Calgary hospitality students have gone to Central America to learn about their prospective careers as part of a new-to-the-North study abroad option.
Students and staff from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) travelled to Panama City for an international conference happening from Nov. 8 to 11, connecting them with industry-related opportunities.
Made possible through a partnership between the school and the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre (CTCC), SAIT has become the first North American post-secondary institution to join the ICCAUni initiative, which currently includes 15 academic institutions across 13 countries.
“The integration of students into industry associations is a strategic investment for the development and success of the business events industry,” said Kurby Court, president and CEO of the CTCC.
Since its launch in 2024, the initiative has allowed students to participate alongside industry leaders at a summit that the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) has held annually for the past 65 years.
Shawn Cheng, regional director of the ICCA, explained that it was “created to bridge the gap between the classroom and the industry,” he said.
“Our industry needs young talent who understand how international meetings come together and the value they create for both a destination and its community.”
Over the next few days, students and staff from SAIT’s School of Hospitality and Tourism will attend information sessions and connect with mentors to learn about the solutions to real-life challenges impacting the industry.
Making today’s students tomorrow’s leaders
Mona James, academic chair at SAIT, said taking students to the conference has been great for their learning, especially given the program’s inherently hands-on nature in culinary arts, entrepreneurship, and management.
“We’re all about applied learning,” she said.
“It’s one thing to sit in a classroom, but to have these students networking, connecting with industry, is where you get an engaged student.”
James said that the process of choosing which students attended the conference included reviewing essay submissions. The two winners, Andreina Sanoja and Hana Hossain, were “simply outstanding,” she said.
“They were chosen because they’ve already really engaged in the events industry.”
The pair said that it’s been an exciting experience so far, especially as the first North American school to attend the conference. Sanoja said that they have been busy listening to guest speakers and mingling with professionals from across the world.
Hossain said her biggest takeaway has been the grand scale of the event itself, and how the keynote speaker conversations highlighted what it takes to coordinate an event like this.
“There’s so much more that can go into events,” she said.
“Ultimately, this congress is kind of showing us what our future might hold.”
Sonoja echoed this sentiment, adding that it’s provided them with an opportunity to practice what they’ve been taught in real time.
“It’s kind of preparing us in a way, and especially since we’re being told to network as much as possible,” she said.
“That helps a lot to get some of that practice in.”
