Signature Event Returns for USM’s School of Marketing

Fri, 03/04/2022 - 02:32pm | By: Van Arnold

For the first time in more than two years, the School of Marketing at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) brought back its most significant event of the year – Marketing Confidential – held Feb. 23 on the Hattiesburg campus.

 

This year’s theme was ‘Setting the Table with Products that Sell’ with keynote speaker Nelson Haskin Jr., a USM alumnus and accomplished entrepreneur and restauranteur. Haskin is a native of Gulfport, MS, but has lived in Hattiesburg since 1983 and considers the Hub City his home.

 

The Marketing Confidential event began just over 10 years ago and was designed to connect all School of Marketing programs together with a featured speaker from one of the school’s majors. The COVID-19 pandemic put the popular event on hold over the previous two years.

 

“The event is a great opportunity for the School of Marketing to have an annual showcase event to bring all five undergraduate major programs together at the same time,” said Dr. Chris Croft, Assistant Professor of Sport Management. “Additionally, it provides a great opportunity for various University, college and school areas to gain direct access to our students.”

 

Students attending the event represented degree programs in marketing, merchandising, health care marketing, hospitality and tourism management, and sport management.

 

The first half of the Marketing Confidential event included an informational involvement fair, where students could earn entries into the drawing for raffle prizes by visiting different tables, including Career Services, Pathway Experiences, Study Abroad, Student Research, Tri-Star Program, CBED Advising, Graduate School, Eta Sigma Delta, American Marketing Association, and USM Alumni Association.

 

That portion was followed by Haskin’s keynote presentation, which focused on “Setting the Table with Products That Sell” which saw a turnout of more than 60 participants, including both students and faculty. Haskin gave participants some fantastic insight into what makes a successful restaurant and how to provide your customers with exceptional products you can stand behind before pushing them out to sell.

 

He emphasized this during the presentation by stating, “Our philosophy is product over promotion - setting the table with products that sell. So, that’s what we want to do first. We want to put the product before the promotion.”

 

“It was extremely beneficial to have Southern Miss alumnus Nelson Haskin as the keynote speaker,” said Croft. “Nelson has a great personal story to tell with his military and restaurant experience, including how Southern Miss helped him get to where he is today.”

 

Nelson is a 2013 graduate of Southern Miss with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. He served 20 years in the Mississippi Army National Guard, retiring in October 2020. Nelson is married to Felicia (Kimble) Haskin and has two sons, Jalen and Joshua. In 2017, Nelson and his wife, Felicia, opened Blu Jazz Café in Downtown Hattiesburg and now owns and operates SouthBound Bagel and Coffee Shop, Nellie’s Chicken and Daiquiris, and the newly opened Hattiesburgers and Blues.

 

To learn more about the School of Marketing at USM, call 601.266.4627 or visit: https://www.usm.edu/marketing/index.php