The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater offers a major business marketing organization called the American Marketing Association (AMA). This organization is one of the largest on campus, and its main goal is to prepare students for the business world. More than 60 UW-Whitewater students are involved in AMA, and more join every year.

AMA hosted its 11th annual regional conference on Oct. 12 in Hyland Hall’s Timmerman Auditorium. The event featured marketing competitions and seminars to help students become better marketers and gain additional experience. The event had five competitions with more than $1,000 in prizes.

AMA’s mission involves two paths:

To urge the members of the organization to develop professional communication and marketing skills.

And to create a social environment that is conductive to establishing lifelong network opportunities.

Adam Hecker, vice president of finance, said AMA does not require its members to be College of Business and Economics (COBE) students.

“AMA allows members of any major to join,” Hecker said. “This group is fun and enjoyable once you get the hang of things and is also a great way to improve one’s marketing skills. It is also a great volunteer opportunity for those seeking an active role in the Whitewater community.”

Every year, the AMA organization and the Creative Marketing Unlimited (CMU) organization travel to other UW System campuses and compete to see who obtained the better marketing skills as they try to outsell a specific product to judges. The members must research and collect data on the product and persuade potential customers in a unique way to buy that product.

Nick Koss, vice president of sports marketing and technology, has been an active member of AMA for more than two years.

Koss said he enjoys competing against other marketing associations across the state.

“In sports marketing, I look to promote sporting events and teams and also sell products through the sports teams,” Koss said. “Last week, I was able to advertise the UW-Whitewater football team on the Whitewater website and put together flyers for the upcoming games.”

Members of AMA gain numerous networking opportunities to show their work at a bigger level. Training and gaining experience is what allows AMA members to meet customer needs and influence others towards a goal using specific marketing tools.

Jackie Sticka, a new member of AMA this year, is glad she joined the organization and looks forward to upcoming events held by the association.

“There are meetings once every week in Hyland Hall, and they are always fun,” Sticka said. “Pizza and drinks and lots of other snacks are always provided at the meetings, which makes it hard to miss.”

Students interested in joining AMA can attend weekly meetings at 4 p.m. on Wednesdays. The organization is open to all students looking for career opportunities.