4A’s IAAS Twin Cities – Pitch Boot Camp 2024

It’s time to give your next generation of ad industry leaders the opportunity to enhance their careers through participation in the 2024 4A’s IAAS Twin Cities – Pitch Boot Camp. Registration has just opened, but as has been the case in prior years, we anticipate a sellout. We understand that retention of junior talent is a challenge, and this is one way to invest in professional development to increase job satisfaction and loyalty.

What is Pitch Boot Camp (PBC)?
PBC is an intense 9-week training course designed to teach young advertising professionals of all disciplines the ins and outs of pitching and winning new business. Please don’t overlook your agency’s creative talent, who equally benefit from this program.

Working with a real client, participants are assigned to a team, act as “mini-agencies,” and are briefed on a brand and its business challenges. Each week, they are taught a specific step for new business by speakers and mentors from our area’s top agencies. The teachings culminate in a final presentation given to the client and a panel of industry judges.

Junior staff rarely gain full exposure to the new business process, and PBC allows participants to lead a pitch from start to finish, developing all aspects of a plan and gaining invaluable presentation skills. Make no mistake, this is a competition and participants work to win, just like a real pitch.

The program will be led by respected agency veteran Wayne Carlson.

Course Curriculum
IAAS opens with soft skills discovery and development, advances to a client challenge, and then follows the path of preparing for a pitch. Respected agency and client-side instructors provide an overview of a number of skills the participants will need in order to successfully meet the client’s needs. Topics to be covered include:

• Understanding the challenge, the brand, and the customer
• Strategic planning and crafting a compelling brief
• Identifying a key insight and generating a creative “big idea”
• Crafting a campaign across tactics, channels, and partners
• Presenting a persuasive plan (i.e. objectives, insights, ideas, budget, and measurement)

A detailed course schedule will be provided to all participants following the close of registration, but participants can expect courses to begin on April 9th and continue through June 17th. Sessions will be in a hybrid format taking place from 6:30 pm until 8:30 pm via a 4A’s virtual classroom (leveraging Zoom) and in-person classes at St. Thomas Schulze Hall (#302).

Final presentations will be held on June 17th and attendance for all Institute participants is mandatory. There will also be a graduation event for all participants, presentation judges, advisors, and the client team following final presentations.

For Participating Agencies
After graduating from IAAS, students will return to work with a better understanding of the big picture, an enhanced ability to work virtually in a team environment, and a renewed passion for doing excellent work and increasing their contributions. Marketing communications companies need a program that provides a real-life understanding of our business, and that is what IAAS delivers. The IAAS helps rising agency stars jump-start their careers and increase their contributions to their agencies. It is a cost-effective training program proven to deliver great impact.

For Attendees
Gain a unique experience that will better prepare you for your career ahead. In the course of IAAS, you will have the opportunity to:

• Learn from experts in our field
• Work in teams to address a real-world client challenge
• Present your own ideas and marketing plans to both client contacts and your own agency leadership
• Gain insight into the different ways various agencies work and approach client needs
• Network with other up-and-coming professionals
• Build your portfolio
• Learn new skills for working within a team environment
• Stimulate your creativity to apply to your day-to-day responsibilities

In addition to functional areas of advertising and marketing, we also have evolved the program for enhanced personal and professional development. This program will help participants develop critical thinking and persuasive presentations. Additionally, we will work with students to both recognize/enhance individual behavioral styles and develop skills to recognize others’ behavioral styles for more powerful collaboration.

Ultimately, this experience can accelerate your career and provide new perspectives that will shape your outlook for years to come. It can help make you a better collaborator and leader in our field.

Registration
The registration deadline for the 4A’s 4A’s IAAS Twin Cities – Pitch Boot Camp 2024 is April 8th. In some cases, late registration may be available, potentially at an additional fee. To register now, click the registration button below. We hope you’ll make this investment in your agency by registering your rising stars.

*Note that to register, you must first create an account with us.

Cost
Pitch Boot Camp is a great value for a 9-week program, covering multiple areas of discipline that are often the subject of a single professional development session.

• 4A’s member agencies: $900
• Non-member agencies: $1,000

Timing
This 9-week program begins April 9th. The final pitch presentation will take place on Monday, June 17th.

Registration
The registration deadline for the Minneapolis 4A’s Pitch Boot Camp is Friday, April 8th. The program will be capped at 30 participants.

Questions?
Program Administration/Tuition: David-Anthony Powell ([email protected] )
Registration Assistance: Kiarra Elliott ([email protected])