Smith Undergrads Take Second in Wake Forest Marketing Analytics Summit

A team of five undergraduates from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business took home second place in this year’s Wake Forest Marketing Analytics Summit, a case competition held annually at WFU’s campus in Winston-Salem, N.C. After 2 weeks of preparation and an intense day of competition, the students returned triumphantly to College Park with the second place trophy and $5,000 in prize winnings. Smith won the competition in 2015, 2013 and 2009.

This is the ninth year in a row that Smith School undergraduates have applied to and been selected to attend the Marketing Summit, a competition that attracts top business programs from around the world.  The undergraduate teams included Drexel University LeBow College of Business, University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business, Universidad Panamericana IPADE Business School, University of Pennsylvania’s The Wharton School, Utah State University Jon M. Huntsman School of Business, and Wake Forest University School of Business, which won the competition this year.

It has become a Smith School tradition to establish a diverse a team composition in order to create the perfect combination of talents, experiences, and backgrounds, and this year’s team evidently upheld that tradition. Team members included: Michael Barnett (captain), senior marketing and supply chain management double major; Bridget McManus, senior marketing and accounting double major; Blake Sha, junior marketing and psychology double major; Angelina Bingei, sophomore marketing and information systems double major; and Eric Higgins, sophomore marketing major and LGBT studies minor.

Student Feedback:

“The marketing summit is an experience I will always be grateful for. Three years of competing gave me the opportunity to work with the best talent Smith has to offer while making memories with marketing professionals that I will seldom forget.” – Michael Barnett

“As a returning member of the Wake team, I have truly seen the value of skill building experiences. This competition allows us to design a creative strategy, pitch to a distinguished panel of judges and learn from our peers at 13 other institutions all tackling the same case!” – Bridget McManus

“I have participated in competitions and presented before large audiences but Wake Forest took it to a whole other level. Knowing that I was going to be presenting in front of C-Suite executives forced me to step up my preparation efforts. Thanks to the Marketing Analytics Summit and the feedback provided on site by the judges, I now have the confidence to speak in front of any audience.” - Blake Sha

“The dynamics of a successful team is always strategic. Each of us brought a unique set of strengths and experiences to guide our ideas forward. The diversity of each member gave us the tools necessary to create an award winning strategy for the summit.” - Angelina Bingei

“As a first time competitor I found the experience beneficial; there is nothing like working on a real life problem and digging deep to try to solve it. I walked away from Wake with a greater understanding of the marketing industry and with hands on experience developing and executing a professional presentation.” – Eric Higgins

For more information on the Wake Forest Marketing Analytics Summit – including competing teams, videos, photos, blogs, and news feeds – visit: marketingsummitlive.com.

Related Stories:

• April 10, 2015: Smith Undergrads Win Marketing Summit, Smith News
• Oct. 14, 2015: Smith Recaptures Marketing Summit, Smith Business Magazine

- Alissa Arford, Office of Marketing Communications