Market Day proves a successful learning experience for business students

Video: Sean Stapleton

AUT business students were given the opportunity to showcase their fresh ideas to students and lecturers for their annual market day.

Hundreds of people flocked to Hikuwai Plaza throughout the day to check out the diverse range of products.

AUT marketing lecturer Drew Franklin said market day creates a community for business students to thrive in and be a part of.

“What the market day allows the students to do is give a lot of what we are introducing to them a go, in a safe environment.

He said students have taken on the experiences they get from the paper and have been making improvements as the year progresses.

“They are getting better every year…[market day] is a very well developed product development process for these guys and it’s what we carry into the final year of the marketing major programme here as well. They’re already doing it in year one which is incredible.”

AUT graduate and event manager Emma Crabtree believed the day helped her to grasp an understanding of how to market a new product.

“When starting your career, you’ve got to be able to talk to people and sell your product. It’s like telling a story…I found my own niche of selling a product through a story-telling way, and I use that in my career today.”

Market day entrepreneur David Dryland enjoyed market days as they helped him find new skills to use in his future studies.

“I feel like I’ve definitely taken something creative from it having not done anything too creative in the marketing side before.”

AUT student Livi Daly said the event taught her how to work in a team dynamic and how to co-operate in a team.

“Its really good for people to be forced, sometimes, into team dynamics.

“You have to get over your differences and band together to make it work and learn how to navigate people not pulling their weight, and people having different expectations and ideas,” she said.