Lazy Faire December 2011

For Business Students, by Business Students

December 2011

LAZY FAIRE the

SoB A Year in Review

ANNA ALFONSO

Christmas in Edmonton!

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One. Year.

Left!

WEM’s Visionary

the 2011

GIFT GUIDE!

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Editor’s Note

Editor’s Note Karolina Zheng Editor-in-Chief kzheng2@ualberta.ca Lance Chung Content Editor lance1@ualberta.ca Ryan Jayatunge Design Editor rjayatun@ualberta.ca

It’s that time of year again! With final exams, assignments, 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 being 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!” – because, 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 student 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 issue, 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 Team Content

Bonnie Truong - Senior Contributor Braden Lauer - Senior Contributor Breanne Pisani - Senior Contributor Eileen Lee - Senior Contributor Kristen LePage - Senior Contributor Matt Crowley - Senior Contributor

Paul Lopushinsky - Senior Contributor

Sally Au - Senior Contributor & Creative Director

Design

Emily Wong - Creative Director Jeff Mah - Photographer & Creative Director Jenny Troung - Creative Director Matthew Alexander - Creative Director Nitasha Happy - Creative Director Shirley Guo - Creative Director Tony Chiang - Creative Director

- Lazy Faire Editors

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December Table of Contents

Academics

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Arts & Sports Business

Student Life

CALENDAR

A YEAR IN REVIEW: BUSINESS FACULTY

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HOLIDAY EVENTS AROUND TOWN

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EBAY EXPORTER

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CANADA’S NEXT TOP AD EXEC

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EDMONTON YOUTH EMERGENCY SHELTER SOCIETY

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

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COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: WEST EDMONTON MALL

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: iDEAL CAMPUS

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TOYS A CULTURAL HISTORY OF POPULAR PLAYTHINGS

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TAX DEDUCTION PLANNING

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Calendar

Happy Holidays

Com i Jan ng up uar y... in

Jan 9-1 2-7th 9-2 7th B BEA W SA 7th ee BFA Wint k of W e Moc er B ook lcome kF sa ina nce le Inte rvie ws

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BEA Ski Trip

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Saturday

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BEA Nation 2 Nation Finale

BEA Ski Trip

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BSA Christmas in Business

Weekly Toastmasters Meeting

BSA Anti-Burnout

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Student Life

TOYS

By Breanne Pisani

----A Cultural History of Popular Playthings

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 6

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children, the holidays were, and continue to be, one of the most exciting times of the year. Undoubtedly, the most frequently asked question was, “What did you ask Santa for Christmas?” 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 enjoyment even today! What’s on your Christmas list this year?

Business

The Stachyruks:

Canada’s Largest Consignment Exporters

By Matt Crowley

Imagine trying to sell 10,000 items of unrelated inventory, cash - no headaches, just simple cash. But organizing a busiranging from accordions to DJ mixers to DVD players to ness of this complexity requires a lot of diligent systemizing, downhill skis. Now, try shipping it across 6 continents… 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 Over the past 2 years, Edmontonians Jon and Andrea it, tweak it, change it, as your business grows.”

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 Stachyruk’s mentor, Larry Yakiwczuk, an Alberta School of business with an inventory-heavy balance sheet, relying deep- Business MBA speaker (and derivatives dealer), once told him ly on turnover to capture the margin as quickly as possible. to, “Work with someone who has already been there and done With the consignment eBay business, Jon and Andrea have that. They’ve made mistakes that you don’t need to make. And turned this model on its head. “I don’t need to be out thou- when they tell you something, you listen!” It is with Yakiwczuk’s sands of dollars for inventory. People bring their stuff to us. wisdom that Kurycats Emporium has grown in pace as its cash We don’t need to advertise. We have four main consigners flow, not ego, says you can grow. With over $1.4 million acfor everything from sports equipment to medical supplies”, he tively for sale on eBay, Stachyruk has no plans of slowing down, mentions.

“We are planning a whole new kind of flea market. One with a central buying location so you can shop anywhere in the wareAnd they aren’t kidding - their southwest Edmonton warehouse house without having to pay each and every vendor.” is practically bursting at the seams with floor-to-ceiling boxes.

Amazingly, however, it all seems to be organized – an aspect We asked if he had any advice for students looking to start that is sure to be a prerequisite for such a business. Each item their own businesses, “No matter what business you are dohas been tagged with a serial number, carefully photographed, ing, someone else is doing it. Go to the person who is best at described for online sale, and is boxed and ready for shipment what you want to do and learn from them. Some people will be the moment it is sold online. On the demand side, eBay cur- greedy, but many others love to share what they have learned rently receives 3 to 4 million visitors per day, helping buyers and are happy to mentor you. The great thing about this busiacross the globe buy Stachyruk’s products. 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.”

“

“

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

To get in touch with Jon to discuss his eBay business (and opportunities to learn how to sell your own stuff online), you He’s located a valuable niche in the goods-resale business, can reach him at info@ where people who are sick of their junk piling up in their homes KuryCats.com. can turn dust bunnies into no-hassle cash. It’s consignment to

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

Business

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Student Life

YEAR END TAX PLANNING

By Sally Au

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OME TAX DEADLINES FOR DECEMBER

DEC 15: Final quarter instalment of tax due: for individuals DEC 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

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HECKLIST FOR STUDENTS

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.

It ’s never too late to start planning for your taxes. 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.

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HECKLIST FOR EMPLOYEES

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 jobrelated 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-taxplanner-2011-en.pdf

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Arts & Sports

Make the Holiday Season Brighter

by: Bonnie Truong

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.

The Edmonton Singing Christmas Tree

The 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)

Candy Cane Lane Everyone 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!

Metropolis Edmonton International Winter Festival A 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 varieties 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.

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Business

Youth Emergency Shelter Society (YESS)

by Paul Lopushinsky

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 available 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 Keating 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 Society 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 homeless 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 actually, I believe, in the top 10 contributors for the recycling program. The Five Days for the Homeless is always a huge success as well, both monetarily, 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 absent 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 enrollment forms.

While they are here, we have longer-term programs where they can live for months or years at a time - they have their own rooms, stability, and are not distracted from school by wondering 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 applications 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 volunteering for YESS? EK: It’s a really good way to meet people from around the community. 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 fulfilling for people to know they are giving back to their community and having a positive influence.

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 Ends

By Eileen Lee

A

ccording to many “experts”, December 21st, 2012 marks the beginning of the end. There are many interesting theories pertaining to this date, some sounding plausible while others, frankly speaking, coming 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 month

It may not sound overly ambitious, considering the situation, but baby steps are the key to consistency. Trying something new, whether 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 trip

Discovering a new place is always a great experience. Whether you’re going by yourself or with some friends, a change in atmosphere 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 you

Conquering 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.

Live positively, smile, and help whenever you can Not only are these my ways to live with no regrets, but they’re also ways to discover and take advantage of every opportunity presented 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.

December 21st 13

Academics

A Year in Review at the School of Business

By Kirsten LePage

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!

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.

CFA Institute’s Global Investment Research Challenge (GIRC) EDGE

The Alberta School of Business hosted the inaugural EDGE Business Competition on the weekend of January 28-30, featuring 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.

January 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 Govindarajan, Dan Haberstock and Colin Brenneis) wins 1st place, the Finance, International Business and Accounting team take second, and the Debate and Management Information Systems teams earn 3rd place honours.

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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 Research Challenge (GIRC) on March 5th.

February 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 Larson, 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.

Academics

2011 John Molson Undergraduate Case Competition (JMUCC) Alberta Energy Challenge (AEC)

Canada’s Next Top Exec 2011 Alberta BCom students Ena Cimic, Kris Simard, Mark Neufeld and Lindsey Hornland win first place!

UAMA Marketing Case Competition

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!

Paige Goueffic, Mehak Malhotra, and Amanda Sawatzky win the first annual UAMA Case Competition.

March

September

July

ALBERTA. Always has been. Always will be.

Excalibur Tournament in Human Resources

On March 18-19 in Montreal, Natasha Weisner, Ami PriceGagnon, Paul Nakonechny, and alternate Victoria Barry participated in the annual Excalibur Tournament in Human Resources. The team was selected as one of the finalists in this year’s tournament.

In its second year, the Alberta Energy Challenge awarded first place to Hussein 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.

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

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Business

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT:

By Lance Chung For years, the West Edmonton Mall (WEM) has been at the forefront of retail destinations in North America, perhaps even the world. “The Greatest Indoor Show on Earth”, WEM has proven to be a cultural wonderland of sorts, providing consumers with a diverse range of experiences to indulge in. With an impressive roster of entertainment 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.

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

Lazy Faire: Can you explain the scope of your responsibilities?

Anna Alfonso: I’m the senior manager of marketing, which covers

LF: It seems that the other major malls in Edmonton are trying to

mall as well as hotel marketing. Our marketing department is multifaceted, in terms of the structure. We have retail marketing, which is where you see the fashion focus and category campaigns (beauty tenants, shoe tenants, destination campaigns, etc.) Our job as destination 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 attractions. With the addition of our ropes course, we now have 10 attractions, 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 posi16

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 looking 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! 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 purchasing 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 Anthropologie and Scotch & Soda), as well as other experiences – family experiences, 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

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 connection 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 tenants. We want to be able to include 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 marketing the mall?

AA: I think that when you’re using these superlatives, they’re interesting points for people to know. Certainly, when we’re marketing ourselves 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 marketing 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 relationships and to be involved in events in the community. We want to be able to do that. With partnerships, again, we provide a different audience, 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 distributed in the Metro and VueWeekly, as well as the mall. We’re also doing 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 contribute 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 community, 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 marketing 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

Alan & Sasha

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.

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.

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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.

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Lazy Faire: When and how did this all start?

Alan Hu: It started back in early April. I’d always been interested

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

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.

Business

Lazy Faire’s One-on-One with:

By Braden Lauer SY: Our role in the company is everything. Both of us talk to busi- of working all the time. nesses and answer phones and emails. We write the deals and we feature 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 convince 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. businesses, 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.

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 financial 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.

LF: Any holiday deals coming up? What kinds of gifts can business students go out and buy?

AH: Teleportation. I could cut back on wasted time from bussing SY: We have some ideas in mind for the holidays. Our best idea is and driving. 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.

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

LF: How hard is it to keep up the business now that summer 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, really, 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

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