The committee for the Orchid and Flower Show, which will hold its inaugural event in 2016, approached the Massey Business School for student assistance and lecturers developed a practical class assignment around the project.

The work of North Shore student, Hannah Williamson, was unanimously chosen by the committee as the best. Senior tutor, Sarah Dodds, says the client thought she “nailed the brief in terms of target audiences and her recommendations were creative yet realistic”.

“What made Hannah's campaign different is that she not only focused on orchids, but also on general garden plants and flowers, creating the much wider audience we are hoping for,” says Orchid and Flower Show secretary Anton Wehman. “She provided well researched demographics and psychographics for each of the target audiences with a good range of integrated marketing and communication programmes.”

Williamson, a former Kristin School student, says the real-world assignment was a great learning experience. “We were fortunate to be provided with the opportunity to work with a real-life client with real constraints and requirements. The project was great for developing skills and ways of thinking that will be useful in my communications career.”

She says the key to her win was being creative to get the best value from the allocated budget. Her favourite idea was engaging local Auckland schools. “I really like the idea of creating excitement, especially when marketing an event, and felt that the Orchid and Flower Show provided this opportunity for schools. This included ideas like teaching kids how to pot plants and running a floral-themed art competition. By creating this excitement with the kids, it would also encourage families to attend the event.”

Williamson says the experience helped her to develop the practical skills she will need for her future career and the Orchid and Flower Show committee have asked her to help implement their plan.