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European Business Schools Compete At Cranfield MBA Regatta

This weekend 16 European business schools will compete in a traditional sailing competition in the UK

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Cranfield MBA Regatta will be held in the Solent, a stretch of sea separating the Isle of Wight from the UK mainland, in the south of England.

This weekend Cranfield School of Management will host the 20th Cranfield MBA Regatta. Organised by MBA students from Cranfield, the Regatta is a two-day sailing festival of Sunsail F40 yachts competing in fixed points' races, plus hospitality and entertainment over the course of the weekend.

The sailing competition, which is the oldest event of its kind in Europe, will bring together over 300 MBA students from 15 European business schools, thus providing an excellent networking opportunity.

The Cranfield MBA Regatta will take place in the Solent, a stretch of sea separating the Isle of Wight from the UK mainland, in the south of England.

Arun Gupta, organizer of the 2011 Cranfield MBA Regatta, is excited at being part of “such a great event and interacting with so many business schools”.

“Cranfield School of Management has organized the Regatta for the last 19 years, so this year will be a special year and we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the event”, he says.

This year 36 boats will participate in the regatta. Each boat can have on board up to eight people, from 15 different business schools.

“I’ve been a sailor for a while, but doing the MBA for me was about making some changes, including sailing more”, says Steve Gibson, skipper of the University of Exeter Business School team.

“The Regatta is also a good opportunity to get to know the rest of the guys that are doing it with me, and see a different side of them, out of the classroom and its business setting.”

Steve, who has participated in other sailing competitions before, is eager to win the 2011 Regatta, and repeat Exeter’s success last year: “It’s great that we won last year”, he says. “But we want to win for ourselves and our reputation”.

Aside from Cranfield and Exeter, other schools taking part in the race include Warwick Business School, SDA Bocconi, Manchester Business School, London Business School and INSEAD.

On Friday the various teams will enjoy a pre-regatta BBQ party, after which… may the best team win!