MA Spotlight: VP of Integrated Marketing – Emily Sander
By now you’ve probably heard about BCIT’s Marketing Week, which took place in early October. This week-long event included panels, speakers, an industry tour and of course, a networking event. The MA’s VP of Integrated Marketing, Emily Sander, was responsible for planning and gaining promotion for the entire event.
Everyone knows students at BCIT are busy. So, what would prompt someone to take on an entire week’s worth of event preparation and planning on top of their already hectic schedule?! Well, if you believe in building relationships, crazy organization and having the perfect collection of coloured-pens, then you’d understand why Emily is the perfect person to take on
this responsibility.
I sat down with Emily to learn some more about her and to find out what she is up to next.
Questions are in bold, and answers are italicized.
What program are you in?
Professional Sales
What brought you to BCIT in general?
I have a girlfriend who graduated from the professional sales program and she always raved
about BCIT. When I was taking that time off from Kwantlen, her and I went out for dinner and
she really pushed the fact that I should go to BCIT. I was 22 and I didn’t want to be in school
until I was 29, so I decided that accelerated was definitely the way to go.
What got you involved in integrated marketing and how did you get this position as a VP?
I really wanted to dive into the groups because I didn’t really get that experience at Kwantlen.
So I talk with Sarah, last year’s VP Of Integrate Marketing, for a little bit and I decided it would
be a good idea to work under her because she was so driven and winning all these awards, and
you know you always want to attach yourself to motivated, driven people. So I decided to hop
on to her committee and was the First Year Regional Lead last year. So with that experience, I
felt like it was just the natural progression to be the VP of Marketing.
What is your main responsibility as a VP of Integrated Marketing?
Integrated Marketing is solely responsible for marketing week and the Regional Conference. We
have to do reports afterward that we send into the American Marketing Association.
What is the best part of your job as a VP?
My favourite part of being a VP is the relationships I have with all the other VPs. The club
teaches you how to network with other people, how to balance your time off school and work,
and how to develop the relationships with teachers that you need. But, mainly you develop
strong friendships with everyone you sit on the board with because you meet every Monday,
you all work together, you all go to each other’s events, you all support each other, and while
you have your sets for that at BCIT, it’s nice to know people in other programs, that you
wouldn’t otherwise get to know on that level.
What was your favourite part of marketing week?
My favourite part was Thursday, we had recruiters come in from TEKsystems. They taught us
the do’s and don’ts of networking, both online and face to face. The information that they
shared with us from a recruiter’s point of view was amazing. It taught you little tricks on how to
get noticed on LinkedIn, which was really valuable. Then we had the networking event the
next night so you could put those little tips and tricks that they mentioned in their presentation
to work at the event on Friday. I just think everything flowed really nicely into the final little
celebration of marketing week.
What upcoming events are you excited for?
I am so pumped for the regional conference, it’s going to be a lot of fun. I think having Sabre this
year will really up the excitement and the involvement of students, not only at BCIT but also
from other universities. And I didn’t get to attend NOLA last year so I am really looking forward
to attending that.
Do you have a spirit animal?
A sea turtle. I went to Maui with my family 3 years ago and I honestly felt a connection with this
turtle.
What keeps you sane at BCIT?
Scheduling everything, working out (I do yoga) and definitely making time for your family and
friends. Although you feel like you’re in this deep dark hole of darkness and you can’t get out of
it, just take an hour, see a friend. You’re probably going to procrastinate on your phone for that
long anyway so why not make it more valuable time.
Do you have any tips for first-year marketing students?
Get involved would be number one. Having that support system by being in clubs is amazing.
Don’t freak out. You’re fine. It’s insane and you feel like you’re losing your mind, but just remind
yourself that you’re going to get it all done and you just need to manage your stress so just like
find things that help you do that. Whatever it is that makes you feel like you’re not going to
burst into an emotional ball of flames, do that.
What is your biggest accomplishment so far at BCIT?
I am getting recognized as one of the top sales students at the awards ceremony on
Wednesday, so that’s exciting. Getting through my first round of midterms first year was a
major accomplishment – that was probably the most stress I’ve ever felt at BCIT because you’ve never experienced it before. and you’re just so overwhelmed and once you get through it you’re
like… where’s my glass of wine?
The Integrated Marketing Committee’s next event is the Regional Conference, taking place on January 13, 2018. Look out for news and more details about this in the new year!
