Being a COM student gives you so many opportunities that you wouldn’t have at other colleges. Our school is always hosting informative and entertaining specials events, panels, seminars or film screenings on campus, bringing in alums and other business professionals to educate their students! On March 30th, I had the opportunity to attend the “New Media: What Comes After the Basics” panel, a FREE event open to all BU students and alums. It was a truly fantastic experience, despite the fact that the event started at 8:00 in the morning!
The three panelists at the event, Edward Boches (Chief Innovation Officer at Mullen, @edwardboches), Mike Schneider (SVP Digital Incubator at Allen & Gerritsen, @schneidermike) and Todd Defren (Principal at SHIFT Communication, @tdefren) were unbelievably intelligent, witty and hilarious. They gave those in attendance incredible insight into the ever-evolving world of new media and its role in advertising, marketing and PR. All three men are also extremely successful! Edward Booches created the #BrandBowl, and I was so star struck to be in the same room as him!
Moderator Steve Quigley (@stevequigley), a beloved Public Relations professor at COM, was also incredibly entertaining with his sharp remarks and stimulating questions. The discussion consisted of everything from trends in the new media industry, to ways to connect with industry professionals, to advice for applying for internships!
The entire experience was also very interactive! In the days leading up to the panel, COM held a contest on Twitter to see which attendees could come up with the most creative and interesting question to ask the panelists by tweeting with the hashtag #AskBUNM. The winner of the contest was revealed on Friday and received an iPad 3! How cool is that?! There was also a live Twitter stream on the screen behind the panelists, so audience members could see their tweets on the big screen! After the discussion and a question and answer segment, students also had the chance to talk one-on-one with the panelists! What a great way to network with communication specialists!
The COM Connection has a remarkably long reach, and I am always amazed by the phenomenal and numerous opportunities students have to make connections with industry professionals! This really sets COM apart from many other communication schools! I suggest that students try to take these opportunities and attend as many of these special events as they can! Just another reason why #COMstheBOMB!
