The Marketing Trade Show: A New Method for Incorporating Student Projects into Large Classes

At many universities, class sizes are increasing for the introductory marketing principles courses. Instructors of these large classes often abandon teaching methods in which students are active, such as projects and presentations, and rely heavily on the lecture method. However, course projects and presentations are useful for developing student skills in integrating and applying concepts, communicating ideas, and working as part of a team, and these methods can be retained as class sizes get larger. This article introduces the concept of a marketing trade show—a highly realistic method for instructors to incorporate student projects into large lecture classes. The results of recent implementations of this concept, along with suggestions for other instructors wishing to use this method in their courses, are presented.