In March 2023, I was fortunate enough to attend the French Food Fair in Paris, which was amazing! They had all kinds of tasty traditional foods in tents and booths. People from Paris and tourists like me were there to enjoy the different dishes. What made it even more interesting was how vital marketing was for the fair's success. I looked at each booth with a new perspective, not just as a tourist but as someone with an educational background in marketing and PR. My experiences in the global learning pathways helped me understand how marketing can make a big difference in truly immersing people in another culture. Giving samples and trying different things can interest people in something new and different. As a future marketing/PR professional, I need to use these strategies in my professional career to expand my audience.

          Studying abroad in Florence was an experience I will never trade for anything, and one of the main benefits was the location of Italy. I was able to travel all over the world and experience different cultures. Paris was my first trip, and I knew it was where I had to go because I had always romanticized it from movies and the fashion industry. While visiting, I stumbled upon a French Food Fair that showcased various traditional cuisines. Each tent or booth presented a unique and perfected dish. The fair attracted tourists and locals, providing an opportunity to experience diverse French culinary delights. My journal, Artifact 1, is attached below with my firsthand thoughts on my experience in Paris and my time at this fair. I wrote about how I immersed myself in the fair, observing that marketing played a crucial role in its success. Each booth aimed to attract customers through effective presentation and communication. It was a transformative experience, allowing me to view the event as a tourist with a marketing and PR background. I underscored the importance of successful marketing strategies in driving engagement and customer participation.

          The fair also revealed that offering sample-sized portions appealed to tourists, who might be hesitant to commit to a full meal of a traditional, unfamiliar cuisine. This insight echoed in my MKTG 350: Principles of Marketing class at the University of South Carolina, emphasizing the importance of marketing in our global economies. I learned about how marketing is vital for any business in the economy because activities like the French food fair produced profits essential to individual businesses' survival. A PowerPoint, Artifact 2, for a lecture in MKTG 350: Principles of Marketing, is attached below. We learned how marketing knowledge enhances customer awareness, and by studying marketing, we understand the importance of marketing to consumers and organizations in any economy. We often discussed how crucial global marketing is to attract tourists. Tourists boost most European economies. These booths were marketing their products and businesses to tourists and residents of Paris to gain new customers.

          The French Food Fair experience has broader implications for my future in marketing. It opened my eyes to the success of unconventional approaches in reaching and engaging customers. The fair's impact on the community demonstrated the effectiveness of showcasing cultural and culinary pride to attract visitors.

          Applying this learning to my future career in marketing, I see the potential to implement similar strategies in various industries. Whether in beauty, fashion, lifestyle, or tech, exposing the public to a brand through events that offer tangible experiences can reshape perceptions and create lasting impressions. The fair serves as a model for how companies can successfully market their products by providing opportunities for the public to experience them firsthand.

          Through my experiences at the University of South Carolina and in Paris, I learned a valuable lesson in the power of effective marketing and PR. I have discovered a new outlook on marketing in any sector and how to be successful in reaching new consumers in different and out-of-the-box thinking. As I embark on my career, I carry with me the understanding that creating memorable and immersive experiences for the public can significantly contribute to the success of any marketing campaign. The fair in Paris was not just a culinary adventure but a transformative encounter that will undoubtedly shape my future marketing approach.