Students speak to a representative from FUSEBOXLA at the Golleher Alumni House. Photo Courtesy Kassia Azimioara

An Elite Advertising luncheon was held at the Golleher Alumni House on Friday, May 7, from noon to 3 p.m., where students had the opportunity to sit down one-on-one with advertising professionals from the Los Angeles area.

Representatives from the Orange County Register, Ponder Ideaworks, FUSEBOXLA, Casanova Pendrill, Orange Label and ByteLaunch attended the event. Among the discussion between students and representatives was internships, job opportunities and questions about how the representatives liked their jobs.

"It was an opportunity, in a very relaxed atmosphere, to learn about the different career choices available, and to initiate the process of obtaining an internship or job," said Robert Sage, advertising professor and faculty adviser for the Daily Titan Advertising Department and Tusk Magazine.

The luncheon was exclusively for advertising students and their applications had to be accepted for them to attend the event. Students were also asked to include their resume with their application.

Sage said students were selected on the basis of their GPA (3.0 and above) and other activities associated with advertising such as being involved in the Advertising Club or the Daily Titan.

"We expected their resume to reflect their advertising commitments," Sage said.

A small group of students in Sage's COMM 451C class - which functions like an advertising agency - led by Nicole Gornall and Andy Lopez, were responsible for the planning and execution of the event. The students booked the agency representatives with help from advertising professor Kuen-Hee Ju-Pak, taking approximately 12 weeks to plan.

Advertising major Justin Burney said he liked the way the event was set up. "The event, as a whole, is such a good idea because it allows us to begin relationships and network and really gave us the opportunity to ask questions and get a feel for the type of people they (representatives) are," Burney said.

Johanness Goldberg, a senior advertising major, commented on the benefits she gained from the luncheon.

"Well, for networking purposes, it's a great way to meet people. We could go from table to table and get to know them (the representatives) on a more personal level," Goldberg said.

Sage said that the feedback from the students and the representatives was positive. "Many of the students mentioned it was really their first opportunity to talk to real agency professionals," Sage said.

Sage also added it was an opportunity for students to get their take on what they (representatives) are looking for in new hires, including the areas the students need to be strongly grounded.