MEC Conference

On February 27th, the MBA Media and Entertainment conference (MEC) was hosted on Columbia University's campus. The 2009 MEC's goal was to bring together the nation's top MBA students and media, entertainment and related companies. The principle aim was to foster informative dialogue about, and enhance networking within, the film, music, broadcast and cable television, sports and publishing industries.

MEC has been held for the past seven years, and alternates between Stern and Columbia's hosting facilities annually. By all accounts, the 2009 MEC was a rousing success. Last Friday, a sold out group of MBA students experienced excellent presentations from keynote speakers Jeff Zucker, President and Chief Executive, NBC Universal and Joe Uva, Chief Executive Officer, Univision Communications Inc. The attendees also participated in panel discussions with executive from over 50 companies. The panels ranged from town hall style discussions to panels which were more formally moderated. All of the panels were moderated by consultants from MEC's Knowledge Partner McKinsey & Company.

The conference was kick started by an incredibly candid Fireside Opening Keynote presenetation from Jeff Zucker. Jeff Zucker's presentation set the tone for the conference. He spoke in front of the in front of the hundreds of MBA students who were able to secure tickets and offered a inspiring perspective of the future of the industry.

After Jeff Zucker's speech, there was an opportunity to network with other MBA students. The panels began shortly thereafter, and attendees had the option to attend the Video Games, Entrepreneurship, Banking, and Scripted Television panels.

Once the panels ended, the crowd reconvened in Columbia's Low Library to hear a second keynote presentation, a luncheon address from Joe Uva. Joe Uva's presentation included a multi-media display and he provided an excellent perspective on the industry, which was followed by an in-depth question and answer segment.

After Joe Uva's presentation attendees participated in the remaining panels and the conference concluded with a networking session where the winners of the New York Times Media Group Case Competition were announced. Students at business schools across the country submitted one-page abstract proposals for the case "The Metropolis Planet and Diversity: Looking to Minority Populations for New Revenue Opportunities". Nearly 50 teams consisting of almost 200 students entered the competition, and judges selected six team finalists from the Johnson School at Cornell University, Harvard Business School, the Kellogg School of Management, the NYU Stern School of Business, the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University and the University of Connecticut School of Business. The competition was won by the team from NYU Stern which included Anastasia Dedyukhina, Kevin Drost, Isabella Joffe, Davide Tararbra! The first place team received a $2,500 prize, and the second place team won $1,500. Both the first and second place teams will have their successes featured in The New York Times.

Pictures will be posted on the MBA MEC website (http://www.mbamec.com). You can still join the MBA MEC LinkedIn and Facebook group, as well as follow its Twitter account, as a way to network with attendees and panelists.