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Bergen Community College students present 'Razzle and Ramsey' tourism plan to Ramsey council
Summary
Students in a Bergen Community College marketing class presented a multilingual tourism-and-events plan for Ramsey, proposing festivals, a restaurant-night program and a downtown advertising push; the group offered materials and a roughly $100,000 marketing package to the borough at no charge.
Bergen Community College students presented a semester-long destination-marketing project to the Borough of Ramsey on Dec. 11, offering event concepts and a package of promotional materials the group said was valued at roughly $100,000.
Professor Justin Wuttrell introduced the team and said he would provide the council with the presentation slides and a PowerPoint copy after the meeting. "We just handed you a hundred thousand dollar marketing project for free," he told the council, summarizing the students' offer of deliverables.
Student teams proposed several headline events and marketing efforts. The special-events group outlined a Strawberry Festival at Finch Park with a central stage, vendor layout and family activities; the students estimated line-item costs for entertainment, decorations and food and put a festival budget in the mid‑five-figure range. The same team proposed a "Mr. Bunny Day" parade and a school-focused storytelling program intended to involve teachers and a multi-day engagement that culminates in a downtown parade.
The marketing team proposed a downtown "restaurant night" in June that would close about a half-mile stretch of Main Street to motor traffic and highlighted about 30 participating restaurants. That team presented an advertising plan that included 13 weeks of newspaper ads, radio spots and online placements; the students told council the combined advertising total in their model was $88,000 and that the overall event-run figure (advertising plus event operating estimates) produced a $97,000 number in their materials.
Students emphasized multilingual outreach: the class produced materials in English and Spanish and, where used in presentations, Korean and Arabic. Professor Wuttrell said multilingual work is a company philosophy for destination marketing and part of the team's intent to attract a broader visitor base.
The students also shared a short interview with Daniel Kennedy, president of the Ramsey Historical Association, who described Ramsey as "a nice town" with strong schools and a community feel—comments the students used to underscore historic and cultural assets tied to their event concepts.
Council members thanked the students and asked follow-up questions about timing and prior projects. The borough will receive the students' slides and videos for review; the presenters said they had visited Ramsey repeatedly and had contacted local vendors as part of their research.
The presentation concluded with the council applauding the students and noting the materials would be posted on the borough website for follow-up and potential use.
