December 8, 2011

Communication Studies majors present Trade Fair

Communication Studies majors from Eastern Illinois University presented a mock Trade Fair on campus on Tuesday, November 29th.

Students in the Simulation in Organizational Communication class (CMN 4650), under the direction of Dr. Mark Borzi, put on the Trade Fair as part of a course assignment.  It's an annual project, designed to provide hands-on learning opportunities for the students.

Class members are divided into five mock companies, and each company plans and executes public relations and advertising campaigns.  Students learn to develop a business proposal, select a target market, create a sales proposal, work with balance sheets, plan budgets, make presentations, work with social media, and create promotional materials including flyers, posters, and newsletters.  The class culminates with the Trade Fair, where each company has a booth and students from outside the class play the role of consumers attending the event.

The Trade Fair project has been part of the class for several years.  It places an emphasis on creativity, as well as competition among the various mock companies.