At the end of May, MSc Business Development and Key Account Management students attended the 1st edition of Negotiation Night alongside such companies as Bouygues Telecom Service, Air Liquide, Orange Cyber and Yago.

Playing the role of Key Account Managers in a convivial and informal atmosphere, the students of NEOMA MSc Business Development and Key Account Management programme were asked to respond to a number of fictitious calls for tender issued by a central purchasing office.

Opposite them, employees from Bouygues Telecom Service, Air Liquide, Orange Cyber and Yago took on the role of buyers in order to asses the students’ negotiation skills and their ability to defend their own interests. The professionals who took part, some of whom are MSc graduates, coached the students and passed on their experience in negotiation techniques and responding to calls for tender.

The role-play format of this first edition, which took place between 6.30pm and 1.30am, was highly appreciated by the students and the attending professionals alike, as Christelle Tessier, Key Account Manager at Air Liquide, says: “It was a great opportunity for the students to experience the realities of a company and to get a better understanding of the challenges of their profession.”