Creative Exchange engages grad students with media and marketing executives

February 08, 2024

Creative Exchange Panel Discussion - Ted Rogers MBA

Panel discussion at “Creative Exchange: Conversations with Media & Marketing Professionals'' event

Ted Rogers MBA and Media Production (MA) MBA Pathway program graduate students had the opportunity to hear from media and marketing professionals about the AI revolution, influencer insights, digital marketing dynamics and balancing innovation, and risk in marketing and media endeavours at the inaugural "Creative Exchange: Conversations with Media & Marketing Professionals" event.

The newly formed student group, Media Business Graduate Student Association (MBGSA) (external link) , along with the Ted Rogers Graduate Careers and Student Engagement team, hosted the event on January 30, 2024 on campus.

The Creative Exchange event featured a panel discussion with industry experts Asma Aziz (Director Marketing America's Territories, Intel Corporation), Samir Bhatla (Sales Executive, Global Partnerships, MLSE), Bassem El-Rahimy (Head of Marketing, Turo Canada) and Sam Schleifer (Development Executive, Scripted Television). The panelists shed light on the evolving landscape of marketing and sports media, focusing on the:

Transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in marketing, emphasizing its potential to revolutionize consumer targeting, personalization and predictive analytics.
Evolving landscape of influencer marketing, and the need for targeted strategies for building authentic influencer campaigns that resonate with target audiences in an increasingly saturated market.
Intricacies of digital marketing strategies and the importance of leveraging data analytics, customer insights and emerging technologies to drive impactful campaigns across digital platforms.
Delicate balance between innovation and business risk with calculated experimentation and agility in adapting to changing market dynamics.

The MBGSA is passionate about advancing marketing and media interests within the MBA and larger student community through engagement, education and networking opportunities. The team is made up of Farheen Raaj (President), Jacob Krywetzky (VP of Finance), Kyle Damji (VP of Marketing), Graham Beer (VP of Operations) and Lindsay Maclean (VP of Events). “This inaugural event is the first step in connecting MBA students with the diverse range of opportunities in Toronto’s burgeoning media environment,” says Raaj.

Networking at MBA Creative Exchange Event

Students who attended the event had positive feedback about it. “The speakers were fantastic, delivering insightful perspectives,” said one attendee. “The setup was impressive, creating a conducive environment for learning. It was a wonderful opportunity to not only hear inspiring thoughts, but also share my challenges, gaining valuable insights from the speakers.”

The panelists enjoyed participating in the session as well. “It was great to be back on campus at the Ted Rogers School and reconnect with the Ted Rogers MBA community,” said Ted Rogers MBA alumnus El-Rahimy. “This year's cohort of students was particularly interested in learning how to better leverage influencers in marketing campaigns, how to use AI at work and how to balance innovation and business risks.”

The discussion was followed by open networking where students participated in conversations with the panelists. “The conversations were insightful, centered around AI usage in marketing, how to balance innovation and business risk within the marketing and media platforms,” Aziz commented.