Wright Brothers | Photo by Olha Zuban | The Wright State Guardian
The Wright State University (WSU) American Marketing Association (AMA) and Marketing Club will be hosting the 10th Annual Wright Brothers Day virtually this year, as students and faculty continue to overcome challenges brought on by the coronavirus.
Held on Oct. 5 in WSU’s Student Union since 2010, this marks the first year that events and activities are scheduled to be held completely online.
“Wright Brothers Day is an event set up by the American Marketing Association at WSU that celebrates the Wright Brothers and their flight on Huffman Prairie on Oct. 5,1905. We believe celebrating this amazing achievement by the Wright Brothers is extremely important not only as a whole but especially for Wright State due to their strong influence at our school,” Said Abby Graeter, VP of Social Media and Graphic Design for AMA.
Adapt and Overcome
Challenges brought on by the coronavirus forced those involved to harness their own innovative spirit by creating an interactive experience for attendees while remaining fully online.
“Due to the coronavirus, we have had to get crafty on what we are able to do,” Graeter said.
“We have set up a virtual Instagram event that will allow students to post on their stores or feeds creative photos showcasing Wright Brothers Day with the hashtag, #WrightBrothersDay, and we will be giving away 12 Wright State shirts to the top 12 most creative posts.”
In addition to an Instagram event, the AMA will be presenting students and those in attendance with informative videos about the Wright Brothers and their innovations, and extra credit opportunities are available for students taking certain courses at the university.
Extra credit opportunities
“We will be sending out quizzes that will offer extra credit to some classes depending on the professor. Once students take this quiz, they will also be entered automatically into a raffle that will randomly select people to win a variety of prizes such as a speedway gift card,” Graeter said.
Hopes for this year
The Marketing Club at WSU has a new President this fall, Andrew Smith, and he is excited to be a part of his first Wright Brothers Day, albeit online.
“This is my first swing at Wright Brothers Day since becoming Marketing Club President, and while we had to overcome some challenges for sure, I believe the experience will still be informational and fun for those who join on Oct. 5,” Smith said.
Smith is hopeful that even with the event being held entirely online, the turnout will still be substantial, as it has been in previous years.
“In previous years we have had tremendous turnouts to this event, so I really hope that this year is similar. It’s been a learning experience for many of us and we want to make sure we put on the best event possible for those joining us,” Smith said.
For students and those in the community wishing to join in on Wright Brothers Day festivities on Oct. 5, visit https://www.wright.edu/event/wright-brothers-day
Future events put on by AMA may be found on social media platforms @AMAwsu and on the WSU event page.
