Tourism industry networking at LinkBC's 2014 Rendezvous!

On Friday January 10th, LinkBC hosted the Student-Industry Rendezvous event at the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel. The event consisted of over 300 students from LinkBC's network of colleges in a speed networking event with industry professionals from over 26 tourism and hospitality companies. It was an opportunity for new students to ask questions about different sectors in the tourism industry to get a idea of what they may be interested in, and for soon-to-be graduates to further prepare themselves on what to expect after finishing school. In addition, it was the perfect opportunity for everyone to build their professional network.

The Rendezvous event started off with a mini trade show. Students stopped by the registration desk at the entrance to pick up their name tag, a map of the speed-networking tables and a "Student Passport to Rendezvous 2014". The Student Passport is a piece of paper with all the companies' names listed. It's a gamification designed to encourage students to network with professionals. Students are asked to collect signatures from a representative from at least 5 different companies, and will be entered into a draw to win a prize at the end.

Following the mini trade show and initial mingling, students are proceeded into the ballroom and seated at a table with 1 or 2 industry professionals, and a handful of other students. Morgan Westcott, LinkBC's general manager, gave a welcome speech before the speed networking began.

Each industry professional sat at the table with their company sign displayed. Each student was required to go to a new table every 13 minutes, and had the opportunity to visit 6 tables throughout the speed networking event. At each table, the process was very similar. The industry professional(s) introduced themselves, followed by student introductions. And then the table was open to any questions the students had about the industry, their profession, experiences, professional advice, etc.

After the speed networking part was done, there was a keynote presentation and ended with a wonderful speech from Rick Antonson who talked about his passion for the industry, where he sees tourism going in the future, and encouragements for students.

MPI BCIT students at LinkBC's 2014 Rendezvous. (Left to right: Andrew, VP of Finance; Idy, Director of Marketing; Shivani, President; Annie, Director of Social Media)

 Afterwards, students exited the ballroom and headed back to the trade show area for more networking and mingling. The event was insightful and LinkBC did an amazing job of connecting students with professionals. For more information about LinkBC and their work, check out their website here.

Next week, MPI BC Chapter is hosting Networking With The Stars, another student-industry event. More details coming soon!