Lazy Faire December 2011

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For Business Students, by Business Students

LAZY FAIREDecember 2011

ANNAALFONSO

WEM’s Visionary

the 2011

GIFT GUIDE!

Christmas in

Edmonton!Christmas in

Edmonton!

SoBthe

A Year inReview

12One. Year.Left!

20 the 2011

GIFT GUIDE!

ANNAALFONSO

WEM’s Visionary

SoB

2012One. Year.Left!

2012One. Year.Left!

CampusCampus

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Editor’s Note

Lazy Faire Team

ContentBonnie Truong - Senior ContributorBraden Lauer - Senior ContributorBreanne Pisani - Senior ContributorEileen Lee - Senior ContributorKristen LePage - Senior ContributorMatt Crowley - Senior ContributorPaul Lopushinsky - Senior ContributorSally Au - Senior Contributor & Creative Director

DesignEmily Wong - Creative DirectorJeff Mah - Photographer & Creative DirectorJenny Troung - Creative DirectorMatthew Alexander - Creative DirectorNitasha Happy - Creative DirectorShirley Guo - Creative DirectorTony Chiang - Creative Director

It’s that time of year again! With final exams, assign-ments, and projects furiously beating down on one’s sanity, December is a busy and stressful time for all students near and far. Factor in holiday shopping, and you’ve got a recipe for the perfect storm. But, as you frantically dart around looking for presents aplenty, you may notice the distant lull of a familiar carol be-ing carried through the night, or the warm and festive lights lining the streets of Whyte Avenue – symptoms of a time intended for joy and cheer. Our theme for this month’s issue of Lazy Faire is “Celebration!” – be-cause, despite our many afflictions, one must always remember that there is something to be thankful for, something to celebrate. Whether that includes all the SoB achievements this past year (profiled in our stu-dent retrospective) or the fact that we have only one year left until the world will allegedly end, there is just cause to rejoice and show your gratitude. We’ve also included some great holiday-inspired pieces in the is-sue, with the highlight being Sasha and Alan, the two creative forces behind iDeal Campus. Lastly, we were able to land an interview with Anna Alfonso, the head of marketing for West Edmonton Mall, a pioneer in our business community and also North America’s largest indoor attraction. So, amidst the towering textbooks and perilous papers, sit back and take a moment for yourself. You deserve it!

- Lazy Faire Editors

Karolina ZhengEditor-in-Chief

[email protected]

Lance ChungContent Editor

[email protected]

Ryan JayatungeDesign Editor

[email protected]

Editor’s Note

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Table of Contents

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Lazy-Faire Magazine

@Lazy_Faire

www.bsaonline.ca

CALENDAR

A YEAR IN REVIEW: BUSINESS FACULTY

HOLIDAY EVENTS AROUND TOWN

EBAY EXPORTER

CANADA’S NEXT TOP AD EXEC EDMONTON YOUTH EMERGENCY SHELTER SOCIETY

1 YEAR LEFT: WHAT YOU NEED TO DO BEFORE THE WORLD ENDS

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: WEST EDMONTON MALL

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: iDEAL CAMPUS

TOYS A CULTURAL HISTORY OF POPULAR PLAYTHINGS

TAX DEDUCTION PLANNING

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1716

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09

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Business

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Student Li fe

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Academics

Arts & Sports

December

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Calendar

282726

211918

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7BSA

Anti-Burnout

2BEA Ski Trip

105BSA Christmas in

Business

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12Weekly

Toastmasters Meeting

13 14

22 23

29

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Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

4BEA Ski Trip

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3BEA Ski TripDecember

30

8

24

15

Sunday

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31

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1BEA Nation 2 Nation Finale

Coming up in January...Jan 2-7th BEA Week of Welcome

9-17th BSA Winter Booksale

9-27th BFA Mock Finance Interviews

Happy Holidays

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TOYS----A Cultural History of Popular Playthings

As children, the holidays were, and continue to be, one of the most exciting times of the year. Undoubt-edly, the most frequently asked question was, “What did you ask Santa for Christ-mas?” For those of you who enjoy a little nostalgia, here’s a trip down memory lane as we revisit some of the most popular Christmas gifts in the past several years. If you grew up in the ‘90s, perhaps you found a few of these in your stocking!

Looking back, it’s hard not to reminisce about those toys that could entertain for hours on end. Unsurprisingly, the majority of the items on this list would probably still provide a wealth of enjoy-ment even today! What’s on your Christmas list this year?

1990–The Super Soaker 1991 – The

Gameboy

1994 – Power Rangers

1995 – Pogs

1996 – Tamagotchi

& Tickle Me Elmo 1997 –

Beanie Babies

1998 – Furbies 2000 –

Scooter

2002 - Cranium 2006 – the

Nintendo Wi

2007 – the Nintendo

DS and the iPod Touch

2010 - iPad

By Breanne Pisani

Student Life

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The Stachyruks: Canada’s Largest Consignment Exporters

Imagine trying to sell 10,000 items of unrelated inventory, ranging from accordions to DJ mixers to DVD players to downhill skis. Now, try shipping it across 6 continents…

Over the past 2 years, Edmontonians Jon and Andrea Stachyruk have transformed their home-based eBay business into Canada’s largest consignment exporter. “We take people’s stuff that they have in their closets, garages, wherever. When they bring it to us, we have a system in place where we have pictures and videos [and put the items on eBay] - and when it sells, we ship it” says [Jon] Stachyruk. Now, when you think of most exporters, you’re probably imagining a finished-goods business with an inventory-heavy balance sheet, relying deep-ly on turnover to capture the margin as quickly as possible. With the consignment eBay business, Jon and Andrea have turned this model on its head. “I don’t need to be out thou-sands of dollars for inventory. People bring their stuff to us. We don’t need to advertise. We have four main consigners for everything from sports equipment to medical supplies”, he mentions.

And they aren’t kidding - their southwest Edmonton warehouse is practically bursting at the seams with floor-to-ceiling boxes. Amazingly, however, it all seems to be organized – an aspect that is sure to be a prerequisite for such a business. Each item has been tagged with a serial number, carefully photographed, described for online sale, and is boxed and ready for shipment the moment it is sold online. On the demand side, eBay cur-rently receives 3 to 4 million visitors per day, helping buyers across the globe buy Stachyruk’s products.

He’s located a valuable niche in the goods-resale business, where people who are sick of their junk piling up in their homes can turn dust bunnies into no-hassle cash. It’s consignment to

cash - no headaches, just simple cash. But organizing a busi-ness of this complexity requires a lot of diligent systemizing, and according to Stachyruk, “If you have a system in your head, it’s not yet a system. You have to write it down and then revisit it, tweak it, change it, as your business grows.”

Stachyruk’s mentor, Larry Yakiwczuk, an Alberta School of Business MBA speaker (and derivatives dealer), once told him to, “Work with someone who has already been there and done that. They’ve made mistakes that you don’t need to make. And when they tell you something, you listen!” It is with Yakiwczuk’s wisdom that Kurycats Emporium has grown in pace as its cash flow, not ego, says you can grow. With over $1.4 million ac-tively for sale on eBay, Stachyruk has no plans of slowing down, “We are planning a whole new kind of flea market. One with a central buying location so you can shop anywhere in the ware-house without having to pay each and every vendor.”

We asked if he had any advice for students looking to start their own businesses, “No matter what business you are do-ing, someone else is doing it. Go to the person who is best at what you want to do and learn from them. Some people will be greedy, but many others love to share what they have learned and are happy to mentor you. The great thing about this busi-ness is that anyone can do it. All it takes is one room [perhaps a dorm room?] The inventory is free. What’s the carrying cost? Pennies. And when it sells, it is practically all profit.”

To get in touch with Jon to discuss his eBay busi-ness (and opportunities to learn how to sell your own stuff online), you can reach him at [email protected].

By Matt Crowley

Business

They’ve done mistakes that you don’t need to make.“ “

No matter what business you are doing, someone else is doing it.

“ “

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Business

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Student Life

YEAR END TAX PLANNINGBy Sally Au

Education, tuition, and textbook tax credits - Claimable if attending post-secondary school.

Scholarships and other amounts - Any scholarship, fellowship, or bursary received for attending an educational program that entitles you to the education credit above is deducted from your income.

Unused and unclaimed tax credits - Any unused education, tuition or textbook tax credits are transferable to your spouse, parent, or grandparent and can be carried forward indefinitely. Unclaimed student loan interests can be carried forward for up to 5 years.

Moving Expenses - deductible if you moved to attend school or moved from school to work or home.

Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) - Up to $10,000 in a calendar year and $20,000 in total may be withdrawn tax-free from your RRSP to finance full-time training or education for yourself, your spouse, or your common-law partner.

Public transit pass tax credit - Non-refundable tax credit claimable for the cost of public transit passes.

Income deferral - If you think your marginal personal tax rate will be lower in 2012 than 2011, receipt of certain employment income can be deferred

Job-related courses - Ask your employer to pay for job-related courses directly, rather than paying you additional remuneration.

Employee gifts and awards - Ask your employer to provide you with non-cash gifts or awards. Gifts and awards in value of $500 or less will not be taxed.

Company Car - Reduce your operating cost benefit by reimbursing some of or your entire personal use portion, and reducing your personal driving to under 50% of total.

Reduce your standby charge benefit by reducing the number of days the car is available to you, choosing a less expensive vehicle, and not using the vehicle for personal driving.

*Reference: www.pwc.com/en_CA/ca/tax/publications/year-end-tax-planner-2011-en.pdf

It’s never too late to start planning for your tax-es. We’ve gathered some possible tax deduction points for students or employees to help you out! As the deadlines to submit various tax credits start in December, it’s good to plan ahead and see what you can deduct from your income to minimize your taxes for the year.

DEC 15: Final quarter instalment of tax due: for individualsDEC 31: Final payment date for a 2011 tax deduction or credit: -Alimony and maintenance payments -Charitable donations -Child care, and child fitness and non-fitness expense -Employees’ legal fees to collect unpaid remuneration -Interest (for paid-basis taxpayers) -Medical expenses -Moving expenses (of individuals) -Political contributions -Tuition fees and interest on student loans -Employer-provided automobile -Employees should notify employers if alternative operating cost benefit calculation is advantageous (business use > 50%) -Last day to make payments to employer to reduce standby charge

SOME TAX DEADLINES FOR DECEMBER

CHECKLIST FOR STUDENTS CHECKLIST FOR EMPLOYEES

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Arts & Sports

Make the Holiday Season Brighterby: Bonnie Truong

Metropolis Edmonton International Winter FestivalA new, hot event for Edmonton this year! Beginning with the New Year’s Eve celebration at Sir Winston Churchill Square, this huge winter festival showcases 6 unique pavilions containing vari-eties of activities along with live entertainment and more! It’s definitely something worth looking forward too!

When: December 31, and every weekend through Family Day weekend.

It’s that time of the year again and everyone is talking about it, the season of endless white, red and green. Christmas is an occasion for love, holiday cheer, and spending quality time with your loved ones - and what better a way to do so than to go enjoy them all at the same time? Some upcoming events for those who have no plans for the holidays yet, here are some ideas to check out and have fun!

Festival of Trees Come to one of the biggest annual events at the Shaw Conference Center, with spectacular displays of Christmas trees, unique gingerbread houses and cakes, as well as family fun on December 1-4. All proceeds go towards the purchase of the “O-arm” CT scanner system at the Head and Neck Cancers surgery program at the University of Alberta Hospital. Volunteer opportunities are also available each year.-Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.-Date: December 1 to 3.-Tickets at the doors only: Adult $7, Seniors (age 65 +) and Youths (age 13-17) $3, Children (age 2 -12) $2, Infants (age 0-2) free.

Candy Cane LaneEveryone has heard of the street that lights up the cold, wintery night in December and January. Located at 148 street between 100 and 92 avenue, this brilliant array of colours, dancing snowmen and reindeers is a definite crowd pleaser. Sleigh rides are also offered if anyone wants to go all out! This event is free but sleigh rides will cost adults: $14, seniors (age 65+)/ youths (age 13-19) $12, children (up to age 12) $8. Make sure to come early before the Christmas weekend to avoid congestion. Also, food donations are welcome to the food bank!

The Edmonton Singing Christmas TreeThe 42nd annual Singing Christmas tree with Ruben Studdard is coming! At the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium (11455 – 87 avenue), this is an event no one will want to miss! The singing Christmas tree gets its name from the 150 carollers singing in a 35 foot tree accompanied by a live orchestra. Be prepared for a musical night filled with plenty of glittering ornaments and dancing Santas. All proceeds go towards 630 CHED Santas Anonymous - the goal for this year is to raise over $50,000! On December 16, the event starts at 7 pm, December 17 and 18 begins at 3 pm and 7 pm. Get involved by volunteering or display your talents by performing with them on stage!Time: December 16th (7pm), 17th and 18th (3pm and 7pm)When: December 16, 17, and 18.Price: Through Ticketmaster, $15-$55 (group discount of 10% for 30 members, or more)

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Business

Youth Emergency Shelter Society (YESS)

While Canada has some of the highest living standards in the world, there are still many youth in crisis. Between the ages of 15-21, a crucial time in an individual’s life for developing an identity and maturing into an adult, there are few support resources avail-able to them if they have no one to turn to. In these situations, it is common for youth to end up in the streets and get involved with drugs and prostitution, while letting their education slip away or disappear altogether. Opening up its doors in 1982 at their Whyte Avenue Building, the Youth Emergency Shelter Society (YESS) provides shelter, safety, food, and hope to homeless and at-risk youth. Lazy Faire recently caught up with Emily Ke-ating from the organization to discuss what YESS provides, its relations with the School of Business, and the importance of volunteering and giving back to the community.

Lazy Faire: What is YESS? Emily Keating: The Youth Emergency Shelter Soci-ety is an Edmonton non-profit organization. What we do is provide a full continuum of residential and non-residential services for teens that are between the ages of 15 and 21, who are either already home-less or at risk of becoming homeless.

LF: How has your relationship with the School of Business been?EK: It’s been amazing. On one hand, there are the funds they have raised for us, especially Recycle for Youth, which definitely adds up. You guys are ac-tually, I believe, in the top 10 contributors for the recycling program. The Five Days for the Home-less is always a huge success as well, both mone-tarily, which is something we are always in need of, as well as in raising awareness. It works wonders! The fact that these youth- aged university kids are willing to spend that much time outside in the cold, in the middle of classes and exams, and whatever is happening in their own lives - to take that time and put themselves in someone else’s shoes is fantastic.

LF: How often do you have people who come in and use your services and end up attending university? What kind of things do you do to help them reach their goal? EK: There are a number of things that we can do to help some-

one. We have had three in the past year start post-secondary in September. One thing that we can do is to get them back into school if they stopped going, because if things start going bad at home, a lot of kids don’t know how to explain why they haven’t been there for two weeks. Some kids fall so far behind trying to deal with things at home.

We had a young girl whose parents expected her to care for her five younger siblings; she was expected to stay home and was ab-sent for months at a time. That is something that can be very

difficult to recover from; we make sure that they know about our outreach high school services that they can access. We tutor them to get them up to speed so they can succeed when they go back to school, we help some with their enrollment process, and are the ones to explain to the school why their parents can’t sign the en-rollment forms. While they are here, we have longer-term pro-grams where they can live for months or years at a time - they have their own rooms, stability, and are not distracted from school by wonder-ing where they’re going to be getting their next meal from, or where they’ll be sleeping that night. It makes a big difference to them. We can help some with their post-secondary appli-cations as well, which is the last step after they graduate, to make sure they have all the pieces they need.

LF: What can students get out of volunteer-ing for YESS?

EK: It’s a really good way to meet people from around the commu-nity. For certain programs, such as medicine or law, there are strict review processes, many of which, will look at volunteer experience. If you volunteer for us, we would be happy to provide a letter of reference. Our volunteer coordinator, Michelle, is very good with that. It’s also a reward in and of itself, especially if you are a youth support volunteer. Even if they just get out to an event to help out or if they organize their own event, I think it’s spiritually very fulfill-ing for people to know they are giving back to their community and having a positive influence.

by Paul Lopushinsky

YESS is located on 9310 82 (Whyte) Avenue, and can be contacted at 780-468-7070. They are found on the web at www.yess.org. If you would like to learn more about their services, or wish

to volunteer, be sure to contact them!

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Business

Countdown: What You Need to Do Before the World EndsBy Eileen Lee

According to many “experts”, December 21st, 2012 marks the be-ginning of the end. There are many interesting theories pertaining to this date, some sounding plausible while others, frankly speaking, com-ing off like excerpts from a science fiction novel. The most popular theory comes from the Mayan calendar, with December 12th marking the last day of civilization. However, other theories include Planet X crashing into Earth, the Rapture, zombie apocalypse, alien invasion, or even predictions from supposed demonically possessed people, such as Mother Shipton or Nostradamus. Whether or not you buy into all the hype, we ask you: What would you do if you knew you only had one more year? What is on your bucket list? How will you live your final year on Earth with no regrets?

Trying something new every monthIt may not sound overly ambitious, considering the situation, but baby steps are the key to consistency. Trying something new, wheth-er minor (a new hobby) or major (sky diving, anyone?), will help you break out of your regular routine. You might discover something you never even considered before. For myself, this month’s new “thing” is going to be durian-flavoured ice cream. (Note: It’s a spiky fruit with a smell akin to garbage. Who’s hungry?)

Go on a tripDiscovering a new place is always a great experience. Whether you’re going by yourself or with some friends, a change in atmo-sphere is always refreshing. You don’t have to go to another country to discover something new, sometimes the coolest places are right within your vicinity!

Do something that scares youConquering your fears is always the best way to open yourself up to newfound opportunities. It can really be anything, like entering a speech competition or flame eating, or both…at.the.same.time! Whatever it is, slowly work your way out of your comfort zone.

Not only are these my ways to live with no regrets, but they’re also ways to discover and take advantage of every opportunity present-ed before me. Whether 2012 is the end or not, I know that my life will have been at least a little more vibrant and interesting because so.

Live positively, smile, and help whenever you can

December 21st

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Academics

Manitoba International Marketing Competition

On January 5, five Alberta School of Business students, Kristi, Jennifer, Regina, Ahmed and Spencer win first place and the Walter Good Cup at the 29th annual Manitoba International

Marketing Competition.

JDC West

In January, at JDC West 2011 in Saskatoon, SK, the Alberta School of Business students win six trophies and finish second overall in academics. The Human Resources team (Shree Go-vindarajan, Dan Haberstock and Colin Brenneis) wins 1st place, the Finance, International Business and Accounting team take second, and the Debate and Management Information Sys-

tems teams earn 3rd place honours.

EDGE

The Alberta School of Business hosted the inaugural EDGE Business Competition on the weekend of January 28-30, featur-ing 17 teams of top business students from across Canada. The team, consisting of Michael Fok, Sunny Yang, Annie Nguyen, Samaar Haider and Rayhaan Nazarali,

placed first in the competition.

Rotman International Trading Competition

Out of 50 teams of BCom and MBA students from 46 universities around the world, the Alberta team composed of Sean McGreal, Michael Lar-son, Philip Wong and Michael Barth finishes 7th at the Rotman International Trading Competition (RITC) hosted by the University of Toronto from Feb. 17-19. This is the 3rd consecutive year that the Alberta School of Business has finished as the top Canadian Undergraduate School in the

competition.

CFA Institute’s Global Investment Research Challenge (GIRC)

A team of PRIME students (Dan Everall, Geoff Graae, Bryan Harris, Mike Larson, and Mark Van Thournout) becomes the Canadian Prairies Regional Champions at the CFA Institute’s Global Investment Re-

search Challenge (GIRC) on March 5th.

As another year draws to an end, there comes the opportunity to reflect. 2011 was a momentous year full of achievements and milestones within the School of Business. Students, you have much to be proud of!

A Year in Review at the School of Business

January February

By Kirsten LePage

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Academics

2011 John Molson Undergraduate Case Competition (JMUCC)

Alberta BCom students Ena Cimic, Kris Simard, Mark Neufeld and Lindsey Hornland win first

place!

UAMA Marketing Case Competition

Paige Goueffic, Mehak Malhotra, and Amanda Sawatzky win the first annual UAMA Case Com-

petition.

Excalibur Tournament in Human Resources

On March 18-19 in Montreal, Natasha Weisner, Ami Price-Gagnon, Paul Nakonechny, and alternate Victoria Barry par-ticipated in the annual Excalibur Tournament in Human Re-sources. The team was selected as one of the finalists in this

year’s tournament.

Canada’s Next Top Exec 2011

After their campaign proposal at the Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec competition, hosted by McMaster University, Michael Holmes and Maya Cieszynska win the

grand prize: two Chevrolet Sonics!

ALBERTA. Always has been. Always will be.

The Preservation of the Name Campaign is a success and the Alberta School of Business un-veils its new Founders’ Wall in July. The Faculty also bids fare-well to Mike Percy as he steps down after 14 years as Dean of the Alberta School of Business.

Alberta Energy Challenge (AEC)

In its second year, the Alberta Energy Challenge awarded first place to Hus-sein Allidina, Mark Van Thournout, Chris McLeod, and Matt Murphy, and third place to Brett Miller, Anthony Stielow, Derrick Stielow and Will Weizenbach. Running from September 29 to October 2, AEC welcomed students from across Canada, from Oklahoma, Penn State, and the University of California Berkeley.

March July September

By Kirsten LePage

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Business

By Lance ChungFor years, the West Edmonton Mall (WEM) has been at the forefront of retail destinations in North America, perhaps even the world. “The Great-est Indoor Show on Earth”, WEM has proven to be a cul-tural wonderland of

sorts, providing consumers with a diverse range of experi-ences to indulge in. With an impressive roster of enter-tainment facilities, ten world-class attractions, two hotels, a hundred dining venues, and over 800 retailors, this local business is a force to be reckoned with. We sat down with Anna Alfonso, senior manager of marketing, to discuss WEM’s offerings and the changing retail landscape.

Lazy Faire: Can you explain the scope of your responsibilities?Anna Alfonso: I’m the senior manager of marketing, which covers mall as well as hotel marketing. Our marketing department is multi-faceted, in terms of the structure. We have retail marketing, which is where you see the fashion focus and category campaigns (beauty ten-ants, shoe tenants, destination campaigns, etc.) Our job as destina-tion marketers is to educate consumers on what’s available in the mall. With events, one of our goals is to be a celebrity destination in Canada and North America. Most recently we had Selena Gomez here, which drew in about 10,000 people - and she didn’t even perform, it was purely an autograph session! Our goal is to really be that celebrity destination and create that fan experience. Then we also have our at-tractions. With the addition of our ropes course, we now have 10 at-tractions, and our responsibility is to market them properly and make sure that they’re busy. Tourism also falls under our marketing umbrella. We have a tourism marketing specialist, and fall primarily under what is called the “Rubber Tire” market, which applies to anyone within a 2-8 hour drive from Edmonton. Those are our #1 markets.

LF: How is WEM trying to position and market itself?AA: It really depends on the audience, but when you walk around the shopping center, you see this great equation of stores that help to reinforce the mall as a true shopping destination. Ultimately, when people leave the shopping centre, we want them to leave with a posi-

tive story, which can be done through the shopping experience, the fan experience, and more.

LF: Has the target audience changed over the years? AA: I think consumers change, but really, people’s intentions stay the same. You have the intention to shop, travel, spend time with family, and try new indoor adventures. What changes is the climate that we live in. I think with the recession, what changed was that people started to look a lot for value, and that value equation is what’s important today. It’s like that, “price plus what” mentality. People aren’t only look-ing for something that’s inexpensive, but also the convenience and quality of it, that little extra something that will make them purchase a product.

LF: It is interesting how the mall originally took inspiration from the Persian bazaars when it was first being built. It seems like WEM is more a cultural destination and experience of sorts, rather than just a big box with a bunch of stores.AA: We hold many different experiences in the mall. For example, for Chinese New Year, we have a whole weekend where we host a trade show in the Ice Palace with dancing and other cultural activities. It is that place where you can experience really anything!

LF: It seems that the other major malls in Edmonton are trying to rebrand themselves as retail destinations for consumers to indulge in. How does WEM stay competitive?AA: Again, the underlying factor is that consumers want something more. That word “more” is always in the mentality of consumers pur-chasing something. For us, our competitive edge is that we offer more. That’s just the difference between us and other shopping centres. Not only do we have retailers, but also exclusive retailers (like Anthropolo-gie and Scotch & Soda), as well as other experiences – family experi-ences, dining destinations, etc. And so, that answers the question that consumers have of “who has more” – we do.

LF: There has also been a large influx of popular American re-tailers introduced in the mall. WEM seems to be at the forefront of introducing these great brands to the Canadian audience, with stores such as Victoria’s Secret and Abercrombie & Fitch. How are you able to land such exclusives within the Canadian market?AA: From a marketing perspective, in terms of new stores that are coming in, American retailers come here specifically to Edmonton, over Toronto and Vancouver, because they experience success here. It’s a great way for them to come into the marketplace. The sheer amountof traffic and exposure that these brands get here, they wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else. We, as a marketing team, take that and always try to amplify it - working with these retailers to create

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT:

17

Business

events and using our marketing platforms to ensure that everyone is coming here. It’s this combination of aspects that retailers won’t be able to get anywhere else.

LF: It seems that you are also trying to expand on live entertain-ment, with artists such as Keith Urban and Selena Gomez having made appearances. Is the mall trying to diversify even more?AA: We definitely are. That whole fan experience comes with a con-nection to celebrity. We’ve been successful in executing these kinds of events by working with record labels and other organizations to bring them here. Generating a crowd of 15,000 for artists like Keith Urban encourages them even more to come and perform for our audience. It’s been a very positive experience and we would love to have more celebrities.

LF: Our theme this issue is “Celebration”. WEM has much to celebrate with its successes and outstanding reputation.AA: We love to celebrate, and we’re lucky that we can do it. But also, we work for it. We make sure that everything is executed properly and that our retailers, especially our new and exclusive ones, are supported. Last week we did a fall fashion segment with CTV and included Scotch & Soda, which is one of our newest ten-ants. We want to be able to in-clude all our exclusive retailers because those are our points of distinction. They are our competitive edge with other shopping centres.

LF: WEM is the largest mall in North America, and at one point, was the largest in the world. Does this come into play when mar-keting the mall?AA: I think that when you’re using these superlatives, they’re interest-ing points for people to know. Certainly, when we’re marketing our-selves to the tourism industry, we add all of these “Did You Know” facts because they’re interesting, true things about us that no one else can really say.

LF: We’ve heard that the amount of traffic the mall receives dur-ing the holiday season could qualify it as one of Alberta’s largest cities, if it were one?AA: Oh, definitely. If you think of just the number of employees working in the shopping centre, it’s like a small city. From a market-ing point of view, we always need to think of that. We need to market internally, as well, to all of our tenants about everything we’re doing so that they, in turn, can talk about what we’re doing. So that whole idea of being a city definitely plays a role in how we communicate to our tenants.

LF: It’s cool because, with this integrative aspect, you’re working as a community with the tenants internally, as well as consumers externally. AA: Yes absolutely. It’s really important for us to build local relation-ships and to be involved in events in the community. We want to be able to do that. With partnerships, again, we provide a different au-dience, which is why it also worked for events like Western Canada Fashion Week, because we provided these up and coming designers with a different audience from what they were used to. Their ultimate goal is to be here, to be selling their clothes here, so it was a different way of marketing themselves.

LF: What do consumers have to look forward to from the mall during the holidays, in regards to their experience at the mall?AA: Santa’s coming! We also have a holiday service centre where

people can come in and wrap their gifts, as well as two “Moonlight Madnesses”, which is where we’re open until 11pm. Our holiday gift guide will also be out, which will be distrib-uted in the Metro and VueWeekly, as well as the mall. We’re also do-ing a fashion show with the Bay to promote their new brands!

LF: As a leader in the business community, WEM also gives back

through various initiatives. Can you elaborate on this? Why is this important?AA: We support a lot of various charities within the community. It’s really important for us to be supporting our community – so we con-tribute not only dollars, but also experiences, to various communities. After the Slave Lake fires, we had a free day at Galaxy Land for all of the evacuees because they were all here. As a leader in the commu-nity, it’s a very important part of who we are because that’s who’s here.

LF: What do consumers have to look forward to in the future with WEM?AA: We’re always just trying to up the anté and do better than what we’ve done before, always learning.

LF: If you could give any advice to our business students, what would it be?AA: My advice would be to always be true to yourself. In marketing, who you are is what people will believe. You can say all these market-ing terms, but if you’re leading a team, you have to make sure that this aspect comes through. My advice is to be true, be honest, and be authentic!

For additional content with Anna, check out www.lazyfairemagazine.blogspot.com!

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Business

There have been many new posters up in the business building regarding something called iDeal Campus. We sat down with the two co-founders of the company, Alan Hu and Sasha Yelisyeyev, to learn more about the business, and how to be an entrepreneur in university.

Lazy Faire: When and how did this all start?Alan Hu: It started back in early April. I’d always been interested in Groupon ever since it came to Edmonton. I was looking at doing something like it because I thought, “How hard could it be to market businesses to people, and to get deals from those businesses to give to consumers?” That idea evolved into iDeal Campus. At that point, though, I knew I couldn’t do it all on my own, so I called up Sasha.Sasha Yelisyeyev: For me it was around March and it hit me that I needed a job. I was looking at opening up a business and had prepared for it, but it all fell through. At that point I applied to 30 jobs in one night and I was sitting and waiting for something to come up. Alan called me and asked, “How is the business going?” Well it wasn’t going. From then on I was a part of iDeal Campus.

LF: What challenges were there in starting a business?SY: Pretty much everything. It’s easy to say that you want to open up a business, but hard to do everything involved in it. There are so many things to consider. Do we need a business card? Do we need a new phone line? How do we do market research? Who are our consumers? How do we reach them? We are so fresh in all of this, and are just in university. There is nobody out there who just tells you exactly what to do and how to do it.

AH: One of the hardest things was that we were two guys getting into the tech. industry that had no idea what to do.

SY: Exactly. I am a finance major and Alan is an accounting major, and we didn’t have lots of that experience in technology at all. The thing is that everyone thinks you need a lot of connections and money to start a business, but that is really not the case. When the idea is intriguing enough you will get people interested.

Alan & Sasha

LF: Explain to us exactly what iDeal Campus is. What do you guys do?AH: Basically, we talked to local merchants around campus at places that students go to all the time. These are the businesses that really want to market themselves to students. We try to secure great deals from the merchants that we can then offer to our subscribers. The discounts are usually pretty huge too: Over fifty percent off.

Our discounts are usually pretty huge too: over fifty percent off“ “

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Business

of working all the time.

AH: It’s the same for me. There is always something on your plate you need to get done. I have iDeal Campus, five courses, two clubs, and I am in The Manitoba International Marketing Competition. With all of that combined, I am in the same spot as Sasha. You have to learn to sacrifice your social life, hobbies and free time. What is good about this is that we’re so used to being busy all the time that when we do need to work almost a week straight, we are able to do that. It is going to help in the future.

SY: On top of that, we are doing Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec, and al-most every business competition that we can do. We are pretty much doing everything. We can take lots of stress and little sleep, and still function properly. I did a prep course this weekend with only eleven hours of sleep in three days. I took nine hours of learning excel finan-cial modeling in a day, and I did that for two days.

LF: Sounds horrible.SY: Just a bit. We get used to it.

LF: Finally, if you could have one superpower what would it be?SY: To not sleep. So I could keep going.

AH: Teleportation. I could cut back on wasted time from bussing and driving.

SY: Our role in the company is everything. Both of us talk to busi-nesses and answer phones and emails. We write the deals and we fea-ture the deals. We do have a website guy who does some of that work, but other than that, iDeal Campus is all us.

LF: How do you go about getting deals? Is it hard to con-vince company’s to work with you?AH: We had two different approaches from the start. The first thing we did was we found full lists of Whyte ave. and Jasper ave. busi-nesses, and businesses close to the campus. We would email them a big “journal” email about what we wanted to do. That approach was not very successful. After that, we just went out to the places on our list in person. We pitched to the managers exactly who we were and what we were trying to do, and that worked a lot better.

SY: We actually went through some friends and their families, as well. It didn’t work so well, but one of our friend’s friends had worked in the bar industry for a while, so we were able to use him to get our foot in the door at some places. It worked pretty well, but it was still very hard to start attracting businesses. We are university students. We had little experience and few stats to back what we were doing. Lots of the places didn’t want to make the deals right away because we didn’t have the track record of businesses that we have now.

LF: Any holiday deals coming up? What kinds of gifts can business students go out and buy?SY: We have some ideas in mind for the holidays. Our best idea is to take a little break from iDeal, but our other idea is pretty much the opposite. We are thinking of, “Twelve Days of Deals.” As far as specific deals, we usually come up with concepts about a week before, so it is hard to say. Sometimes it is literally 3 hours before the deal is supposed to go up and we somehow work a deal out.

LF: How hard is it to keep up the business now that sum-mer is over, and how does it affect your life as a business student?SY: Basically, we don’t have any extra time. We’ve cut down on our sleep quite a bit since school started. Time management techniques have been pretty helpful, though. Lots of times I am getting my homework done on the way to or back from school. I don’t waste time because I don’t have any time. It is hard to juggle everything and, re-ally, if it was possible to have negative spare time, we have that. It is kind of a good thing, though, because we are getting into the routine

To view the Student Spotlight interview video, scan the barcode with your smartphone app!

Lazy Faire’s One-on-One with:

By Braden Lauer

Alan & Sasha

Our discounts are usually pretty huge too: over fifty percent off

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