AMA Travels to New Orleans for ICC2023
The St. John Fisher University American Marketing Association (AMA) traveled with 20 undergraduate students with majors across the School of Business to compete in the 2023 AMA International Collegiate Conference (ICC) in New Orleans. SJF AMA returned with eight awards and recognitions.
Johnny Aiello ’25, Maxwell Blowers ’23, Gabriella DiSanto ’25, Sabrina George ’24, Joanays Gonzalez ’24, Henry Huynh ’23, Julian Kucharski ’23, Ana Lach ’24, Khalid Lockhart ’24, Matthew Mathieson ’23, Kirstin Meyers ’23, Olivia McGee-Smith ’24, Madison Rooksby ’23, Helen Rose Shine ’23, Drew Smith ’25, Nicole Smith ’23, Rachel Surace ’23, Bryce Willman ’25, Mackenzie Willman ’24, and Maddie Woods ’23 comprised this year’s AMA group represented at the conference. Dr. Monica Hodis, co-advisor for SJF AMA, traveled with the students.
This year, SJF AMA had a central theme of “AMA-zing moments are best kept on film” where chapter operations were documented through pictures. After taking inspiration from other schools at ICC2022, SJF AMA connected its year-long theme to the Eastman Kodak Company and catered its exhibit to unique aspects of Rochester.
The chapter exhibit was modeled after the Eastman Kodak building and pulled distinct characteristics from the University, including the iconic Fisher brick. Students who visited the exhibit wrote, in one word, what AMA meant to them on the brick. Inside the exhibit, there were painted camera reels (made out of table runners) that held pictures with paragraphs by the students that recreated a mosaic found inside one of Kodak’s chemistry labs, and offered free t-shirts and stickers. In an effort to relate the exhibit to popular culture, it also tied into the Netflix series, “Stranger Things.”
“What’s unique about our chapter exhibit this year is that our entire New Orleans group played a role - whether it be with painting weeks in advance or setting it up for over three hours the morning of the chapter exhibit competition. I also want to highlight that we collaborated with Jackson Bright ’23, an American studies major with minors in interdisciplinary studies and sustainability, to create our stickers. Our effort to capture AMA-zing moments stretched beyond that of the School of Business to across the University,” said Nicole Smith ’23, co-president of SJF AMA.
The chapter t-shirt, created by Kirstin Meyers ’23, connected to the exhibit theme of photography, SJF AMA, and “Stranger Things” with sayings such as “Chapter Twenty-Three: the Dark Room,” “IAMACARDINAL,” and “AMA-zing moments are best kept on film.” As part of ICC, there is a chapter t-shirt scramble where students wear their chapter’s t-shirt and then swap a second with another institution. SJF AMA’s t-shirt was one of the preferred shirts at the conference.
“This year at ICC, we had a mission coming into New Orleans. We wanted everybody to know that St. John Fisher University’s chapter of the AMA was a force to be reckoned with. We continue to put the name of our school on the map and prove why we deserve to be a top chapter. A big part of our success at ICC2023 is due to our preparation as a group and the dedication and focus every member brought with them to the conference,” said Johnny Aiello ’25, co-president of SJF AMA.
SJF AMA returned to campus with the following awards and recognitions:
- 1st place, Best Communication of Chapter activities, Chapter exhibit
- Best Outstanding Educational Value, Chapter exhibit
- 2nd place, Marketplace Simulation
- Commendable Recognition, Case Competition sponsored by the Wall Street Journal
- Honorable Mention, Marketing Week
- Outstanding in three functional categories, Chapter Plan and Annual Report
- Professor Ron Sicker, Runner-up for Faculty Advisor of the Year
- Finalists for the Perfect Pitch Competition, McGee-Smith ’24 and George ’24
Goals for next year include bringing over 20 students to compete and represent the institution. SJF AMA will continue to follow the motto commonly shared by Henry Huynh ’23, “arrive unknown and leave known.”