AMA 2022: Presenting With New Friends

What an hour it was. Yesterday afternoon, I stood on stage with some special colleagues and presented to a crowded conference room at the American Marketing Association’s Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Ed. For 60 minutes, we had the undivided attention of our fellow higher education marketers as we poured out our TikTok expertise and experiences.

As we concluded our presentation and conference attendees swarmed us up front to ask questions, the satisfaction of that particular moment was savored. We had successfully presented to a large group of dedicated higher ed professionals and made the most of our time on stage. However, the presentation itself wasn’t necessarily what brought me the most pride. Rather, it was the process that led us to that opportunity and the relationships that were forged.

The four of us were all smiles after we presented at the American Marketing Association’s Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Ed in National Harbor (from l-r: Me, Katie Camacho Smith, Victoria Mendoza, Andy Thompson).

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Over the past several months, I have had the pleasure of working with Victoria “V.” Mendoza from USC, Andy Thompson from the University of Utah, and Katie Camacho Smith from TikTok. After receiving notice back in the spring that our speaking proposal (#LearnOnTikTok: Higher Ed Strategies) had been accepted by AMA, we “met” for the first time on August 5. Of course I use quotation marks because that initial meeting—and all subsequent ones—would be held via Zoom.

Before I got my AMA credential badge earlier this week, a lot of work was devoted toward our session in the months prior.

Although V., Andy, and I knew of each other, that early August meeting was the first time we truly worked together in earnest. During that initial Zoom call we planted the seeds for what our presentation could become. From that point forward we met pretty regularly, basically once every couple weeks. Our presentation went from a concept to an outline to an actual Powerpoint. When we weren’t meeting on Zoom, the three of us were collaborating on our working files within Google Drive.

At the beginning of October, a very fortunate development occurred. Our efforts to include someone from TikTok materialized. In fact, V. received notice of our new group member as the three of us were in the middle of one of our Zoom meetings. Katie Camacho-Smith, head of the TikTok “EduTok” vertical, was on board to present with us!

Katie’s presence immediately added credibility and a new level of intrigue to our presentation. The four of us worked together to instill Katie’s material into our Powerpoint. We really have content that AMA attendees will crave, we thought.

As late October and early November arrived, we started to put the bow on our presentation. Katie made an intro TikTok video (watch here), we submitted our final Powerpoint slides to AMA, and we participated in a Zoom dry run. It was then time to fly to Washington D.C.!

Our TikTok intro video used the “Full House” trend. Give it a watch!

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I met Andy first. My flight itinerary to D.C. called for a layover in Salt Lake City and Andy was on my connecting flight. Once we landed at Reagan Airport, we Ubered together to the conference site—the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, Md. We would meet V. in-person that night and Katie the following morning.

I got to hang with V. and Andy in-person for the first time on Sunday night. After working together for several months on a virtual basis, it was awesome to visit in-person.

A major highlight of the conference was hanging with Andy, V., and Katie. We enjoyed conference meals together, mingled at the reception events, and promoted our session to the many attendees we would meet. We also managed to find a random spot in a hallway to rehearse our presentation the day before.

On Monday, the four of us found a random spot in one of the resort’s hallways to rehearse.

When our presentation drew near on Tuesday afternoon, the four of us walked together from lunch to the conference room (this was it….eeeeeek!). We met with the AV professional who mic’d us up, tested our audio, and allowed us to become familiar with the presentation clicker. The four of us were ready to do this…together.

This was the sign that greeted attendees of our session. We presented “#LearnOnTikTok: Higher Ed Strategies” at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.

As I chronicled at the beginning of this post, we survived the presentation. Nah, we didn’t just survive it—we rocked it. After we had finished answering the many questions from the attendees who approached us near the stage at the presentation’s conclusion, we took some time to document the moment. The four of us took some group photos, including an epic shot on the main AMA stage. Katie, Andy, and I would reunite later that night for the closing reception before going our separate ways.

The four of us took advantage of the opportunity to hop on the main AMA stage and take a photo together after we finished our presentation. What an experience!

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Undoubtedly, what I will remember most from this experience was how four people came together for a common goal. It didn’t matter that we came from four different states or had different employers. Nor did it matter that we had different professional experiences and different management/workflow styles (I was the OCD/annoying Type A personality…sorry team!). What mattered was that the four of us wanted to work together for the benefit of our fellow higher ed marketers and perhaps for the internal professional challenge as well.

I left D.C. with more than a solidified professional relationship with three talented colleagues; I departed with three new friends. Thanks V., Andy, and Katie. Don’t Blink.

Here I Come, 2022 AMA Symposium!

I am off to the East Coast! Today I am traveling to National Harbor, Md., an area about 15 minutes from Washington D.C. However, the purpose of my cross-country trek isn’t to sightsee in our nation’s capital. Rather, this is all about business.

Over the next couple of days, I will be attending the American Marketing Association’s Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Ed (longer names just sound more important, right?). This truly is the premier conference for higher education marketers and I am psyched to return after a three-year hiatus.

I attended and presented at the 2019 AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Ed. I am excited to do the same at the 2022 version.

But I guess I should add that I am just not merely attending the AMA Symposium, I will be presenting at it as well. On Tuesday, I will be sharing the Gaylord National Resort stage with Victoria “V.” Mendoza and Andy Thompson, my much-esteemed Pac-12 counterparts from USC and the University of Utah, respectively. We will present on TikTok and I will focus primarily on the paid advertising capabilities of the platform. Joining us for our presentation and bringing an extra layer of firepower will be Katie Camacho Smith, who leads TikTok’s higher education outreach.

I am speaking at the AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Ed. Honored to share the stage with Victoria Mendoza, Andy Thompson, and Katie Camacho Smith.

The magnitude of this opportunity is not lost on me. To present with my talented colleagues in front of the best marketers in higher ed on a sizzling hot topic is a dream come true. The fact that it is taking place in a beautiful facility only a stone’s throw from our nation’s capital only adds allure. Pressure? Nerves? Sure, there is some of that…but hopefully it will just help me rise to the occasion.

The Gaylord National Resort will be the hotbed for higher ed marketing over the course of the next few days. Honored to have the chance to present within these walls.

I look forward to the next couple days of learning and professional development. I am grateful to Washington State University for the opportunity to attend and present. I also extend my gratitude to the American Marketing Association for facilitating this forum for higher ed marketers to assemble and grow. Special shout out to my co-presenters—Victoria, Andy, and Katie—we have been working hard at this for a few months now. Alright everyone, not much left to say but let’s go! My plane is heading toward Regan International and I can’t wait to touchdown in D.C. Don’t Blink.