BCIT Marketing Association’s 7th Annual Regional Conference
On January 19, 2019, the BCITMA presented its 7th annual Regional Conference. This year’s theme was “Digital Marketing: Immerse Yourself,” which updated 103 attendees on current and projected trends in the fast-paced world of digital marketing. Topics included digital strategy, predicted tech trends, and maintaining online integrity. The Regional Conference has become one of the BCITMA’s most anticipated events, connecting students with industry, faculty, and unique experiences.
This year, students from Capilano University and Langara College joined BCIT in attending the conference. This diverse group of students allowed cross-institution networking and showed the event’s appeal to business students from varying fields.
This year’s conference included three speakers from the local digital marketing industry. Four competitions were also offered to students, with cash prizes available for the winners: a case competition, a SABRE business simulator, a sales competition, and a marketing simulator. Exhibits and booths from the event’s sponsors introduced attendees to local businesses and presented networking opportunities. Time was also allocated for mingling and professional headshots.
ATTENDEE PROFILE
Most conference attendees were BCIT students from various business programs. The range of speakers and competitions attracted students from marketing, sales, entrepreneurship, as well as general business studies. Students from BCIT, Capilano University, and Langara College were in attendance and competing throughout the day.
Many industry professionals and instructors attended the conference. The judges, sponsors, and speakers are active in their industry and took time out of their busy schedule to join students at the conference.
COMPETITIONS
The BCITMA offered four different competitions to conference attendees with the help of it sponsors: a SABRE business simulator, a case competition, a McGraw Hill Marketing Simulation, and a sales competition.
SABRE Business Simulation
SABRE is an internationally used business simulator for students studying dynamic industries. SABRE provides students with experience making decisions in fast-paced environments and is used in MBA programs around the world. The SABRE competition was sponsored by the SABRE Corporation.
1st Place: Brianna Delmaestro, Reeve Mathers-Cyr (BCIT)
2nd Place: Rosemary Preckel, Raymond Lam (Capilano University)
Case Competition
This year’s case, sponsored by ADESA Richmond, focused on the staffing shortages being seen in British Columbia’s automotive industry. Students were tasked with identifying the segment of British Columbians who would be best to attract to the industry and explain which communications strategies companies like ADESA Richmond should employ to attract new talent.
1st Place: Olivia Peltier, Ryan Francis, Anna Shkuratoff (BCIT)
2nd Place: Abigail Edgar, Mark Lester, Brian Chang (BCIT)
3rd Place: Arashpreet Hothi, Isabella Cheung, Mary Dyck (Capilano University)
McGraw Hill Marketing Simulation
This year the BCITMA was able to offer a unique marketing simulation thanks to its sponsor, McGraw Hill Education. First year marketing students at BCIT were introduced to the simulation in their coursework and dominated the final leaderboard.
1st Place: Tyler Parsons, Matthew Porietis, Dylan McGee, Dan Abdrakhmanov
2nd Place: Nolan Ramos, Julian Thomas, Hasan Rashid, Johnny He
3rd Place: Madelyne Lemieux, Marta Reznichenko, Chazz Young, Paul Behragam
Sales Competition
Students were invited to compete in the Sales Competition sponsored by Sales Talent Agency. Competitors were required to prepare a five-minute pitch and present to a panel of judges, while showing off their sales and presentation skills.
1st Place: Karim Moodad (Capilano University)
2nd Place: Susan Oliver (BCIT)
3rd Place: Martina Carstairs (BCIT)
SPEAKERS
Daniel Lessons, Rogers Media Daniel Lessons is a Digital Account Manager at Rogers Media. Lessons shared insights into the current world of digital media and trends being seen in the industry. Lessons has worked in media internationally and shared some of his experiences with conference attendees.
Nikolas Badminton, Exponential Minds Nikolas Badminton is the CEO of Exponential Minds and is a futurist with a passion for technological innovation. Badminton believes that marketers and business leaders are responsible for driving social and environmental change on a global scale. Badminton shared personal experiences, case stories, and interesting facts with conference attendees.
Ashley Lewis, Cossette Media Ashley Lewis is a Digital Media Manager at Cossette, with 13 years of experience in the buying and selling of digital media. Lewis has experience planning and buying for the Canadian, US, UK and Australian markets. Lewis has developed a passion for data-driven digital strategies and has utilized the most current ad trends to apply to her work.
