Final preparations are being made for this year’s American Marketing Association regional conference.

This year’s conference will be held Friday and Saturday at the Holiday Inn O’Hare in Rosemont. Over 100 colleges spanning the Midwest have been invited to attend the conference.

Any NIU student interested in attending can go. The cost is $55 and students have to provide their own transportation.

At 9 p.m. on Friday, there will be a dance and games and prizes throughout the day. Saturday there will be a hypnotist, said AMA Regional Coordinator Sheri Gajewski.

“We want the conference to be educational, but at the same time we want people to have fun,” Gajewski said.

“There will be different managerial sessions, committees will discuss the differences between the AMA at the schools and exchange ideas,” she said.

There will be representatives from various Fortune 500 companies leading these managerial sessions.

This year’s theme is “Global Marketing, Leading the World in Change.” The sessions will cover different international aspects and how businesses have adjusted to the growing international market.

The purpose of such conferences is to “meet people, network yourself, meet professionals and learn more about AMA,” Gajewski said.

Senior marketing major Melinda Meglia said she attended the national conference in New Orleans and she’s looking forward to this one.

“I want to meet lots of people, network and learn more about AMA so when I’m on the board I can be a good board member,” Meglia said.

Todd Clawson, president of public relations for AMA, said the AMA chapter at NIU is the largest group on campus and is open to students of any major.