The journey for the BCom (Hons) Marketing Management class of 2016 started on 1 February 2016. The theme of the welcome lecture was “Flying with Unlimited Marketing” and students were asked to dress accordingly. The students rose to the occasion and impressed with their creativity in reflecting the theme.

The main message of the evening was ‘learn how to fly’ with the unlimited opportunities available in the Marketing Management course, but ultimately in their marketing careers. The honours lecturers played the role of pilots for the evening and shared some ‘in-flight safety procedures’ to ensure that students moved from being mere spectators to active participants in the honours programme. Short video clips from some of last year’s students gave tips for a ‘less bumpy flight’. The evening also provided an opportunity for the new honours group to meet one another (passengers) by means of a fun-filled and interactive welcome. The students were left with the idea that “your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude”.

Staying within the theme, each of the 44 students received an energy drink kindly sponsored by Red Bull and then had to form teams by finding other students with different pieces of a plane. Their creativity was further challenged as each group had to decide on a group name and logo for their plane. As true marketers they came up with creative names such as ‘Wing Warriors’ and “Air Galaxy”. Student teams then had to fly their planes in order to determine their presentation spots for their next class. Given the enthusiasm with which the students participated in the evening, this group will not disappoint.