IMMERSION: Chicago Ad Fed’s Annual Career Day 2/12/16

Immersion is a series of engagement opportunities for students and professionals, designed to connect Columbia College Chicago students to their career fields.  A mix of panels, presentations, company tours, recruiting events, and portfolio reviews provide multiple ways to engage, on and off campus.

Presented by the Portfolio Center of Columbia College Chicago, in partnership with our academic departments and the professional community, Immersion highlights the interconnectedness of cross-disciplinary career pathways.

Many sessions are currently underway and we’re interested in hearing from you. Get involved in program development by contacting Dirk Matthews atdmatthews@colum.edu or 312-369-7620.

The Chicago Advertising Federation’s 34th Annual Career Day, taking place Friday, February 12, 2016 at the Swissotel Chicago, is an intensive educational program designed to provide college students and career changers with an in-depth look at the advertising industry and a leg up on finding a job in Chicago’s competitive market. 

The Career Day agenda includes a keynote speaker and breakout sessions/panel discussions with perspectives from top level, mid-level and young professionals in the advertising field. Topics range from ad production, account management, job search strategies, social media, research & strategic planning, and more. 

Career Day includes breakfast, lunch, keynote speaker, panel discussions, sponsor networking, and young professional networking. 

Everything you need to get your advertising career on track! 

Career Day Agenda
(subject to change)

7:30 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.     Check In / Continental Breakfast 

8:15 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.     Welcome and Overview of the Day 

8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.    Keynote Address – Doug Ryan – President, Chicago and San Francisco, DigitasLBi   

9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.   Group Presentation and Discussion: How to Stand Out in the Hiring Process** 

10:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.  Breakout Session #1 *

11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.   Break

11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.  Breakout Session #2 *

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.  Sponsor Networking Lunch

1:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.     Break

1:15p.m. – 3:45 p.m.      Meet the Sponsors 

**When registering, submit your questions for the 9:00 a.m. Group Discussion along with your Breakout Session selections

*BREAKOUT SESSION OPTIONS

BREAKOUT #1Art Direction & Copywriting – Often referred to as creatives, art directors are responsible for the visual elements of ad campaigns and copywriters create the written material for display ads and the voiceovers for video ads.  This panel will give you an overview of these creative roles, portfolio examples, etc. 

Media Planning, Buying & Sales – The strategy, negotiation, and implementation behind distributing an ad across media, this panel  will reveal how individuals in this discipline work together to reach the consumer at the right place and right time. 

Road to Success – Learn from established professionals from vendors and agencies on how to break into the advertising industry. 

Brand Management – Planning, developing, and directing the marketing efforts for a particular brand or product.  This panel will give you a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to work in marketing on the client side of advertising. 

BREAKOUT #2

Account Management – The liaison between the client and the agency, account managers play an integral role by coordinating all the moving parts of different agency teams.  In this panel you will learn what all goes in to this coordination and skills companies look for in a potential Assistant Account Executive. 

Production – This advertising discipline is responsible for getting an ad for any medium produced and this panel will share the role of producers, production ops, and vendors across all media types. 

Following the Creative Process – How an idea becomes an ad—from concepting to production to execution and everything in between. 

Strategy & Research – Going to the source of decision making and brands—the consumer, the strategy and research groups conduct and analyze research on the consumer to understand what’s driving their decisions and how to make the biggest connection.  This panel gives you everything you need to know on this field from strategists and researchers themselves. 

For more information, contact the Chicago Advertising Federation: (630) 596-9005, info@chicagoadfed.org

Immersion is a series of engagement opportunities for students and professionals, designed to connect Columbia College Chicago students to their career fields.  A mix of panels, presentations, company tours, recruiting events, and portfolio reviews provide multiple ways to engage, on and off campus.

Presented by the Portfolio Center of Columbia College Chicago, in partnership with our academic departments and the professional community, Immersion highlights the interconnectedness of cross-disciplinary career pathways. colum.edu/immersion