Ask a difficult question on the spot – you won’t see Niagara College’s team of Marketing students break a sweat.
Their skills are sharp and confidence is high after spending the day battling teams from across Ontario at the Niagara College Marketing Competition (NCMC). Held on Saturday, Nov. 22, the intense marketing showdown drew teams from six other Ontario colleges to the Daniel J. Patterson Campus for a day of pressure-cooker challenges and essential networking opportunities.
When the highly anticipated annual Ontario Colleges Marketing Competition (OCMC) was put on hold for 2025, dedicated faculty and administrators from NC’s School of Business and Management took the lead to host a similar, smaller-scale event. The inaugural NCMC was organized to ensure students still had access to this vital experiential learning opportunity.
NC made its mark at the event with a strong showing at the podium.
“We were so happy with the event, it was a tremendous success,” said Professor Terri Champion, who co-organized the event. “Experiential learning opportunities like this help our students grow into stronger business professionals, communicators, and future leaders.”
Teams from Durham, George Brown, Georgian, Fanshawe, Niagara, Seneca, and Sheridan colleges competed across five categories – including entrepreneurship, international marketing, retail marketing, digital marketing, and advanced marketing strategy.
The event kicked off with breakfast, a welcome event, and then the heat was on: teams had just 30 minutes for case preparation, followed by a 15-minute presentation and a five-minute Q&A session with the judges. This format is designed to mimic the fast-paced reality of the marketing industry.
Students level up their skills
For students, the value of this high-stakes environment was the experience they gained.
Nazek Kigab, a Business Administration Marketing (Co-op) student, was excited to be part of a pair duo that won a third place award for Digital Marketing, and a trio that placed fourth for the Advanced Marketing Case.
“Seeing the different priorities for each timeline taught me how to allocate my time when researching and addressing problems by focusing on their core issues,” said Kigab. “It also greatly improved my confidence in answering difficult questions on the spot as I was challenged many times on my solutions and analysis.”
“The most rewarding part was feeling like I delivered my best performance that day and feeling proud that my team and I worked hard to put our best foot forward.”
Student achievements
NC’s team demonstrated their marketing muscle with multiple top-four finishes:
- Third Place Award in Digital Marketing Case (David Dioszegi and Nazek Kigab);
- Fourth in Entrepreneurship Case (Faith Grydsuk and Dakotah Johnstone);
- Fourth in Retail Case (Bennett Collins and Jordan Gilmartin); and
- Fourth in Advanced Marketing Case (David Dioszegi, Nazek Kigab and Jillian Kosior)
Overall, first place went to Fanshawe, while Durham College placed second and Seneca came in third.
In addition to earning hardware, students also had invaluable opportunities to network with peers and industry professionals before the competition wrap-up dinner and evening awards ceremony.’
In the spotlight
The dedication of a long-time NC professor briefly took centre stage during the award ceremony. School of Business and Management Professor David Pastirik was presented with an award to recognize his years of coaching and commitment to the College’s case competition teams.
“David has been a faithful supporter of our efforts to provide students with a case competition experience and has had much success over the years coaching students in the International Marketing case event,” said Champion.
Support and sponsorship
Industry professionals from across the region served as judges for the events. The event was strongly supported by the NC community including student volunteers and several alumni.
“We were happy to be able to profile a number of local businesses as the subjects of our case studies including: Cheekbone Beauty, The Boot Shop, Outlet Collection at Niagara and Swept Away Services,” said Champion. “Our judging panels were amazing, made up of industry experts and business leaders throughout Niagara – their expertise and insight, as well as feedback to the students was very well received.”
Sponsors for the NCMC included Stukent (presenting event sponsor and faculty mixer), Fastenal (student lounge), KPMG (award ceremony). The NC Student Administrative Council has also supported the event with complimentary snacks for participants.
“Creating unique learning experiences at this scale – with seven Ontario colleges and numerous industry partners – doesn’t just happen by accident; it happens because of the trailblazing mindset of our team and our sponsors,” said Evan DiValentino, Dean of Business and Environment. “Thank you to Professors Terri Champion, Chris Treschak, as well as April Tyrrell and Cara Ravesi for spearheading the initiative. And thank you to our sponsors – Stukent, KPMG, Fastenal, and NCSAC – we couldn’t have done this without their support.”
Full competition details are available at niagaracollege.ca/business/nc-marketing-competition/.
