Arts.
The journey of a start-up is very similar to the career of an artist – and there are several points that the two fields can cross-leverage from each other. As proponents of the Chicago school of thought, Booth helps us internalize the inter-disciplinary, analytical approach to everything – and helps us translate seemingly abstract and ambiguous concepts into actionable recommendations.
During my hour-long session, the audience shared some deeply personal stories – stories of perseverance defining who you are, stories of winning over failure, and stories of creative inspiration. These were real stories from real people – the kind of sharing that made the session a two-way dialogue, and created a conducive environment where I learnt as much from the audience, as they took away from the session.
Behind the Scenes of the MBA World Summit
The Summit kicked off with a riverside reception and networking with fellow summit participants. I had engaging conversations about topics as diverse as incorporating the Internet of Things in Healthcare to club football in Spain.
The next day featured day-long sessions hosted by session participants. These presentations, titled ‘Summit Laboratory Sessions,’ featured an impressive roster of topics and speakers with pedigree and authority in their subjects. My favorites included presentations by fellow Boothies Gary Topp (Improv Comedy), Francesco Schettino (Lobbying in LGBT Rights), and a Stanford GSB presentation on Entrepreneurship in Latin America.
Quarterly Crossings, the Germany based company that organizes the Summit, prides itself on hosting the annual conference at picturesque, vibrant venues every year. Hong Kong and Barcelona were selected the past two years, and it will be on its home turf in Berlin next year. We were in sunny Miami and our time included a detailed itinerary to explore the exciting ocean-side city.
My pick was an urban art expedition to the quirky Wynwood Art District. This area, complete with Bohemian-chic restaurants, street graffiti, and offbeat artwork is a delight to discover. This was topped off by a leisurely afternoon spent at a 1970s beachfront Spanish manor with its own private beach and a stunning viewing deck.
As I walked across the beachfront with a cool breeze and the soft sound of the ocean, deep in conversation about jazz in Europe with a fellow participant, it was a fitting finale to end a conference that had been educative, immersive, and engaging.
