Events - a growing industry

Today, events are much more than a single opportunity or a project, they are an integral part of countries' political agendas and the strategies of investors pursuing positive impacts, both economically and socially. Major events are now configured as ecosystems capable of connecting local communities and global leadership, forging lasting relationships and leaving behind legacies capable of impacting society. It is no coincidence that, having overcome the pandemic experience, the events industry has rapidly resumed growing at an unprecedented level: in 2021, the industry's value was estimated at around 958.54 billion dollars, but is expected to reach 1,965.99 billion by 2028 (Allied Market Research).

Similarly, the demand for suitable managerial and entrepreneurial skills has grown. A demand to which the new Executive Master in Business of Events (EMBE), offered by SDA Bocconi School of Management and due to start in October 2023, responds. It is the first Executive Master on the business of events among the leading international Schools of Management. It will take participants on a journey through some of the major cities in Europe and the Middle East, providing perspectives on different markets and in different fields, from sport to entertainment, from music to trade fairs, with the aim of training and propagating an all-round event-industry culture.

Directed by Dino Ruta, lecturer in Leadership and Sport Management at SDA Bocconi, the executive master can count on an exceptional Steering Committee that will not only act as advisor but will also actively participate in the program alongside the participants. This Committee, headed by Giovanni Malagò, includes: Marco Balich (Balich Wonder Studio), Lavinia Biagiotti Cigna (Biagiotti group), Stefano Domenicali (Formula 1), Nawal El Moutawakel (IOC), Diane Gotua (Fanatics), Andrea Scrosati (Freemantle).

The 12-month Executive Master's program is intended for graduates with at least five years of professional experience who come mainly from media companies, sports organizations, entertainment companies, event agencies and government institutions. The Executive Master, which is taught in English, adopts a hybrid formula (part classroom and part online) and will be divided into six modules of 5-9 days each in five different cities. It starts in October in Milan and then moves to Paris, back to Milan, Doha, Rome and London.

"The international sports, entertainment and exhibition ecosystems," says Ruta, "increasingly require skills and professional training to create valuable and sustainable events. This master's degree is the start of a course designed to tackle this fascinating world in the best possible way, and to provide a managerial and entrepreneurial mindset that goes hand in hand with the development of a creative, innovative and pragmatic approach. But the greatest challenge will be to discover how value can be created sustainably through an event, building bridges between different cultures and leaving a tangible legacy in society".

"The Master organized by SDA Bocconi School of Management is a qualified response to the growing demands of the market and sets out the path to be pursued to train professionals capable of making the most of the events that await us on an international level," emphasizes Giovanni Malagò, President of CONI and of the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation. "I am honored to preside over the EMBE Steering Committee, made up of figures of undoubted importance whom I thank for their membership, and I express my gratitude to SDA Bocconi for this opportunity that testifies to the importance attributed to sport as a tool for virtuous growth and a point of reference for values. On the horizon are the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the chance to witness the evolution of the organizational model in the name of sustainability and in the name of legacy, which will be our most beautiful victory”

SDA Bocconi School of Management