Once a term, you will find MBA students queuing up patiently to buy tickets to Around The World, the flagship event hosted by the Duke MBA Wine Club.

This social event takes place on the penultimate Tuesday of each term, giving students the chance to taste wine and learn about a carefully curated selection from a specific world region. Informally known as “ATW” on campus, this event is in such high demand that all 200 tickets typically sell out within 15 minutes. To me, it exemplifies everything fantastic about Fuqua. But of course I’m biased—I’m the co-president of the Wine Club.

Not only does the event enable students to relax with friends after a long day of classes, it is also a great opportunity to meet and get to know classmates you may not have previously. Attendees are split into groups of 25 to foster a more intimate experience, and each group visits three different wine ‘regions’ to taste different wines over the course of the two-hour experience. Groups are randomized so that students have a greater chance of meeting people from different backgrounds, different sections, and different graduating classes.

What’s the longest line in the Fox Center this week during lunch? Tickets for the Around the World event put on by the Duke MBA Wine Club. One of the more popular events get to know your classmates while learning about wine from different regions

A photo posted by Duke Fuqua (@dukefuqua) on Sep 29, 2016 at 8:50am PDT

Additionally, the organization of the event speaks to the highly collaborative nature of Fuqua. The Wine Club Cabinet (or “Cabernet” as I like to call it) is comprised of 15 first- and second-year students, all of whom work tirelessly to ensure successful club events each term. So much work goes on behind the scenes when planning the logistics of the evening: securing funding, choosing a theme and the wines, distributing tickets, randomizing groups, buying the wines, and of course hosting the event across nine mini-venues. The Wine Club also collaborates with other Fuqua clubs (such as the Marketing Club, the Consulting Club, the Culinary Club, and the Cocktail & Spirits Club) to host a wide range of events each term.

On a personal level, I have found the position of Wine Club Co-President to be extremely rewarding, enabling me to hone my leadership skills and practice the (sometimes daunting) task of leading peers. I have learned so much from the experience so far, and crucially, have had a great time doing so. Even though I have hosted six of these wine tasting events to date, each continues to be a highlight of Fuqua’s social calendar that term.