Finish off the fifth annual Regional AMA Conference with a reception at The Element hotel in Downtown Bozeman. Mix and mingle with conference attendees, speakers, panelists and judges while enjoying complimentary drinks and snacks. The Element is located on Mendenhall Avenue.

Representatives from various parts of the Outdoor Industry will discuss how they go about their marketing in this quickly growing sector. Panelists include:

• Erin O'Connor, Director of Marketing for Bridger Bowl ski area.

• Tanner Sutton, Founder and Owner of Free Fly Apparel which makes clothing out of bamboo for anglers.

• EJ Porth, Associate Director of GVLT which manages trails and public lands throughout Southwest Montana.

• Jennifer Merkel Roethle, Owner of Chalet Sports one of the largest retailers of outdoor apparel in the area.

Larissa Gaul, Social Media Marketing Manager at digital marketing agency Prime Incorporated, will give a presentation on best practices in social media marketing strategy. Following the presentation, students will form teams and develop, then pitch, their ideas for a social media marketing strategy in response to a prompt for a brand needing such services. Judges will pick the top three teams, which will win prizes.

Enjoy a complimentary lunch and watch the finalists in both the Marketing Strategy and Perfect Pitch competitions fight for first place.

Terry Balluck, Director of Global Communications and ESG for Texas Instruments, returns for a fifth consecutive year to lead this popular event where students, after learning from Balluck the tips for managing your brand during a crisis situation, for a team to deal with a company crisis. Students then deliver a mock press conference where they are asked questions by the audience. Judges evaluate each team and award prizes to the winners.

Our featured speaker, Bennie Johnson leads a global marketing community of 25,000 people including more than 350 college chapters, 70 professional chapters, thousands of academic members, and a range of resources including certifications, journals, and training events. Previously, he was Executive Director of AIGA, where he advanced the design profession and hosted the Design Adjacent podcast. He also holds leadership roles with Columbia University, the Phillips Collection, and other cultural and professional organizations. In this interview-style event, Johnson will share the stage with Brian Gillespie, Dean of the Jake Jabs College of Business & Entrepreneurship, as Gillespie asks questions that have been submitted by students.

Start Day 2 of the Regional AMA Conference with a continental breakfast in the Procrastinator Theater lounge located in the Strand Union Building (SUB).

Join us at SHINE Beer Sanctuary for a private event to kick off the Regional AMA Conference. Drinks and snacks provided. SHINE is located on the corner of Church Street and Main Street.

An expert in the history of cannabis marketing and cannabis policy, Dr. Dorsey will give an interactive presentation on how marketing has evolved in the cannabis industry, what marketers working in the industry need to know, and the role of cannabis in contemporary society.

Students will have an opportunity to build or improve their LinkedIn profile from LinkedIn’s own Key Accounts Manager Morgan Hammer. , as well as receive tips for best practices for leveraging LinkedIn in their job search. Coaches with HR experience will also be on hand to work one-on-one with students.

In this event, students get a write-up for a potential job and have 90 seconds to pitch themselves for the position. Nine students make the finals that take place on Friday, with the top three finishers earning prizes.

Students, working in teams of two, get a one-page product description and have 20 minutes to develop a marketing strategy, then seven minutes to present their strategy to the judges, who then ask two questions which the students have three minutes to answer. Three teams advance to the finals on Friday, with prizes for the winners.