What was MBA Valencia CF student Juan Montenegro’s experience on the academic trip to Paris? 🇫🇷
In January 2024, students from the different Master’s groups travelled to Paris to gain an insight into the sports industry in the French capital.
Read the experience of our student Juan Montenegro below:
On January 2023 we lived one of the most interesting trips of our careers, we stayed a week in Paris to understand the sports industry and its venues better, while experiencing one of the most historic cities in the world: Paris. My friends and I from the Master in International Sports Management had the opportunity to visit Parc de Princes, Stade de France, and Accor Arena in detail, and, as a surprise, attend a Paris Basket match live!
Stade de France
One of the icons of France. A truly historic stadium that held the World Cup Final in 1998, and a lot of other sport events like the Rugby World Cup, Six Nations, Champions League finals, concerts and this year, the Olympics!
We got to see a gigantic 80.000 seats stadium being remodeled and improved to receive athletes from around the world this summer. It is the home of the France National Football Team, and we got to see the shirts of their legends like Zidane, Benzema and Mbappé inside its dressing room. We even got to play inside the stadium and felt the excitement that legends of the sport felt. The museum had incredible memories inside of it.
Parc des Princes
A far bigger stadium that I imagined, the Parc de Princes is the pride of Parisians and PSG fans all around the world. This magnificent stadium has a lot of interesting hospitality areas, VIP spaces and a spectacular view in each seat of the stadium.
The pitch was impeccable, as it was hosting a Women’s Champions League game the next few days. We got to visit the museum and sit on the substitute benches, to get a taste of what is like to be a PSG player one day. It was truly an unforgettable afternoon!
Accor Arena
The Accor Arena is one of the biggest venues of Europe, and it feels as impressive as it looks. The thing I was most amazed by, is how well distributed the space is to the sponsors and strategic partners. Every corner of the venue had something special to see, every meter had an opportunity to be profitable.
We got to see some of the most luxurious suites for sponsors I have ever seen. They also are preparing to host the Olympics, and I’m sure they will be ready and give the fans a day they will remember!
Paris Basketball Game
We had a conference with one of the ESBS Alumni, Alex Requena, that is currently working with Paris Basketball, a professional team funded in 2018 that has a really innovative model and management.
We got the opportunity to see the team live, right before they move to their new venue, Adidas Arena. Although the old arena was small, the atmosphere was electric! We cheered the team until the final play, and got to see a Paris W in a tremendous basketball display!
Written by: Juan Montenegro, student of the Master in International Sports Management.
