Imagine being in a room in front of a panel of judges (strangers all) and presenting a detailed plan and recommendations for a business whose case you just saw 30 minutes before. Weeks of practice and preparation coming down to 20 minutes!
This is the Ontario Colleges Marketing Competition — held this past weekend (November 15-17), hosted by Centennial College in Scarborough, Ontario.
Thirteen (13) colleges participated in this annual event and the best of all was Algonquin College (bias intended). Under the more than able management and care of Cheryl Dowell, Algonquin College students travelled to Toronto to compete, accompanied by several of their faculty coaches.
To understand this event, one has to go back to the beginning. In spring of each year, students from the Business – Marketing, Business Administration, and Business – Management and Entrepreneurship programs volunteer to take part in OCMC. A “boot camp” is held and students begin planning fund-raising activities and lining up sponsors for the team.
In September, the activity begins in earnest with students assigned to the various competitions (Marketing, Integrated Marketing communications, Marketing Research, Retail, Entrepreneurship, Direct marketing, Sales Account Management, International Marketing as well as individual competitions in sales presentation and interview skills and the Quiz Bowl team). Faculty volunteer to coach the students in their particular competition and weekly training begins. During the next 3 1/2 months, professors and students work collaboratively, students working on case studies, developing presentations with their professors providing guidance, suggestions and critiquing their presentations.
Part of the experience with Algonquin students is ongoing fund-raising and several group activities which result in a cohesive, strong team approach. This was obvious in Toronto. The spirit and cohesiveness of the Algonquin contingent is obvious every year but especially this.
As students completed their presentations, their faculty mentors meet them and escort them to a debrief room where their student colleagues were waiting to hear how things had gone and to offer support. The overwhelming consensus by these student champions was that the key part of the events was three-fold: their personal growth, the skills they had developed and the team.
Regardless of the final results place, the Algonquin students have grown through this process and I was fortunate to share some of the experience with them. A key component of what the School of Business offers is the opportunity to expand skills and learn in unique ways. Thanks to the dedicated and hard-working faculty and a core of students who were willing to step outside their comfort zone and evolve through the process, OCMC 2012 resulted in a team of champions. Thanks to all for representing the School of Business at Algonquin College in such stellar fashion.
Dean Dave Donaldson