NC State AMA chapter recognized for achievements
The NC State chapter of the American Marketing Association received the Exemplary Collegiate Chapter Performance award at the AMA International Collegiate Conference held in New Orleans March 17-18, 2016.
Poole College was represented by 10 members of the NC State chapter and two faculty advisors. They were joined by more than 1,470 student marketers from 200-plus universities at the international conference.
The goal of the annual conference is to provide marketing students a chance to learn from industry experts, to network and to learn best practices from other chapters. Students also participate in professional development, competitions and social events, said Lauren Brommer, a Poole College junior with a concentration in marketing who has served as chapter president this past year and will be president in the coming year as well.
That conference goal parallels the NC State chapter’s work on campus throughout the year.
“The AMA is dedicated to helping each and every student develop their personal brand and gain the confidence they need to excel at interviews and land their dream job,” Brommer said.
The NC State AMA chapter was recognized for its efforts with the Exemplary Collegiate Chapter Performance award, for performing best in three categories over the past year: professional development, communications and membership. The chapter was selected for the award based on documentation of its activities in its annual report to the national AMA.
“Our chapter is known for our professional development events,” she said.
The NC State chapter’s events connect students with employers from several industries and provide opportunities to learn about industry trends, master their resumes, practice their networking skills, and more.
One of those events is the chapter’s annual Meet the Pros. Held each fall, it features a panel discussion with employers from the Triangle area, followed by a small career fair. The panel discussion provides an opportunity for students to ask the professionals questions about their industry, professional development and more. This event helped the chapter secure the professional development recognition.
“We also offer chances for them to improve their marketing skills by providing opportunities for them to create 'real-world' marketing plans for companies in the area,” Brommer said.
On the communications and membership side, she said, “we have revamped our communications by including more platforms such as GroupMe. Finally, our membership increased by over 80 percent, to 112 paid members. Overall, it was a great year for our chapter.”
At the international Collegiate AMA conference, the NC State members took advantage of opportunities to gain career-readiness through professional development events featuring industry-leading executives who talked about developing a personal brand, industry trends, landing a job, among other topics.
The students were learning from nationally recognized pros, including keynote presenters Peter Horst, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, The Hershey Company, and Monica L. Skipper, vice president for brand experience marketing at FedEx Services.
In addition, professional marketers shared their experiences and cutting edge marketing tips. Among companies represented by the professionals were Volvo USA, Lamar Advertising, Promotional Products Association International, eBay, Google Analytics, Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia 76ers. Career advice was provided by professionals at Aerotek, Inc. and Social Media Energy.
Other workshops provided students insight on how to improve their own chapters through presentations by top AMA chapter members. Topics included fundraising and membership.
”These workshops are incredibly beneficial to our members, as it not only helps them in their own professional endeavors but it improves our chapter as a whole,” Brommer said.
“Overall, our AMA chapter has improved immensely this past year,” she said. “We are so honored to have received our first award for the chapter and hope that this continues for years to come.
“I firmly believe that our chapter has the power to change a student's life, because it has certainly changed mine. Not only has it given me incredibly valuable connections and the confidence to land my dream job, but it has also connected me with several Poole students, and through the AMA I have made lifelong friends,” she said.
The NC State chapter members gathered for a photo at the collegiate conference’s awards banquet. Members are, left to right, back row: Caleb Beane, Tyler Jones, Evan Dippel, Cody Snyder, Shrey Shah, Thomas Byrnes (faculty advisory), and front row, left to right: Patrice Nealon (faculty advisory), Katie White, Rachel Plocharsky, Lauren Brommer, Bria Soto, Sydney Abbott.
