Awakening the Entrepreneurial Spirit: AJMA Convergence 2008
As the urban landscape turns to be more diverse with each passing day, people invariably find it difficult to catch up with everything that’s been going on. If that’s the case, why do most people go out of the way to update themselves on most issues? To be trendy, of course! There’s nothing more important than to always be one step ahead if not current on everything – whether it be in the realm of politics, business or entertainment.
Finding Direction.
From the hip events to the best restaurants in town, individuals struggle to find the right place to be at a given point in time. Thus, they often refer to the tons of guides available to know the best way to spend their daily lives – a most advantageous move, indeed. But, how certain are these guides to always work their magic? To tell you the truth, they have a slim probability of being successful. I’ve tried using them as well. Even gave some a second chance. However, they didn’t prove to be up to my expectations. Not to blame them entirely, the main reason for failure is the many changes that keep popping out at the last minute.
Relying too much on these guides, numerous people often miss out on opportunities which could otherwise propel them into the leader board. So I suggest that you set them aside. Learn to follow your instincts and go to where you think you should be. In short, trust yourself.
Be Certain.
Being up to date is hard work, especially in the field of business where everything happens at lightning speed with utmost uncertainty. However, a solution to alleviate this problem has emerged.
Already six years in existence, Convergence is a two-day comprehensive program aimed to give business students the opportunity to enjoy top-class training in the field of marketing. Organized by the Ateneo Junior Marketing Association or AJMA, the largest and most course-diverse organization at the Ateneo de Manila University, this project aims to grant its participants, without regard to their socio-economic backgrounds, access to new knowledge and educational information. As a result, supplementing the inadequacy of lessons learned inside classrooms while giving insights on what’s really happening in the real world.
Considered as a finalist for the Best New Project Category in 2003’s Deans Awards for Service and Excellence at the Ateneo, Convergence was also one of the thirty finalists in the Institute for Solidarity in
Towards
Having the theme of SMEs: Strategic Marketing for Entrepreneurial Starters, Convergence 2008 held last January 19-20 at the
By creating a venue where aspiring student entrepreneurs heard from the best people in the field of marketing – industry practitioners and people from the academe alike, Convergence 2008 hopes that it could encourage all its forty participants in pursuing their own business enterprises in the near future. In doing so, Convergence believes that these hopeful entrepreneurs would then be able to address the country’s alarming rate of unemployment as well as its economic downfall – not only by generating revenues but also by creating more job opportunities to uplift the living conditions of many who are seeking proper employment.
What’s more, participants were able to take advantage of the insights and knowledge that these distinguished, not to mention experienced, speakers imparted through various modules such as Enlivening the Entrepreneurial Spirit, How Local Brands Can Fight the Big Fish, and Going Beyond the Usual. Using creative presentation techniques, the speakers adequately conveyed their message to the participants who attentively listened. Some even took down notes so as to remember all the important details.
Surprisingly, these modules were really easy to understand. Even a person without a marketing background would get the essence of it in a snap! Something I didn’t expect from the start. Perhaps it was the appropriate use of metaphors and imagery which made it such.
Utilizing case studies from their actual clients in the biz, the speakers provided real world applications of the theories which they have been discussing. In turn, the participants were able to fully grasp the concepts as workable and realistic. “These seminars reminded everyone of us here of what really matters in the real world,” affirms Ruby Domingo (IV BS Management) of AdMU.
With that, all the talks proved to be interesting, attention grabbing, and most of all useful! As Athena Imperial (IV BS Communications Research) of UP Diliman said, “The talks were very informative. They were also practical as they were related to the course that I am taking. What struck me most was how we could empower other Filipinos by simply engaging in business.” In addition, Chrissie Cobarrubias (IV BS Management) of AdMU states, “I really liked the speakers. They were lively and gave such wonderful insights.”
Testing the Waters.
Convergence 2008 offered an avenue for the participants to employ their knowledge through a Revalida competition. Being the main highlight of the event, the delegates were divided into teams as they worked on specific marketing cases given by several participating companies – Lamoiyan Corporation, HSBC, Jollibee Foods Corporation, Megaworld Corporation, Fonterra Brands (Phils) Inc, Johnson & Johnson Philippines, and San Miguel Corporation among others. Using all the necessary marketing tools learned in their respective courses and in the seminars, each team should generate a feasible marketing plan based on facts and measures given to them. Ultimately, this intends to explore and tap the growth opportunities for an existing brand, through a marketing strategy which best suits the needs of the company and the market.
With each team presenting worthy marketing plans, the judges had a hard time in making their decision as to the team which truly deserves the top prize. Everyone had great ideas. Besides that, all were psyched up while giving their reports – showing how passionate they were with what they have accomplished.
It all boiled down to who had the best implementation to determine the winners. Proclaimed the champion was Team Fonterra (Kimberley Ong, Rein Duka and Karlo Reyes). While Team HSBC (Kay Alandy Dy and Anj Santos) and Team Megaworld (Jesi Howard Lanete, RJ Martinez, Bianca Rivas, Mark de Castro) settled for first and second runner-up positions, respectively. Declared best speakers of the competition were Kimberly Ong of Team Fonterra and Anj Santos of Team HSBC.
The line-up of activities definitely challenged the marketing expertise and leadership skills of these participants. On top of that, it stimulated critical thinking, innovation, and creativity which are the foundations of a great entrepreneur. As such, this year’s Convergence is definitely a worthwhile seminar – informative, interactive, and comprehensive. As Mark de Castro (IV BS Commerce) of
Truly, Convergence 2008 brought marketing closer to the hearts of both the participants and the people involved in making this seminar-competition possible.
