The American Marketing Association at The University of Southern Mississippi will host its first Marketing Week.

Marketing Week events will begin Oct. 7 and last through Oct. 15. The events will teach students about the work that goes into marketing, the various marketing careers that are available and the opportunities that come from working in the marketing industry and the benefits of being a member of the AMA.

“The original goal was just to participate. We wanted to offer students opportunities to meet industry leaders, but we also wanted to use Marketing Week as an opportunity to build credibility and awareness for our chapter on campus,” said Executive Vice President of Professional Development for the American Marketing Association Chelsea Thomas.

Some of the events scheduled to take place during Marketing Week include: “Graphic Design for the Marketing Major,” “Connecting the Right People at the Right Time,” “The Tourism Industry in New Orleans” and “The Mysteries of LinkedIn, Solved.”  “The Tourism Industry in New Orleans” will be held Oct. 10 in Room 218 of the Thad Cochran Center and will feature the announcer for the New Orleans Saints and CEO of New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation Mark Romig.

Other Marketing Week events are “Drink Pink to Support Breast Cancer,” held from 11:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Thad Cochran Center Oct. 9, and “Marketing and Merchandising Majors Confidential.”

While this is the first time that USM will host the five-day event, Marketing Week is an annual occurrence for the American Marketing Association. During this time, students will not only have the rare chance to meet with industry heads, but to gain hands-on experience by participating in various activities each day. According to AMA President Kevin Buckley, there will be many out-of-state professionals and local business owners present during the week, so it will be a great opportunity for students to present themselves professionally and hone his or her skills.

“We started brainstorming over the summer and trying to create really great marketing set by the professional marketing association,” said Mikel Mangipano, vice president of programming and marketing at the American Marketing Association.

Part of Marketing Week’s mission is to prepare future employees for the types of job-related situations they will face after graduation. “The main goal is for students to grow professionally,” Mangipano said. “I want them to get out there and network and get to know the people that will potentially be hiring them.”

Each activity is free for students and faculty members.