On 18 January 2018, over 100 high school students from various Howard County schools participated in the Maryland DECA Regional Conference at Reservoir High School in Howard County. Students were fortunate to listen to a presentation by a member of Dale Carnegie Mid-Atlantic on leadership skills and then participated in a workshop on effective presentation skills. Conference topics covered a variety of career clusters including Sports and Entertainment, Retail Merchandizing, Marketing Communications, and Marketing Management.

VPC’s President, Deepa Srinivasan judged the Marketing Communications Series Event. Students were invited to a role-play event where they were provided a scenario and given 10 minutes to prepare and then present their recommendations. Evaluations were based on how well they met the performance indicators of their event: describing marketing functions and related activities; explaining factors that influence customer/client buying behavior; discussing actions for employees to take, to achieve the company’s desired results; explaining how businesses can use trade-show participation to communicate with targeted audiences; and participating in the design of marketing materials to promote their special event.

“What a talented group of young men and women and what a great way to hone in on their critical thinking, problem solving, and communication skills”, said VPC’s President.