A brief recap of a very busy couple of weeks in Dubai and Hong Kong

By Teresa Chen, MBA in International Luxury Brand Management 2015-2016, Australia/Taiwan

Nothing would have prepared us for what was to come in the two weeks we spent abroad in HK and Dubai for our MBA field trip.

They say that you don't know someone until you've lived with them and this is indeed true; spending two entire weeks together bonded us as a class on a whole new level.

The field trip schedule is meticulously organized by our program to maximize our time abroad. We met top industry people (some of which are alumni of ESSEC) from LVMH group, Richemont group, Kering group, DFS, Chalhoub, Chanel, Dior Couture, Tiffany&Co., Audemars Piguet, Armani Hotel, L'Oréal, Estée Lauder, Van Cleef & Arpels. All the guest speakers gave insightful and inspiring talks which opened our eyes to the APAC and Middle Eastern markets. It was an unique experience and great opportunity that one would never find elsewhere.

In between busily attending conferences and presentations, navigating google maps in a foreign country, meeting up with old and new contacts, and juggling cups of coffee and tea, we also had fun. A lot of it!

Many of my classmates experienced the local cuisines of Hong Kong, dim sum brunch, the vibrant night scenes of Lan Kwai Fong, and shopping in Asian cosmetic stores. Second supper at 2am became a temporary routine; not much sleep took place in a city that never sleeps! After one action-packed week we flew to Dubai, where we were impressed by the grand architecture and high service levels in this luxurious city. In between conferences we visited the one and only Dubai Mall and its boutiques, soaked up some sunshine at the Jumeirah islands, Atlantis at The Palm, visited the gold souk, and even went on a dessert safari. It was a tough decision to board our flight to return to 4 degrees snowy Paris!

It was a most memorable and one of the best trips I've had, and I'm sure the whole class feels the same way. Luckily the year is not over yet and we still have a few more treats to look forward to together in 2016.