Cunningham, L., Week 4

Another week. Another round of exciting field trips!
This week includes: an agency, a sports arena, a international racetrack, and a television station.

Our first trip was highly anticipated for many in the class, as we were visiting Rochester and Buffalo. Having never been to Rochester, I was quite excited to see whether it lived up to the hype, and did it ever! What a beautiful city, it’s no wonder people love it so much.

At Tipping Point Communications we were given the history of how the company was built from the ground up. It was very interesting to listen to Michelle discuss her experiences as a young entrepreneur and how she handles her staff and her clients. We were then walked through a current case study involving one of their clients. This entire experience was very light-hearted and pleasant, while still serving the purpose of being incredibly informative. They did a great job of making us want to work there or do business with them.

After a short drive and a, slightly sloppy, picnic on the bus, we arrived at KeyBank Center and took a tour of the massive facility. Our hosts went into a lot of depth and went out of their way to show us hidden facets of the building and make the tour a truly deluxe experience. We ended the day with Pegula Sports and Entertainment sitting us down to show us how they market their multitude of brands throughout the year. It was very interesting to see how they choose to segment their markets and what tactics they use to best reach them.

Next we found ourselves speeding around the international speedway at Watkins Glen International, in a TERPS bus. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I look forward to bragging about for years to come. Our hosts were most gracious and offered an exclusive insight into their lives on the track and in the office. Their season has only just begun and it was clear that the anticipation was rising for a very busy summer of events.

And finally, we visited WETM-TV, a short walk from campus. Our hosts welcomed us into their well air conditioned studio and show us how television is still a huge market for reaching potential consumers; something we've discussed in class. They told us their process for procuring and retaining people and companies that fill their advertising space; a tricky job that they make look easy.

However the most unique part of this trip was watching the news being broadcasted live, from both the studio as well as the production room. There were some spots where if you were to move an inch to your right, you might appear on camera. Thankfully, we were all quite professional and did not attempt such theatrics during the live broadcast. But we certainly had a lot of fun when "viewers like you" were not tuned in!