Four Red River College students will be flying to Montreal to test out their marketing chops against some of the best business students in the country.

Leah Rewucki, Robyn Grant, Marc Babaluk, and Thulise Mhlanga (shown above, from left to right) have all been selected to participate in the Vanier College National Marketing Case Competition, which will be held Feb. 10-12 at the Aeroport de Montreal Courtyard Marriott Hotel in Montreal.

The two-day event brings together the ‘best of the best’ among students in technical business programs across Canada. In the competition, 30 teams of students will be tasked to analyze a completely original business problem, and will then be challenged to create a viable marketing plan and Power Point presentation to present to a panel of judges that include business, industry, and education experts.

While the Vanier Case Challenge has been held annually for the past seven years, this is the first time that students from Red River College will participate.

The event’s organizer approached Applied Commerce and Management Education instructor Craig Dyer, who then put together a team of four students to send to Montreal for the competition.

Dyer, prior to becoming an instructor at RRC, served as a judge in a number of case competitions and was aware of the positive experience competing in case challenges gave both participating schools, and students.

When choosing the team, Dyer narrowed down applicants based on academic record and the students’ rationale as to why they wanted to participate in the competition, and why they would be a good addition to the team.

The Vanier Case Challenge is not only an opportunity for students to put their skills into practice, but for students to be noticed by potential employers. Dyer says there will be businesses looking to hire “top performers” at the competition, and adds that at least two Canadian universities will be looking to offer top students scholarships to attend their business schools.

Article written by Hayley Brigg, RRC Creative Communications Student