Undergrads Participate in Wake Forest Marketing Summit

A team of four undergraduates from the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business traveled to Winston-Salem, N.C., in early April 2017 to compete against other business school student teams from around the globe in a highly-selective Marketing Summit. The event, hosted by Wake Forest University’s Center for Retail Innovation, chooses only 14 teams (seven graduate and seven undergraduate teams) from scores of applicant teams and challenges each to research and present their findings and recommendations to solve a marketing case problem.

The 27th Annual Marketing Summit is a two-day student-run case competition and symposium that offers students the chance to apply their marketing skills and creativity to real-world marketing challenges. It also provides students the opportunity to network with executives and industry leaders and to learn about the impact of marketing on various areas of the business world.

Team member Ray Joyce, a senior economics and finance major, said, “The Marketing Analytics Summit case competition provided a great way to gain insight into the future of marketing and hear from industry leaders. Representing Smith on a national stage against top-notch schools was an amazing experience. Although we didn't finish as well as we had hoped, I am always excited to help bring more recognition to the Smith School of Business! Thanks Smith for sponsoring the team, and we'll be back next year!”

Ray’s teammate, Eric Higgins added: "The case focused around careers in marketing and the role of universities and education in preparing students for such careers. As a marketing major myself, like many of my teammates, this case was a wonderful way to learn more about our own industry and the direction that it is going to help us best prepare for our careers!"

The team proudly represented the Smith School, but unfortunately were not amongst the winning teams. “Our mostly veteran team was thrown in for a loop with this year's case brief, but we were excited to tackle the challenge. Although we didn't place this year, we consider this weekend an invaluable experience. We always learn so much from each other and from the other teams. A huge thank-you to the Smith community for their continual support” explained Angelina Bingei who is the current vice president of the Smith School’s TerpAMA (American Marketing Association).

Blake Sha was the fourth member of the team and a veteran of this competition.

The team was sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Program’s Smith Fellows program. Out-of-the-classroom and reality-based learning experiences are at the forefront of the Fellows programs. Whether through special speakers, workshops, site visits, case competitions, or networking events with corporate partners and Smith alumni, students gain practical insights into the business community. For more information on any of the 15 unique Fellows Programs, visit the Smith Fellows website.