In today’s society, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know—a concept that the students of the American Marketing Association (AMA) are very familiar with.
“So this is our opportunity to have some corporate employers that are on behalf of AMA to come speak to students not only from Ferris but from all over the country,” said Ferris business administration junior and AMA Vice President of finances Jacob Cook. “That’s their opportunity to kind of get to know some employers and talk with them and potentially score an internship with them.”
The Ferris AMA hosted the regional conference free to all students Thursday, Nov. 3, and Friday, Nov. 4. The regional conference included seven speakers from companies such as Facebook, Chevy Racing and The Hershey Company. Strategic competitions, a mixer and an award ceremony free for any Ferris student to attend.
“You can learn a lot from these things. You know these speakers have plenty of experience and hearing them and what they’ve gone through really gives you a different perspective on going into a career or major,” said Ferris marketing sophomore Zach Ineson.
The conference hosted 48 students from nine different schools including out-of-state schools such as the University of Wisconsin. The second speaker, Rita Proctor from Facebook, attracted 90 attendees alone.
“Some of our speakers are actually from Ferris so it shows that we are getting jobs after leaving here and they teach good lessons,” said Ferris marketing junior Miranda Morearty. “In networking you need to know people. You can’t just sit back, go to your classes and get your degree. You need to talk to people, meet people that are out in the workforce and everything.”
Students were also able to register to compete in a Marketing Strategy Competition judged by Ferris professors.
“They give us a case about a business that has a product and we have 20 minutes, our team of two, to discuss product place, motion and people,” Morearty said. “So we work together to describe that to a judge.”
The Ferris AMA did most of their own fundraising to fund this event, although they did apply for funding through student government.
“A lot of what we do in the American Marketing Association is just preparing you for future careers and get you ready for the future,” Cook said.