2023 Spring Conference
Montana State’s American Marketing Association Hosts Third Annual Regional Conference Focused on New Ideas
Four competitions, two presentations and a panel featuring professionals discussing new product introductions highlight three-day event
Bozeman, Mont.- February 9, 2022 - The award-winning collegiate chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA) at Montana State will host its third annual WealthVest Regional Conference, presented by Tempest Technologies from Thursday, Feb. 9 through Saturday, Feb. 11. Students will have the opportunity to compete in competitions such as Marketing Strategy and Crisis Management to win prizes, as well as attend a product introduction panel and creative sprint to gain experience.
The Regional Conference begins with the Marketing Strategy competition from 2-3 p.m. on Thursday in which students in teams of two are given information on a new product and have 20 minutes to develop a full market strategy before getting seven minutes to present their strategy to a group of judges made up of professional marketers. Three teams will advance to the finals, taking place Friday from 12:30-1 p.m.
Following the competition, a panel on new product introduction will take place, featuring panelists from startup companies such as BioSqueeze, Farmented, Pratum Co-op, and Hardy Brands. The panel will be moderated by MSU’s Blackstone Launchpad, which is a non-profit campus resource for students, faculty, and alumni interested in business and entrepreneurship.
Day 1 of the Conference will conclude with an opening reception at Shine Beer Sanctuary, 451 E. Main Street, from 5-6 p.m.
The second day opens with breakfast provided by The Bracken Center before the Conference’s kickoff presentation on marketing ideation and new product strategies by Jeremy Huson, the Director of Marketing at Pratum Co-op which is an agricultural cooperative dedicated to innovative solutions, excellent service, and long term relationships. Following the kickoff speaker, Terry Balluck, Director of Global Communications for Texas Instruments, will lead students through an exercise on how to protect a brand during a crisis situation. That exercise will conclude with student teams participating in a mock press conference, with the team that handles the “news media” the best winning a prize. During lunch, the finals of the Marketing Strategy competition will take place, with a video link allowing Conference attendees to watch the three finalist teams compete. After lunch, an ideation challenge will be led by the Blackstone Launchpad, allowing students to come up with new ideas and pitch them to judges. Day 2 will conclude with a keynote address by Chris Jones, Head of Member Experience at Levels, a B2B2C company that is transforming the status quo of employee benefits. A closing reception will take place at the historic Story Mansion from 3-4 p.m.
The final day of the AMA Regional Conference will be a ski day at Bridger Bowl to celebrate the accomplishments of all students and build new relationships. The day will come to a close with an apres ski reception at the base lodge.
“I am thrilled at the opportunity to help create an event focused around learning from the most knowledgeable marketing professionals in our area,” said Abby Elliott, President of AMA at Montana State. “I am excited to see all the students leverage their knowledge and the wisdom of the speakers in all of the head-to-head competitions.”
Title sponsor of the Conference is WealthVest, while Tempest Technologies is the presenting sponsor. Hardy Brands sponsored the Marketing Strategy competition, Brickhouse Creative is sponsor of the Creative Sprint, and BioSqueeze is the panel sponsor. Other sponsors include Tadpull, Bridger Bowl and The Bracken Center.
While most competitions require in-person attendance, attendees can also attend virtually through the following Zoom link:
Meeting ID: 863 2969 8109
Passcode: Dz7wCn
Montana State AMA
Spring Conference Event Schedule:
Thursday, February 9
2:00pm - 3:00pm -Hardy Brands Marketing Strategy Competition
3:00pm - 4:00pm - Product Introduction Panel with guest speakers Vanessa Williamson of Fermented, Chris Jones, Megan Wold of Hardy Brands, Mark Ranolii of Biosqueeze, and a keynote speaker with a panel run by Blackstone Launchpad.
5:00pm-6:00pm - Opening reception at Shine Beer Sanctuary
Friday, February 10
8:00am - 9:00am - Breakfast at the Bracken Center
9:00 - 10:00am - Kickoff Speech by Bryon Morrison
10:00am - 11:30am - Crisis Management Challenge run by Terry Ballack, Director of Global Communications at Texas Instruments
11:30am - 12:00pm - Lunch at the Bracken Center
12:00pm - 12:30pm - Hardy Brands Marketing Strategy Competition Final
12:30pm - 2:00pm - Blackstone Launchpad Challenge
2:00pm - 3:00pm - Keynote Speech by Chris Jones, Head of Member Experience at Levels
3:00pm - 4:00pm - Closing reception at Story Mansion
Saturday, February 11
10:00am - 4:00pm - Bridger Bowl Ski Day with post skiing Happy Hour reception
To register, please visit: https://www.amamontanastate.org/spring-conference
The American Marketing Association is the student lead chapter of the AMA at Montana State University. AMA’s mission is to prepare students for their professional careers through experiences that inspire students to cultivate strong networks, personal growth, and ethical leadership with a community-oriented focus. Membership is available to all students and majors.
For more information about AMA at Montana State University or membership please visit the following website: www.amamontanastate.org.
Montana State AMA Contacts:
Aleisha Dutton VP of Communications, AMA communications.msu.ama@gmail.com
Dr. Eric Van Steenburg Faculty Advisor, AMA eric.vansteenburg@montana.edu