Fifteen

Issue date: 12/5/06 Section: Student Life

Lights flashing, bass pumping, crowds roaring - that is a typical day in the boardroom in the House that Diddy built. This year, the Entertainment, Media & Sports club added Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment (BBWE) to the list of companies that it visited. CFO Derek Ferguson gave a presentation providing an overview of the empire that has been formed around Sean "Diddy" Combs. Although we did not get to see the music mogul himself ("eh-eh; eh-eh"), we did get to learn a lot about how he differentiates his products in order to stay ahead of the game. Diddy continues to make strategic moves to enhance the Bad Boy brand with endeavors that range widely in scope, from the Sean John clothing line, which has brought in revenues in excess of $300M annually and has resulted in Diddy being named male designer of the year, to the Bad Boy music label, which has grown to include not only rap and R&B but also Bad Boy South and Bad Boy Latino divisions. BBWE also runs several restaurants, a TV production department that is responsible for hit MTV shows 'Making the Band' and 'Reverend Run's House,' and the Sean John cologne - which was the number one male cologne launch ever, doubling the record of the former leader, Armani.
Sixty students, 13 companies, and a small contribution to the New York City subway system made this year's trek a resounding success. As consulting continues to be an attractive industry for Sloanies, we visited Booz Allen Hamilton and McKinsey to learn about their media practices. For those interested in local broadcast and entertainment, NBC, CBS, and ABC were options this year as well. For the cable broadcast buffs there was HBO, Court TV, and BBC. Whether you were a first-year or a second-year, committed to a specific industry or just exploring opportunities, the 2006 EMS Trek had something for everyone.
Another great stop on the EMS NYC tour was the NBA. Operations for the NBA, NBA.COM, WNBA, and the NBA Developmental league are conducted from the Manhattan office that we visited. Once again, Sloanies were treated to one of the best boardrooms in Manhattan. The presentation started with a highlight video featuring the exciting sights and sounds of the NBA. The SVP of Marketing and Partnerships, Mark Tatum, then discussed with us the globalization strategy of the NBA as it continues to increase viewership and product sales overseas. Parallel to this trend is the steady rise in international players who enter the NBA each year. This creates a great opportunity for the league as it pursues its strategy for becoming a recognized symbol all over the world.
In additional to fascinating company visits, there was a lot of fun to be had on the Trek. The weather was incredible; an unusually warm and sunny November day showcased NYC at its best. Many trek-goers explored Midtown on foot, choosing to walk between the various companies rather than taking cabs or the subway. After a fulfilling day of learning about the entertainment, media, and sports industries, we met up with the rest of the Sloanies, who were in town on other Treks or for recruiting events. Everyone got together for the Alumni-Mixer at Serena's, where some socializing and drinking was the perfect way to end a terrific Trek experience.

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