Yusuf Mahmoud Represents NC State at the AMA Regional Conference in Wisconsin

The 12th annual American Marketing Association (AMA) Regional Conference was recently held at the beginning of October and organized by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s AMA chapter, the AMA international chapter of the year. NC State University was represented by Yusuf Mahmoud, a Poole College senior majoring in business administration, with a concentration in marketing and business analytics.

Mahmoud qualified for the conference by winning the preliminary round of the Gartner Sales Competition for the NC State AMA chapter among other NC State students. The round consisted of a sales role-play simulation with a Gartner representative, in which they had to close on a second meeting with a potential client. 

Mahmoud began his conference weekend with a career fair that included companies like Gartner, Groupon, Sherwin Williams, GMR Marketing, PepsiCo and Kohl’s to discuss internship and entry-level positions in marketing and sales. 

“I got to speak with several of them and actually ended up getting multiple interviews from the conference — one that I’m very interested in and have had a few interviews and conversations with since,” said Mahmoud. “I actually got invited to visit their office and talk more about the position they’re considering hiring me for.”

This year, the conference was centered around the theme Gen Z Brand Experience and focused on the different marketing and advertising techniques that reach the Generation Z audience. It featured three keynote speakers that included Chris Lierman, vice president of strategy at GMR Marketing; Elke Jones, chief strategy officer at GMR Marketing; and Dustin Godsey, the CMO of the Milwaukee Bucks. Mahmoud said that all three speakers touched on their personal brands and how their companies are gearing their marketing toward Gen Z.

Mahmoud’s weekend culminated with participation in the conference’s Gartner Sales Competition, along with 90 other students. The competition as a whole had 426 student competitors who represented 23 universities and three different countries. 

“I’m very proud I got to participate at the conference and represent NC State,” said Mahmoud. “It was a true honor and privilege, and I’m very thankful and grateful for our AMA chapter, for doctor Byrnes and Professor Nealon, our AMA advisors, and for Poole College of Management for continuously supporting students and providing us with so many opportunities to progress in our careers and reach higher levels of success.”