Correction: In an earlier version of this story, the Chief Executive Boards International was incorrectly identified as a co-host of the competition.

Marketing and entrepreneurship students aim to score big as they wrap up DECA tomorrow, a contest that brings high school seniors and juniors together with college students.

The Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation and Yank Heisler, dean of the College of Business, are hosting 600 high school juniors and seniors in a competition for marketing and entrepreneurship in the Student Center ballroom today at 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

DECA, an international association of high school and college students studying marketing, management and entrepreneurship in business, offers motivated students a chance to work together with Northeast Ohio universities and college students.

“DECA gives high school students a head start in marketing and entrepreneurship academics,” said Julie Messing, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation. “My graduate students know that the bar is set high for them if high school students can do this well.”

The competition allows students to compete in all areas of marketing management and entrepreneurship and to present their new business ideas to a panel of 60 judges, consisting of successful entrepreneurs and business executives.

“Some students will role play situations and others will create a marketing campaign,” Messing said. “The competition is very hands on and the students learn how to articulate what they are doing.”

DECA is one of Kent’s ways of out reach to future students.

“We let our program and our students here at Kent support high school students,” Messing said. “If the students see something they like and they like the help they get, hopefully a few of them are inclined to come to Kent State.”

– Kelly Maile