It's All Over

The Ontario Colleges Marketing Competition has come to an end. Over a year in planning and many months of training all came down to two very exciting days. Students from across Ontario, representing thirteen different colleges travelled to Toronto in order to demonstrate their marketing skills through a series of competitions.

The intensity and level of energy was immense. Between the chants of “GO GREEN!” and “HAWK YEAH!” all of the colleges did an excellent job in making their voice heard! Throughout the entire competition the energy level remained at a constant high. In addition, in order to help pump students up, there were various events ranging from: a live flash mob, to a casino royale experience and everything in between.

The highlight of the event was definitely the gala dinner and awards ceremony. Everyone was dressed to impress- it was amazing to be surrounded by the top marketing students from across Ontario. From the very beginning of the evening, participants and coaches were holding their breath in anticipation for the results. Once it was all over, it was time to celebrate and relax.

Although the many cheers have already happened we are pleased to release the official results for the 2011 Ontario Colleges Marketing Competition:  

Congratulations to all participants! Your efforts are extremely appreciated. Everyone did an exceptional job representing his or her respective college!

It was a true honor for Humber College to be the host of the 32^nd annual Ontario Colleges Marketing Competition.

Overall OCMC was a great success. On the behalf of Humber College I would like to extend a sincere thank you to all of the participants, coaches, volunteers and sponsors. Without a combined effort OCMC simply would not have been possible. We look forward to experiencing what Centennial College has planned for next year!

-Tim 

The wait is over

The Ontario Colleges Marketing Competition is here! All of your hard work, determination, passion and perseverance is about to pay off. With students from across Ontario en route to Humber College in Toronto, the stage is set; Humber is ready for you! The tension for this competition could not be any greater. Many months of training all comes down to one day. Just remember - it’s okay to feel nervous!

I would like to share five very basic but essential ingredients to think about when you are performing. I have heard each of these multiple times throughout the training process.

• Remember to SMILE
• Remember to BREATHE
• Remember to TALK SLOWLY
• Remember to BE BOLD
• Remember to HAVE FUN!

Although all of these are very basic, they are typically the most overlooked. If you can remember to incorporate all of these into your presentation I can almost guarantee that you will feel more comfortable in what you are doing.

Even though the competition is high stress, Humber has lined up some fun and engaging activities to help ease the nerves and to pump everyone up! It is not only about showing what you are capable of, it is also about having fun and meeting new people. OCMC is the perfect opportunity to network and engage with some of the brightest students from across Ontario!

In order to stay up-to-date, I highly recommend downloading our mobile application for your smartphone at  http://www.widgetbox.com/mobile/app/ocmc.. It has direct feeds to all of the OCMC social media accounts. Myself along with a number of students and faculty members will be positing OCMC updates and highlights throughout the entire competition.

I am going to leave you with this ... picture yourself standing outside of the boardroom ... your hands are shaky ... your palms are sweaty.... you can feel your heart rate increasing - faster and faster. You close your eyes and take a deep breath ... and before you know it… it’s show time.

 “If you had one shot, or one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted, would you capture it, or will you just let it slip?” -Eminem

On behalf of Humber College, I wish everyone the best of luck! A very special thank you to all participants, faculty members, volunteers and sponsors.

-Tim 

Mobile Connections Booming

Connection and engagement. This is the current shift that the world is facing. With the Earth's population tipping to over 7 billion people this month, there is an increased need for communication and involvement amongst people. Everyone wants to be heard; the challenge is finding a way to make people listen.

There are three main players within the smartphone market that are aiding this issue: Apple, Google, and Research In Motion. Everyone is aware of how huge Apple is; it seems that Apple is growing at an unimaginable rate. However, it may be surprising to see that Google is not that far behind. The Android market has been experiencing a relatively constant growth rate of over 800% throughout 2011. The increased level of consumer demand and competition, forces all players within the market to be highly innovate and creative. 

The increased level of creativity and technology has created an explosion in popularity of mobile devices. It is because of advancements in technology that the manner in which people communicate has changed. For example, Canada's wireless carriers now offer coverage to more than 99 percent of Canadians; nearly every corner of this country is connected. 

The boom of mobile usage is not limited within Canada, it is apparent around the entire world. For example, so far throughout 2011 is it estimated that over 7 TRILLION text messages have been sent and received! Many industry professionals say that this is only the beginning of the smart phone era. I believe that smart phones will continue to dominate the market. With new advancements in technology on a near daily basis and greater consumer demands, it is exciting to see what the future will hold.

I want to end this blog on some ‘jaw dropping’ statistics; below I listed six mobile statistics that I found to be very surprising.

•  There are over 5 BILLION cell phones in use throughout the world for 7 BILLION people!
•   By 2014 mobile internet usage is expected to surpass desktop usage
•    91% of mobile users access social media sites through their phones
•    The average person spends nearly 3 hours a day on their cell phone, twice the time spent eating!
•   Over 200 MILLION YouTube videos are viewed on mobile devices each day!

And what about those apps? Location sharing, music, communication, banking, gaming, news, photography, utilities, productivity, lifestyle, reference, travel … and the list goes ON and ON.... I guess the point that I’m trying to convey is that:

“There’s an app for that. Over 500,000, actually.”

Have you downloaded the OCMC app yet? It's available at  http://www.widgetbox.com/mobile/app/ocmc.

See you at the competition!

-Tim

The wait is almost over…

Soon it will be your time to shine and to represent your school.  All of your hard work, determination and perseverance will come down to one presentation. One shot to prove yourself and to convince the judges why your idea is the best. With only 15 days left until the Ontario College Marketing Competition the pressure is on!

Before you start thinking that the competition is all hard work and little fun, let me shed some exciting insight into what Humber has in store. Last week I sat down with OCMC co- coordinator Ellen Sparling to discuss the overview of the two day event. Ellen shared a few exciting pieces of information; however she chose her words very carefully as she did not want to reveal too much. I could tell by the look on her face that she has some big surprises in store. In this blog I am going to highlight four aspects of the competition that I find to be the most exciting!

1. The Hotel

This is definitely something to get excited about! The competition will be held at the four star rated Toronto Airport Marriott Hotel Let me be the first to say that through my personal experience this hotel is great! As stated on the website the hotel boasts a “vibrant and modern setting, stylish guestrooms and legendary service” This statement is definitely true. 

Still not convinced? Let me highlight some of the exciting features:

·      9 floors, 412 rooms, 12 suites and 21 meeting rooms

·      Free wireless internet

·      Two full service restaurants

·      Starbucks Coffee Lounge

·      Fully equipped fitness centre

·      Indoor pool and whirlpool

Needless to say, this hotel has absolutely everything that we could need. Not to mention it will be home to students from all across Ontario!

2. Quiz Bowl

This is a time to cheer for your school! However, before Quiz Bowl starts all students will be participating in welcoming events. The evening is sponsored by the Humber Student Federation. HSF will be handing out prizes and giveaways throughout the afternoon! The goal is to kick start the evening by increasing energy levels and promoting team spirit. We want to hear you cheer for your school. Let everyone know why you are here! Quiz Bowl kicks off right after dinner. Ellen says that Quiz Bowl is “by far the most exciting event of the competition”. It is a true test of knowledge; a head to head battle between schools.

3. Boston Pizza

Mmm that’s right. Boston Pizza is delicious; there isn’t any argument about that. I was very excited to hear that there is a B.P  close to the hotel. Ellen touched upon the importance of proper nourishment throughout the competition; she says that “it’s very important that students take the time to eat…not only will eating make you feel better but it will also calm your nerves”. From 11am-3pm during the case presentations, students are encouraged to visit Boston Pizza for a delicious lunch. Oh, did I mention that it is FREE!?

4. Gala Dinner

I tried to squeeze as much information out of Ellen as I could but she was very secretive when it came to talking about the Gala. I must admit that unknown only excites me even more. The evening begins with an elegant dinner, followed by the awards ceremony. In addition there will be “special entertainment” throughout the night. Ellen did say that everyone should DRESS TO IMPRESS! That is all that needs to be said. The competition is over and the focus is on celebrating. Wear your finest clothes and represent your school in style.

OCMC 2011 is going to be an amazing experience. This is extremely exciting for Humber as this will be our first time hosting the event. It would not have been possible to plan OCMC without the help from other colleges, volunteers, sponsors and the dedication of students. A very special thank you to everyone who has assisted us along the way!

See you all soon!

-Tim 

One Small Step for Mankind, One Giant Leap For OCMC

The Humber Business School is proud to announce the launch of an OCMC mobile application for your smartphone device! The application combines our Facebook, Twitter and blog pages; this will allow users to access all of the information pertaining to OCMC 2011 on one platform! The application is very user-friendly; simply switch between pages to view the various feeds. The application also features directions to the Humber College North Campus and the Marriot Hotel where the competition will be held. Below are the complete download instructions- please refer to your specific smartphone device.

How to Install:

On your Smartphone device, enter the following into your web browser: http://wbxapp.com/ocmc

The interface that you see is the main part of the application. In order to install the application on your device please follow the appropriate steps below: 

There you have it! OCMC is a fantastic competition, yet, not many individuals or businesses outside of the Ontario marketing college community are aware of the event’s existence. This is why we created an OCMC app. Our goal is to promote user engagement and to easily access its social media on the go. We have started the conversation; now it’s your turn to keep it going. Comment and share with other OCMC participants, let’s make our voices heard!

-Tim