MBA Weekend: an engaging business game marks the close of the 26th edition
22 December 2025The 26th – II edition of MBA Weekend at Bologna Business School concluded at Villa Guastavillani with the traditional Business Game, a central and symbolic moment of the learning journey.
Two intense days, Friday 12 and Saturday 13 December, saw participants involved in an advanced managerial simulation designed to test strategic thinking, decision-making skills and teamwork.
The business game is not only a final assessment, but also a kind of rite of passage. It is the moment when what has been learned throughout the programme is put under pressure, in a context that demands a holistic view, speed of analysis and the ability to work effectively as a team. Divided into groups, participants managed simulated companies across eight decision-making cycles, facing complex markets, strategic trade-offs and economic and financial results to be interpreted and steered.
Opening the sessions were Mariachiara Colucci, Scientific Director of MBA Weekend, and Andrea Cinti Luciani, Executive Director, together with Fulvio Ulessi, Founder of Management Utilities and designer of the simulations. From the outset, the purpose of the experience was clear: not competition for its own sake, but a space for active learning, where participants could experience first-hand the consequences of their managerial decisions.
Throughout the two days, Fulvio Ulessi guided the process with structured debriefing sessions, acting as moments of collective reflection. After each round of play, the analysis of results enabled participants to connect operational decisions to strategic frameworks. The release of the mid-way financial statements marked a turning point, offering teams a clear snapshot of performance and opening the way to a reassessment of their strategies.
The story of the business game is also a story of people. Of teams that form, challenge one another and learn to make fast decisions without losing clarity. Of leadership that emerges and evolves. In this sense, the simulation becomes a metaphor for the MBA Weekend experience itself: an intense and concentrated journey that demands commitment and, in return, builds awareness.
The final day concluded with the closing debriefing and ceremony, led by Mariachiara Colucci, Andrea Cinti Luciani and Fulvio Ulessi. A moment of synthesis, where attention shifted from the outcome of the simulation to the value of the experience itself: learning by doing, adjusting course and deciding together.
With the business game, MBA Weekend 26th edition comes to an end. A learning journey closes, while a new phase begins for participants, who take with them not only managerial tools, but also a renewed way of interpreting complexity and addressing business challenges. A concrete expression of Bologna Business School’s approach to management education: rigorous, experiential and deeply connected to real-world practice.
