Hearing from top marketing professionals about how they got their start was an exciting component of the American Marketing Association’s (AMA) fourth annual Florida Regional Collegiate Conference, held November 4th at the College of Business Complex at Florida International University (FIU). It was the third time FIU hosted the conference.
Executive Dean Joyce J. Elam welcomed the more than 135 students, faculty and staff members from universities in Florida and a few other states who attended the event.
With the theme of “Heat up Your Career,” the conference featured keynote speaker Rob Borden, vice president of marketing at Carnival Cruise Lines. Also presenting were:
- Leo Leon, Burger King Corporation, vice president, Global Innovation
- Manuel Machado, MGSCOMM, CEO
- Hector Mendoza, ADP, regional sales executive
- Bert Oliva, BOWA (Bert Oliva Wealth Academy), CEO and founder
- Cody Woods, Target, senior field campus recruiter
- Fannie Young, Bacardi, brand manager director for Dewar’s Scotch and Tequila Cazadores
Presenters shared their early struggles and offered advice for today’s marketing graduates. They also spoke about their current work, including showing portfolios of current and yet-to-be-released projects.
“It was so cool to meet the person who created a television commercial or campaign that I see all the time,” said Michael Perez, president of AMA at FIU. “It’s not often an organization offers the opportunity to hear so many great speakers in one day.”
New event component: welcome reception.
Since most attendees arrive the day before the event, senior Eileen Vega, AMA at FIU’s executive vice president and regional conference chair, added a pre-conference reception to the calendar.
“During this evening get-together, participants had the chance to network in a casual atmosphere,” she said. “We had a photo booth, food, music, dancing and desserts.”
“This conference was by far the best one yet,” said chapter advisor Tim Dugan Birrittella. “Our students, led by Michael Perez and Eileen Vega, did a terrific job and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.”
