Niagara College is preparing to welcome future business leaders from across the province as this year’s host of the 2019 Ontario Colleges’ Marketing Competition.
Showcasing the top college marketing students in Ontario, the two-day competition themed ‘Ready, Set, Grow!’ will be held in Niagara Falls (Sheraton on the Falls Hotel) on November 21 and 22. This year’s competition will draw more than will 250 students from 12 participating colleges including Algonquin, Cambrian, Conestoga, Durham, Fanshawe, George Brown, Georgian, Humber, Niagara College, Seneca, Sheridan College, and St. Clair.
“We are excited to welcome the best and the brightest students from across Ontario to Niagara for OCMC 2019,” Terri Champion, School of Business and Management faculty member and coordinator of the Business- Sales and Marketing program who is this year’s OCMC event organizer, along with NC School of Business Management faculty member Malcolm Howe. “This event not only challenges marketing students to put their skills to the test, it can be a life-changing experience for those who participate and the highlight of their academic career.”
“As a result of the months students spend training with faculty coaches, the thrill of competing, and the opportunity to present to industry professionals at the competition, OCMC is a springboard to future career success,” said Howe. “Year after year, we hear from students about how preparing for and participating in this event has helped them make contacts, land a job or has given them the confidence to succeed.”
School spirit will be in full force when the event kicks off on November 21 with a welcome from NC president Dan Patterson and a Quiz Bowl competition (7 p.m.). Students will team up with those from other colleges and the teams will face off in a game-show-style competition. With buzzers in hand, they will be ready to answer marketing questions based on textbook and magazine content.
On November 22, most of the competitive events will take place, spanning critical marketing environments, from direct marketing, entrepreneurship, international marketing, and integrated marketing communications, to marketing research, prospect pitching, retail, and sales presentations. In case competitions, students must race against the clock, with 30 minutes to read, analyze and create a PowerPoint presentation – including problem identification, situation analysis, objectives, and identification of alternative, recommendation, and a plan for implementation – and 15 minutes to present to a room of judges. For Sales Presentation and Job Interview events, students are given information about the company and situation in advance and must present their pitch or mock interview to judges on event day.
OCMC will wrap on the evening of Nov. 22 with a gala dinner and awards banquet. Trophies will be awarded to the first, second and third place winners for each competition, and to the top three college teams who accumulated the most points overall.
Niagara College’s OCMC 2019 team includes 15 students from the Business- Sales and Marketing two-year diploma program and the Business Administration – Marketing (Co-op) three-year advanced diploma program.
For second-year Business- Sales and Marketing student Niall Cain (Niagara-on-the-Lake), OCMC presents an opportunity to challenge himself, build his public speaking skills, and gain experience that will help him stand out to potential employers.
“This experience has been so valuable to me. Over the last two-and-a-half months, I have learned so much through OCMC training,” said Cain. “I feel being an OCMC competitor gives you a big advantage when looking for a job. It looks amazing on a resume and can usually turned into a talking point during an interview.”
NC faculty member Chris Treschak noted that students have been dedicating more than four hours per week since early September to prepare for the competition – double for those participating in two competitive events. As a coach who has been preparing NC students and as a former OCMC winner, he knows firsthand the value of the competition.
“To this day, of all my experiences of all my levels of academia, OCMC was the single most memorable experience I have had the pleasure of being a part of,” he said.
Treschak noted that the experience benefits students in numerous ways, such as building camaraderie, providing additional learning opportunities, giving students a chance to receive direct feedback from industry professionals, and opening doors to networking opportunities.
“It is not uncommon for students to get job offers from this event,” said Treschak. “I have friends who still work for companies they met through their OCMC experience.”
In addition to 11 competitive events, this year’s OCMC will offer a number of learning opportunities including webinars (hosted by Canada Post), a networking fair, a Career Corner (hosted by Performance Auto Group), a holiday-themed mixology workshop (hosted by NC), marketing-themed contests, and a faculty workshop, ‘Incorporating Data and Analytics into your Marketing Curriculum’ (presented by Environics Analytics).
This year’s OCMC will draw 125 faculty members, coaches and academic leaders from colleges throughout Ontario, as well as more than 50 community business leaders who will participate in judging panels. More than 80 volunteers from NC will be assisting with the competition.
NC students have been participating in OCMC competitions since 2004. The last time the College hosted OCMC was in 2008.
2019 OCMC sponsors include title sponsor Meridian; gold sponsors Canada Post and Pearson Education; silver sponsors Nelson Education, Abatement Technologies, Performance Auto Group, CAA Niagara, and Environics Analytics; bronze sponsors McGraw Hill Education, and Niagara College; and partner sponsors Boston Pizza Clifton Hill, the Great Canadian Sales Competition, Brand Blvd., and Vanier College Foundation.
For info visit http://www.ocmc.ca.
Niagara College offers more than 130 diploma, bachelor degree and advanced level programs; as well as more than 600 credit, vocational and general interest Part-Time Studies courses. Areas of specialization include food and wine sciences, advanced technology, media, applied health and community safety, supported by unique learning enterprises in food, wine, beer, distilling, horticulture and esthetics. For more information visit niagaracollege.ca.
-30-
MEDIA PHOTO OPS
MEDIA RSVP: Julie Greco at [email protected]
ON-SITE EVENT CONTACT: Terri Champion at 905-704-9504
- Niagara College team photo
Reporters will have an opportunity meet the NC team, speak to students and faculty at this time.
WHEN:
November 21, 2:15 p.m.
WHERE:
Oakes Garden Theatre (weather permitting)
5825 River Rd, Niagara Falls, ON
From hotel: exit main lobby and entrance is directly across the street
Alternate location:
Sheraton on the Falls Hotel – Fallsview Studio C (third floor)
5875 Falls Ave, Niagara Falls, ON
2. Quiz Bowl welcome and event
WHEN:
November 21, 7 p.m.
WHERE:
Sheraton on the Falls Hotel – Great Room C (third floor Conference Centre)
5875 Falls Ave, Niagara Falls, ON L2G 3K7
Media inquiries, please contact
Julie Greco
Communications Consultant
Office: 905 641-2252 ext. 7368
Cell: 905 328-2532
Michael Wales
Communications Manager
Office: 905 641-2252 ext. 7773
Cell: 905 328-4101