By SABRINA ZIZO / Community Columnist

On Oct. 4 and 6 from 2-3:15 p.m., University of Montevallo students are hosting a mini-conference in Comer Auditorium. The event is open to all businesses and non-profits that are interested in marketing in the digital age.

Specifically, Dr. Amiee Mellon’s Marketing and Communications class is hosting this mini-conference as part of their service learning project.

“The mini-conference is centered around issues small businesses, organizations and nonprofits deal with,” Mellon said. “As budgets are small and time is scarce, the students aim to show how to maximize outcomes with limited inputs.”

The idea of the mini-conference derived from a unique partnership that Marketing students were able to be a part of last semester. Last semester’s class developed marketing plans for local organizations, which gave students purposeful experience and allowed the organizations to gain fresh perspectives and ideas.

Lauren Steed, one of the many students that is hosting this mini-conference, expressed her hopes for the day: “My hope is that digital age marketing will help businesses to clarify their objectives, so that they will be able to operate effectively. I want businesses to be able to learn how to prioritize tasks, see what areas need attention and be able to measure their target exposure and sales using digital marketing techniques, in order to achieve their ultimate goals.”

If you are a part of a local business or non-profit in the area, make plans to attend the Marketing in the Digital age mini-conference.

“Attendees of the mini-conference will be able to gain new and up-to-date perspectives and knowledge on tools to help a small business stay or become successful,” Steed said. “Many small businesses need to understand and research the newest ways to quickly identify, evaluate and activate the emerging opportunities that will come with a more technologically-inclined generation.”