More than 300 students from 16 universities filled Hyland Hall last Friday for the American Marketing Association’s Fifth Annual Regional Sales Conference.
Co-chair of the conference Kelsey Krueger said a smooth event made the last three months of planning worth it.
“Working on this conference was a full-time job on top of being a student,” Krueger said. “To see it all come together was the coolest experience I’ve ever had on this campus.”
In addition to meeting with more than 30 business representatives, students also were able to hear keynote speakers, most notably one from the Milwaukee Bucks.
These sessions were broadcast to 12 other universities around the country, and to another in Cologne, Germany.
Co-chair of the conference Briana Roy said she was not able to sleep leading up to the event because she was so excited.
“I was jacked the day before and it feels great to help students, who are looking for opportunities like me,” Roy said. “It was awesome to have business professionals telling us we did such a good job.”
Representatives James and Nick from C.H. Robinson said the reputation of the university’s business school is alluring for recruiters. They said at their Kenosha office all but two employees are UW-Whitewater alumni.
“We really like the business school here because their track record is so impressive,” Nick said. Nick is a current student at UW-Whitewater who will graduate in December.
A group of UW-Whitewater students attending the conference said the atmosphere was relaxed, but professional and that it was a unique opportunity.
Senior Dalton Reigel said this was his first time at an event such as this, and that it was an enjoyable experience.
“I’m hoping to leave with options in preparation for graduation,” Reigel said. “Companies here talked about personality as opposed to education; they want to hire the right person.”
Despite competing with all of the other students and being evaluated by recruiters all day, senior Priya Rajani said the pressure did not affect her.
“It’s a competition, but you might also end up working with these people someday,” Rajani said. “You can’t let it bother you though because any job you have will require you to break out of your shell.”
Sophomore Katelyn Herlache said that it was fitting that UW-Whitewater hosted the event.
“Our AMA chapter is one of the best in the nation so us holding a conference like this is appropriate.”
When it was time for the sales competition, UW-Whitewater did not have any students up for awards. Students from UW-Eau Claire and Northern Illinois University dominated.
AMA President Austin Durham said preparation was the key to his team’s success.
“I’m tired but unbelievably happy,” Durham said. “It’s really rewarding to see something that you pour hours into go off without a hitch.”
“It’s cool to be able to tell employers that we setup a conference with a net worth of $15,000, what other school does that?” Durham said. “Hopefully the other chapters that came learned from us so they can replicate what we’ve done.”
