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Registration open25th Annual BMDA Conference

Resilience by Design: Leading with Foresight, Building with Technology

What will the business school of tomorrow look like? How can universities foster entrepreneurship, embrace digital transformation, and prepare future leaders for an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world?

Registration desk at an earlier BMDA conference

About the conference

The 25th Annual BMDA Conference, hosted by the Estonian Business School (EBS) in Tallinn on 25–27 May 2027, will bring together business school leaders, academics, industry experts, and innovators from the Baltic region and beyond to explore these questions, exchange perspectives, and shape the future of management education.

Set in Estonia, one of Europe's most dynamic digital and entrepreneurial ecosystems, the conference offers a unique opportunity to experience how innovation, education, and business come together to create meaningful impact.

Participants will gain insights into EBS's entrepreneurial approach, recognised for its exceptional startup creation efficiency, and discover how Estonia has built a thriving startup ecosystem that has produced globally recognised companies such as Bolt and Wise. Through company visits, discussions with business leaders, and an exclusive visit to the e-Estonia Briefing Centre, attendees will explore digital transformation, organisational resilience, and the evolving expectations of employers.

The conference programme will feature inspiring keynote speakers, including Dipak C. Jain, former Dean of INSEAD and Kellogg, thought-provoking discussions on the future of business schools towards 2040, and a pre-conference session in collaboration with the Academy of Management (AoM).

Participants will also have the opportunity to explore the EBS campus, discover its entrepreneurial initiatives and ambitious Eedu development project, and strengthen professional connections during networking activities and the BMDA Awards Gala Dinner.

Beyond the conference, Tallinn offers a compelling combination of digital innovation, rich cultural heritage, and natural beauty. Its UNESCO-listed medieval Old Town and long, bright May evenings provide an inspiring setting for meaningful conversations and new collaborations.

Why attend?

  • To gain fresh perspectives
  • Connect with influential voices in business education
  • Discover practical examples of innovation and resilience
  • Build partnerships that can shape the next generation of learning and leadership

Join us in Tallinn on 25–27 May 2027 and become part of the conversation shaping the future of business education.

Ready for change? See you in Tallinn!

Programme

The programme may still change

Pre-conference

Tuesday, 25 May 2027
Noon
Pre-conference session with the Academy of Management (AoM)

Day 1

Wednesday, 26 May 2027
09:00–10:00
Registration and coffee
10:00–10:30
Opening and welcome addresses
10:30–12:30
Session 1. Winning with Resilience in a Fragmented Economy
12:30–13:30
Lunch
13:30–15:30
Session 2 in two groupsGroup 1. Human–AI Synergy: Redefining Technology and Leadership in Cybersecurity and Defence. Group 2. Logistics and International Trade through the Lens of Resilience.
15:30–16:00
Coffee break
16:00–17:00
EBS campus tour and recreational activity (two parallel groups)Campus tour hosted by Mart Habakuk, Member of the Board and Chancellor of EBS.
19:30–22:00
Gala Dinner and BMDA AwardsAnnouncement of the next conference host.

Day 2

Thursday, 27 May 2027
09:30–10:00
Coffee
10:00–10:30
Keynote address (topic TBC)
10:30–11:00
Leading with Vision across Ecosystems
11:00–12:00
Session 3. Business Schools in 2040Debate session: The Future of Business Education and Lifelong Learning.
12:00–12:30
Conference wrap-up session
12:30–13:30
Lunch and transfer to the e-Estonia Briefing Centre
13:30–15:00
Lessons from the e-StateVisit to the e-Estonia Briefing Centre.
15:00–15:30
Coffee break
15:30–17:30
Born Digital: company visits (in two or three groups)

Why attend?

5 reasons to be in Tallinn on 25–27 May 2027
1

Learn from Europe’s most efficient startup producer

How much entrepreneurship does your budget buy? Your host, EBS, ranks first among European business schools for startup creation efficiency in the Redstone University Startup Index 2026, compiled by the venture capital firm Redstone with the Technical University of Munich and Trier University. More than 40% of EBS alumni have founded companies, including ventures that have grown into unicorns. EBS aims to be a leading Northern European entrepreneurial university ecosystem, recognised internationally for academic quality, venture creation and societal impact.

2

Meet companies that were born digital

A country of 1.4 million people has produced more than 1,600 startups and 12 unicorns, including Bolt and Wise, and it tops the Tax Foundation’s International Tax Competitiveness Index 2025. The company visits planned for Day 2 put one question on the table: what will the companies that hire our graduates need from business schools next?

3

See resilience by design at work

After the coordinated cyberattacks of 2007, Estonia made resilience part of how its state is built. Today 100% of state services are online, a data embassy in Luxembourg keeps the state’s digital services secure even in a crisis, and Estonia hosts the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre of Excellence. The e-Estonia Briefing Centre has hosted more than 6,670 delegations. On Day 2, yours will be one of them.

4

Join the people shaping business education

Two days with business school leaders from the Baltic region and beyond: keynotes including Dipak C. Jain, former Dean of INSEAD and Kellogg, a debate on business schools in 2040, a pre-conference session with the Academy of Management (AoM), and the BMDA Awards Gala Dinner. Tour the EBS campus, home to Startup Wise Guys, one of the top accelerators according to European VCs, and the venture studio TooEarly Ventures, with Chancellor Mart Habakuk. EBS’s next step is Eedu, a 30-storey hub for learning and entrepreneurship with around 300 study workspaces and 129 apartments, opening in Tallinn in 2027. It is built to turn knowledge into action and action into impact.

5

Come for the conference, stay for the country

Estonia ranks first of 192 countries in the Rumavi Global Relocation Index 2026 and first of 177 countries in the 2026 Environmental Performance Index by Yale and Columbia universities. It is one of only seven countries with air clean enough to meet WHO guidelines, and forests and bogs cover three-quarters of its land. In late May the sun sets after 22:00, leaving long, light evenings for Tallinn’s UNESCO-listed medieval Old Town.

Fees

Members of BMDA pay a reduced rate. The fee covers the whole programme, including the pre-conference session on 25 May, conference materials, lunches, coffee breaks, the welcome reception, the Gala Dinner with its cultural programme, the visit to the e-Estonia Briefing Centre and the company visits. It does not cover accommodation or VAT; VAT is added to the fee. Fees are paid in advance: the invoice is sent after your registration is received.

Cancellation terms. Only cancellations received in writing before 10 May 2027 are refunded, minus a 10% administration fee. After that date fees cannot be refunded. If you cannot attend, you are welcome to send a replacement; please let the BMDA office know in advance.

CategoryUntil 30 April 2027From 1 May 2027 (late fee)
BMDA member450 EUR550 EUR
Non-member550 EUR650 EUR
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Venue

Estonian Business School (EBS), Lauteri tn 3 / Lennuki tänav, central Tallinn, Estonia

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Eedu, the new EBS building where the conference takes place, opens in Tallinn in 2027 (visualisation).
Eedu, the new EBS building where the conference takes place, opens in Tallinn in 2027 (visualisation).

Earlier conferences

Full archive since 2003
24 Vilnius, Kaunas and Alytus, 2026 The necessity for resilience: business–academia partnerships for today and the future. Hosted by Kauno kolegija. 23 Berlin, 2025 Redefining business and management in a changing world: conscious capitalism. Hosted by GISMA Business School. 22 Gdańsk, 2024 Mastering the future: AI impact on business models and practice. Hosted by Collegium Prometricum.
Tallinn25–27 May 2027
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