Northern Ireland
Are you good enough?
THE PITCH 2013
Student Competition
Here’s an opportunity to gain valuable experience and really make your CV stand out from
the crowd. Do you have what it takes when the heat is on, the chips are down and you only
have a matter of hours, working in a team to pull off the pitch of your career?
If you're serious about a career in marketing then you seriously need to take part in The
Pitch NI. This could jump-start your career.
WHO CAN ENTER?
Any student aged over 16 years who is studying
marketing as part of a qualification (FE or HE) in
Northern Ireland can apply to enter the competition.
This includes those studying for The Chartered
Institute of Marketing qualifications at a CIM
Accredited Study Centre in Northern Ireland.
HOW TO APPLY
All you need to do is get together with two other
eligible students to form your team, discuss with
your tutor, complete the application form below and
send it to ireland@cim.co.uk.
There are only 15 team places available, so
apply as soon as you can.
Unfortunately, due to the limited numbers, we
cannot guarantee every team a place, but we will try
and ensure that as many students from different
institutions are given the opportunity to participate.
Therefore if the competition is over-subscribed, we
reserve the right to ask institutions to nominate their
best teams and subsequent teams will go on a
waiting list subject to other entries.
WHAT’S INVOLVED?
A brief will be sent to all teams by e-mail four weeks
before the event, which will be based around a reallife scenario and will be exactly the same as one
that would normally be issued to a marketing
agency.
You will need to read the brief, interpret it and
produce a solution to present as your ‘Pitch’. As in
real-life, you will be able to call on whatever
resources you require. All we ask is that you don't
harass the organisation which set the brief. Apart
from that, you can call on whoever you wish to help.
Just remember it is only the three team
members that will be able to present ‘The Pitch’
on the day.
THE PRIZE
The biggest prize is what you make of the
experience and how you add value to your CV. In
addition, each member of the winning team will
receive 12 months’ CIM Affiliate Professional status,
whilst their institution will benefit from a great PR
opportunity. There is no cash alternative to this
prize.
THE EVENT - FRIDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2013
Held at W5 at Odyssey, 2 Queen’s Quay, Belfast,
BT3 9QQ, the event takes place between 13:30 and
21:00. On the day, all participating teams and their
advisors need to report to the venue and register by
12:30. Your team will need to bring the presentation
on a clean USB stick- i.e. only your pitch files on it.
Once registered, each team will be given a time for
their pitch. You can do whatever you want in your
pitch but must adhere to three minutes and eight
PowerPoint slides only. Once you have reached
three minutes you will be signalled to wrap up. You
must bear in mind that the panel will be judging you
on the following:
 Understanding of the brief.
 Interpretation of the brief to create your
strategy.
 Application of marketing tools and
techniques.
 Creativity.
 Presentation style and quality.
 Innovation.
After you have ‘pitched’ make sure you take on
board the feedback that the judges give you to help
with your final presentation, should you be
successful in going through to the final. Then it’s
just a matter of relaxing and waiting for the evening
event to see whether you have been selected to go
forward.
Refreshments (tea, coffee, soft drinks etc.) will be
available throughout the day and a hot meal will be
served at 18:00 when the evening guests arrive.
You are very welcome to invite supporters, friends,
relatives and colleagues to support you in the
evening. The evening event also takes place at W5.
Places are limited so please register guests as soon
as possible at www.cim.co.uk/52296
“Taking part in The Pitch has changed my life in a
big way. It has opened doors for me in the world of
marketing and enabled me to get a foot on the
ladder to start a career in marketing.
Huw Thomas
Finalist 2012
We will announce the three finalist teams during the
evening proceedings. The finalists will then present
their pitch one more time in front of the audience,
from which a winning team will be selected.
SPONSORS
A big thank you to our sponsors, Subway, and our
supporters, without whom we could not run The
Pitch NI.
“At Subway we are delighted to be part of such an
exciting project. Many of our own customers are
students, and demand mouth-watering choice at
real value for money; this is our opportunity to give
something back and to learn more about what
keeps so many customers coming back for more.”
Andrew Johnston
Chairman
Subway Board NI
WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT THE PITCH
“We had a great day and all agree that it was a very
rewarding experience.”
Emily McCleave
Winner 2010
“I really enjoyed the day it has helped me develop
my team working skills and presenting skills. I
gained some invaluable experience dealing with a
real-life business. I also met some extremely
interesting people, possibly making some important
contacts for the future. Overall I would urge any
student considering applying to stop thinking about
it and just do it!”
Dean O’Brien
Finalist 2011
The Chartered Institute of Marketing
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APPLICATION FORM
Once complete, send to:
ireland@cim.co.uk
Student 3
First name:
Surname:
Name of Institution/Study Centre:
Date of birth:
E-mail address:
Team name:
Telephone number:
Course being studied:
Name of Lead Tutor:
Lead Tutor’s e-mail address:
Lead Tutor’s telephone number:
Student 1
First name:
Surname:
Date of birth:
E-mail address:
Telephone number:
Course being studied:
CIM membership number (if applicable):
CIM membership number (if applicable):
IMPORTANT NOTICES
By entering The Pitch NI you agree that Subway, Ardmore
Advertising and any agency they employ reserve the right
to use any of the intellectual property presented by you in
the competition.
No changes can be made to your PowerPoint
presentation once it has been submitted at the beginning
of the day. You are allowed only three minutes and eight
PowerPoint slides for the daytime pitch and five minutes
with the same eight PowerPoint slides for the evening
pitch.
Any entrants for the awards must be prepared to receive
media coverage and this should be accepted as a
condition of entry. Cooperation with the organisers to
arrange PR opportunities shall not be unreasonably
withheld.
The judging panel’s decision on the finalists and winners
is final.
Student 2
First name:
Surname:
Date of birth:
E-mail address:
Telephone number:
Course being studied:
CIM membership number (if applicable):
The Chartered Institute of Marketing
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