The teams rolled into Winston-Salem today at noon, decked out in school colors and full of nervous energy. As they transitioned to the school for their check-in and initial debriefing, there were lots of introductions as they cordially sized each other up.

The teams and Marketing Summit participants had quite a busy Kick-Off day here at WFU. Instead of the traditional boardroom debrief, the teams were driven out to a “secret location,” otherwise known as the FedEx Ground Hub right here in Kernersville. Teams toured the facility with FedEx plant managers, dodging the trams full of packages that whizzed by every so often.  Some teams took in the tour casually, others scribbled furiously in their notebooks, careful not to miss a word.

Post-tour, the teams and event coordinators refueled, partaking in one of our areas finest traditions, Lexington style barbeque.  Next came the main event—the ceremonial team introductions and delivery of the Case!

Dean of the Schools of Business, Steve Reinemund, opened the event after some introductory remarks and celebrated the teams for getting to this point, emphasizing the highly competitive selection process and the achievement inherent in their presence.

Donald Comer, both of FedEx, the Marketing Summit case sponsor, took the podium to welcome the teams and impress upon them the importance of the case to the company’s current situation.

With the team introductions came the first palpable taste of competition.  The undergraduate teams jousted, each trying to outdo the other with their school chants and fights songs as they were introduced.

The MBA teams introduced themselves with team videos humorously championing their abilities and past accomplishments.  They are too entertaining to spoil here.  All are advised to check them out on our website.

Finally, a distant rumble grew to a roar as the #11 FedEx stock car approached the crowd and the driver handed off the cases, still sealed in FedEx shipping envelopes!  The festive mood quickly faded to all-business as the teams headed back to WFU for the case debriefing.

It’s quiet here at WFU as the teams are in their study rooms, reading through the case and plotting out their next steps.  They only have until 7am on Saturday morning to prepare their case and presentation.

Follow us here to catch up on team code names, bios and snapshots over the next few days!  Be sure to follow the Marketing Summit this weekend here at marketingsummitlive.com, on Facebook at facebook/marketingsummit and on Twitter @mktgsummitlive