Marquette students will have the opportunity to get a glimpse into Milwaukee’s business world Wednesday at the second-annual Marquette-ing and Networking Event.

The Marquette-ing Club, the school’s student marketing organization, will host the event in the Alumni Memorial Union ballrooms from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. All students are welcome.

Representatives from 26 companies will participate in the event Wednesday, including professionals from Kohl’s, the Milwaukee Brewers, Target, Summerfest, Johnson Controls, Briggs and Stratton, the Sherwin-Williams Company and Regal-Beloit Corporation. The event is sponsored through funding from Kohl’s and Marquette Student Government.

Katherine Cronin, co-president of the Marquette-ing Club and a junior in the College of Business Administration, said the Office of Student Development recognized the networking session as the “Academic Event of the Year” last year. She said the event is similar to a career fair, but less “intimidating” and more focused on meeting marketing professionals in a “conversational atmosphere.”

To promote a more relaxed environment, the event will forgo the conventional booths typical of a career fair. Instead, it will be arranged similar to a cocktail party to encourage students to mingle with the representatives.

Student attendance is expected to be higher than last year. Approximately 180 students are registered to attend the session Wednesday, as opposed to the 150 students who registered in 2012.

Cronin said she advises students to come to the event with their resume, business card and business attire. She said all students should research their preferred companies to better interact with the representatives.

“One of the comments from last year was that students weren’t as prepared because it’s a different type of career fair,” Cronin said.

Brian Daley, a senior in the College of Business Administration and a member of the Marquette-ing Club, said he landed an internship at Kohl’s because of the connections he made at last year’s career fair.

“The Marquette-ing Networking Event allowed me to open up lines of communication with professionals that allowed me to secure a great internship and, ultimately, a job upon graduation,” Daley said.

While many of the event’s representatives will come from recognizable corporations, students will also have the opportunity to meet with spokespeople from smaller companies.

Kendall Bongard, a junior in the College of Communication and member of the Marquette-ing Club, said she is excited to explore smaller, independent companies.

“I’m looking forward to getting a chance to speak with companies I am not as familiar with, such as Stryker and Runzheimer International, to get advice, tips and possible internship opportunities,” Bongard said.

Other companies attending the event include Aerotek, Archer Daniels Midland Cocoa, Bader Rutter, CC&N, Charter Manufacturing Companies, Focus Training, Jacobus Energy/Quick Fuel, Kahler Slater, McKesson, Styker, Uline, Zywave, GMR, Runzheimer International, Molina Healthcare of Wisconsin and The Ritterbusch Group.