Marketing Association of Plymouth State University receives accolades at International Collegiate Conference 2026

PLYMOUTH ― The Marketing Association of Plymouth State, an official collegiate chapter of the American Marketing Association, won various awards at the recent AMA International Collegiate Conference in Chicago. The annual conference is attended by AMA chapters from colleges and universities around the world; 2026 was a record year of attendance with more than 1,800 attendees.

This is the third time that Plymouth State University’s chapter has participated in the conference since 2019, having participated for several years prior.

Faculty Advisor Professor Raj Sachdev, DBA, PhD, accompanied a group of nine student MAPS members, including Carissa Adams, Lauren Bartnicki, Thomas Giessler, Aidan McCue, Collin Ford, Olivia Pheonix, Baillie Mako, Erin Sampson, and Michael Toronto who returned from the conference with notable achievements. Adams served as this year’s president of MAPS, Lauren Bartnicki as president-elect, while Giessler served as vice president.

The AMA awarded MAPS with the Outstanding Collegiate Chapter Performance in Chapter Planning and Communication (2025-26) award for its dedication in planning notable club activities and excelling at communications through a variety of media (internal and external).

ICC competition judges also awarded Adams and Giessler third place in the Marketing Strategy Competition.

For its second year in a row, the ICC included a Digital Marketing competition created and facilitated by Sachdev, author of a textbook on the subject. The competition, sponsored by McGraw Hill and Minus33, an Ashland-based company, drew nearly three times as many teams as its inaugural year. It gives students the opportunity to build and apply digital marketing skills in a competitive setting.

Sachdev also joined Lawson Glidden, CEO of Minus33, for a well-attended talk on digital marketing for future growth.

The three-day conference provides collegiate chapters with recognition for year-round work and offers students opportunities to strengthen both chapter programming and individual professional development. Participants engaged in competitions, attended guest speaker sessions and connected through networking events.

To learn more about Plymouth State University, visit plymouth.edu.