The pressure is on for a team of NC students who are preparing to compete against the top Marketing students in the province.
Fourteen students from the School of Business and Management are bound for this year’s Ontario College Marketing Competition (OCMC), which will be held at St. Clair College November 14-15.
A student-focused learning experience, OCMC provides participants the ability to demonstrate their essential, vocational, and employability skills before industry professionals. The annual competition also aims to serve as a stepping-stone from academia to industry by creating real world experiences and networking opportunities for participating students.
Over a two-day period, students compete in a variety of team and individual events, including nine case challenges which test their ability to analyze a case and recommend marketing solutions. Students present their recommendations to a panel of judges who ask questions to see who can think on their feet.
Professor Terri Champion, who has been coaching NC students for marketing competitions for 20 years, said that, as one of their competitors last year put it, that the experience is like the Super Bowl for Ontario marketing students.
“It is a unique learning experience that students will look back on fondly, and they will call upon those skills as they move forward in their careers,” said Champion. “As an educator, there is nothing better than seeing the impact this experience can have on a student’s success.”
Valuable student experience
Champion noted that coaching for OCMC shows students how their academic learning can be applied to real-life business situations and environments. She said students gain critical skills as they prepare for this event, including the ability to think strategically and creatively, to become good problem solvers and to perform well under tight time frames in high pressure situations.
“The transformation that we see every year in the students is simply amazing. Slowly, over time, the students begin to build their confidence; they learn not only to become problem-solvers and decision-makers but also how to best communicate their ideas to others,” she said.
The competition tests their analytical skills, creativity, and communication and presentation skills, noted Champion.
“They need to come up with a solution to solve the problem or situation described in the case study, but also be able to communicate their solution and justify it to a panel of business experts,” she said. “You need a good idea and a good solution, but you also need to be able to persuade people and justify why it is the best course of action to take.”
Journey to OCMC
Students applied to be considered for this year’s OCMC team before the end of Winter term by completing an online application form. Those who were selected began taking a course in September to prepare for the experience. After an internal marketing case competition was held in early October, final selections were made to determine which students would be competing in specific events. Then individual coaching and mentoring began. Students have been preparing through meetings with their coach and by working with their partner during the weeks leading to the competition.
‘OCMC has shaped the framework of my future’
For third-year Business Administration Marketing student Jill Kosior, this will be her second year competing at OCMC. She is excited to embark on this year’s competition with more confidence now that she has experience.
Kosior noted that she has benefited from being involved with OCMC in numerous ways – both in terms of her education and job opportunities.
“After I had competed in my first year, I was able to talk about the experience and successfully land my co-op placement which has since become my career and will be my place of employment post-graduation. This experience has allowed me to utilize skills learned in the classroom and expand beyond theories and techniques to learn practical employability skills,” said Kosior.
She values the networking opportunities for students at OCMC and noted that time is time is allocated for students to mingle among faculty and judges during the event.
“OCMC has shaped the framework for my future and allowed me to gain valuable skills that will project me into my future career,” she said.
NC’s 2024 OCMC team
NC’s team of students who will be competing at OCMC 2024 includes: Gabriel Alles Pereira Da Cruz (second-year Sales and Marketing), Maeve Asselstine (second-year Sales and Marketing), Holly Aubry (second-year General Business), Isabella Chavez Chicas (second-year Sales and Marketing), David Dioszegi (third-year Business Administration Marketing), Alex Enriquez (second-year International Business), Kevin Henderson (third-year Business Administration Marketing), Dwight Macphee (second-year Sales and Marketing), Nikayla Poirier (second-year Sales and Marketing), Russell Yap (second-year (Sales and Marketing) Elora Morrison-Burgess (third-year Business Administration Marketing), Brooklyn Balanowski (third-year Business Administration Marketing), Dario Spiteri (third-year Business Administration Marketing), and Jill Kosior (third-year Business Administration Marketing).
This year’s coaches included: Terri Champion, Patti Aubry, Chris Treschak, David Pastirik, Chris O’Connor, Stefan Johnson, Monique Finley, Sue Ehlert, Ana McKnight, John Sustersic, and Rob Madronic. Associate Dean Apryl Tyrell also played an integral role in supporting the initiative.
Visit ocmc.ca.
