11-Month MBA Students, Vail Resorts Partner on Business Collaboration

In January, six 11-Month MBA students from the University of Colorado Denver Business School partnered with Broomfield-based company Vail Resorts on a collaboration project designed to provide students with first-hand experience and Vail Resorts with a fresh perspective on business challenges facing the company.

The students were charged with researching and providing recommendations on two specific issues: international expansion opportunities and retail marketing strategy. After learning more about the company and its current strategies and operations, the students divided into two groups to tackle the assigned challenges. Each team compiled research on industry trends and potential opportunities and markets Vail Resorts could consider pursuing. Based on the research and skills acquired through the 11-Month MBA program, the students formulated recommendations for the company. The project culminated with a presentation of the students’ findings to a Vail Resorts representative.

“The Vail Resorts collaboration was an incredibly valuable learning opportunity. The partnership allowed us to think strategically and to work with a major retail power in the Colorado area,” said Emily Edwards, an 11-Month MBA student.

The students were not the only ones to benefit from this collaboration, however. According to Krista Preston, Advertising Manager for Specialty Sports Ventures at Vail Resorts, “It was a great experience from my perspective. They brought a fresh lens to our business and provided an innovative and informed take on our opportunities within these two veins of our business. Gaining some objective insight and feedback direct from the 11-month MBA students was powerful.”

Students in the 11-Month MBA program are provided the privilege to participate in multiple organized collaboration projects over the course of the program. These collaborations allow students to apply skills and strategies learned throughout the program and to gain real world experience in a business setting. The projects also give local businesses the chance to gain new perspectives on current challenges and engage with the future business leaders enrolled in the 11-Month MBA program.

For more information about the 11-Month MBA program, visit the program’s homepage.