"WOW!" ... "Fantastic" ... "the best school experience of my life" ... these were the comments from winners of this year’s BC Hospitality Foundation Our Future Leaders 2010 program - a VIP opportunity for students to attend the BC Hospitality Industry Conference & Exposition.
Dec 1, 2010, Vancouver — For the third year in a row, the BC Hospitality Foundation coordinated the program on behalf of the BC Hotel Association, the BC Restaurant and Foodservice Association, the Alliance of Beverage Licensees BC and the BC Lodgings and Campground Association. The selected students, representing the Future Leaders of the industry, received a complete VIP experience including:
- Full conference registration (value $525)
- Transportation Accommodation/meals
- Access to all adjacent events (e.g. Trade Show)
- Invitation to the gala dinner with a special acknowledgement of the student and their respective college/university
- A Hospitality Foundation scholarship award
The BC Hospitality Conference and Expo brings together the industry for three days of networking, buying, and the latest in professional development, attracting approximately 500 professionals from all aspects of hospitality. LinkBC’s Terry Bubb takes great pride in facilitating this annual opportunity for students to experience the conference. "I'm always impressed with the quality of students selected to represent BC's hospitality programs," says Terry, "and it's a privilege to host them for their three days at the conference."
The Our Future Leaders 2010 Delegates were:
- David Tarasoff, Camosun College
- Elisabeth Teichroeb, Douglas College
- Paresa Habibi, North Island College
- Danielle Lister, Okanagan College
- Becky Miller, Selkirk College
- Kate Klisowsky, Royal Roads University
- Aliah Schindler, Thompson Rivers University
- Laura Moorhouse, University of Victoria
- May Chu, Vancouver Community College
- Anastasia Panova, Vancouver Island University
The highlight of the conference was the gala dinner where the students were introduced to over 400 guests, as the MCs shared their bios. Following the introductions, the students were awarded $2000.00 each in scholarships by Bing Smith, Chairman of the Hospitality Foundation. The faces of the students said it all: from tears to jumps for joy, these future leaders were truly the guests of honour, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd.
Bing Smith noted that "when the MC announced this year's scholarships were $2000.00 per student, the faces they made were priceless and showed quickly to the audience the significance of this contribution at this point in their lives." He added "the foundation is pleased to support these students as they start a career or seek further education. A big thank you LinkBC on behalf of the entire Board of the BC Hospitality Foundation for all you do for the students who will be our industry leaders in the future."
The students had their share of postitive comments post-conference, including Paresa Habibi's observation that she "was able to connect with many industry contacts ... learned a lot ... and met some great students who will become friends in the future." May Chu agreed adding, " I am honored to have been chosen and I thank you."
