On 29 and 30 March 2025, students from the English-taught Master’s programme in Business Administration at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Sofia University, took part in a unique, practice-based learning experience as part of the course Foundations of Successful Sales. The two-day training included both academic instruction and on-site fieldwork at one of Sofia’s busiest shopping centres – The Mall.

The course is an integral part of the Faculty’s AMBA-accredited programme – a mark of excellence awarded by the Association of MBAs (AMBA), which sets the highest global standards for postgraduate business education. This accreditation confirms that the programme meets rigorous criteria for teaching quality, curriculum design, and business engagement, ensuring that students are thoroughly prepared both academically and professionally.

Under the guidance of Prof. Neviana Krasteva, D.Sc. (Econ.), and Chief Assist. Prof. Aleksey Potebnya, Ph.D., students were challenged to explore one of the most dynamic, demanding, and human-centred areas of marketing – personal selling. In an age of rapid automation and digitalisation, personal selling remains an area where emotional intelligence, trust-building, and individualised communication are essential — qualities that continue to make human interaction irreplaceable by artificial intelligence.

The training was divided into two stages. On Saturday, 29 March, students engaged with key theoretical foundations of personal selling and communication strategies. On Sunday, 30 March, they moved beyond the classroom and into the real-world environment of The Mall, where they were tasked with selecting a retail store that matched their personal preferences and style. As part of the assignment, students assumed the role of typical consumers, experiencing the sales process first-hand and observing how sales staff interacted with customers.

The fieldwork focused on applying qualitative research techniques to evaluate components of the marketing mix, with a special emphasis on the in-store atmosphere and interpersonal skills of the salespeople. Dressed casually and acting naturally, the students blended into the Sunday crowd to avoid observer bias and create a more authentic customer experience.

In the final stage of the task, each student is expected to develop a professional analysis of the selected retail environment, using a self-selected research methodology aligned with the object of study and the goals of the observation.

The learning process does not stop here. In April, students will further examine store atmospheres and visual merchandising strategies in a different retail centre. In May, in collaboration with the Transformation Lab for Gamification at the Faculty, students will explore gamification elements in furniture stores, reinforcing the Faculty’s ongoing commitment to blending academic rigour with real-world business challenges.

Embedding real-life business contexts into academic learning is a well-established and sustainable practice, firmly rooted in the Faculty’s long-term vision of educating highly qualified, adaptable, and ethically grounded professionals.