BOZEMAN —The student-led American Marketing Association chapter at Montana State University will host its annual conference Feb. 27-28. The free event will take place in the Strand Union Building and Jabs Hall on campus and feature presentations by business leaders. Members of the MSU community and the wider public are invited to attend.
The CEO of the national American Marketing Association, Bennie F. Johnson, is the keynote speaker on Friday, Feb. 28, from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m. in the Strand Union Building’s Procrastinator Theater. Johnson will be joined on stage by Brian Gillespie, dean of MSU’s Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship, who will ask Johnson questions from students.
“The Montana State AMA chapter has consistently helped students build the marketing and problem-solving skills they need to succeed in their future careers,” Gillespie said. “Events like this conference provide our students the opportunity to ask questions, learn from successful industry leaders and gain experiences that help them reach their own professional goals.”
At AMA, Johnson leads a nationwide marketing community with more than 70 professional chapters and 350 college chapters. The organization provides an array of resources for marketers including training, certifications, and access to academic journals and job boards. Johnson was previously the executive director of the American Institute for Graphic Arts, where he supported the graphic design industry and hosted the “Design Adjacent” podcast. Johnson holds a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a master’s degree in strategic communications from Columbia University.
“Having Bennie Johnson as the keynote speaker at our conference is a huge honor, and I encourage every business and design student to attend this event,” said Aleisha Dutton of Billings, president of the MSU AMA chapter and triple major in marketing, accounting and finance. “This could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from the CEO of AMA in such an intimate setting.”
The conference will also feature another speaker, Joshua Dorsey, on Thursday, Feb. 27, from 4 to 5 p.m., also in the SUB’s Procrastinator Theater. Dorsey is a leading researcher in the history of cannabis marketing with more than 15 years of experience in marketing and sales. A professor in Florida International University’s College of Business, Dorsey’s work has focused on race and equity in the marketplace.
Additionally, the conference will have panels focusing on several popular marketing fields, which will be open to the public. Chicago Bears defensive end Daniel Hardy, a former MSU marketing student, will headline a sports marketing panel on Feb. 27 from 2 to 3 p.m. in Jabs Hall, Room 207. The following day at 2:45 p.m. in Jabs Hall, Room 111, there will be a panel on outdoor industry marketing featuring Tanner Sutton, founder of the outdoor brand Free Fly Apparel.
On both days, MSU students as well as students from other AMA chapters will be able to participate in competitions on marketing strategy, pitching themselves for a job, crisis communications, and social media marketing.
Membership in MSU’s student chapter of the AMA is open to all students of every major. Founded in 2016 by marketing students, the organization prepares members for professional careers through opportunities for networking, competitions and public speaking to hone personal growth and ethical leadership.
“This conference is packed with so many great events and great speakers. That really makes this conference one to mark in your calendars,” said Amber Kurth, a senior from Orland, California, and vice president of programs for the Montana State AMA chapter. “To have the opportunity to ask questions and gain knowledge from someone as successful and intelligent as Bennie Johnson is truly an opportunity you can’t pass up.”
More information about AMA at Montana State and a full conference schedule is available at www.amamontanastate.org.
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