Thompson Rivers University, located in Kamloops, British Columbia is the school we chose to study event management. We both came from cities outside of Kamloops to embark on our educational journey. TRU has offered us many opportunities to learn outside of the classroom. One of our favourite experiences was going to Vancouver with our professor Billy Collins

on a field experience trip. This trip allowed us to grow personally and professionally. On the field trip, we gained insight into what happens in the real world of events.

The three most beneficial meetings we had with industry professionals were with personnel from the Commodore Ballroom, Convention Centre, and Rogers Arena.

The music industry is a dynamic and fast paced industry, where booking artists is done well in advance and spontaneously. The Convention Centre is a leader in environmental sustainability. They have many green features, such as their own water treatment plant. This means that they don’t have to purchase water from the city and are vastly sustainable. Visiting Rogers Arena was awesome, due to the fact we got to see the behind-the-scenes operations of the city’s largest events. We also got to tour the dressing rooms and see the different suites that the Canucks offer. Being able to meet and ask questions to current industry professionals is incredibly valuable.

It wasn’t just all work on this field trip, we got to experience Vancouver as a tourist. We rode bikes along the Sea Wall, went to Fly Over Canada,

attended a concert at the Commodore and sampled beer at Granville Island Brewing. For many students, and ourselves these were new experiences.A class that allows you to travel to Vancouver with friends, build new relationships and have fun, is an experience among itself.

Billy Collins our professor made this trip possible, due to all the connections he had from being in the events industry. Billy made the trip great by cracking jokes, telling stories and always having a positive attitude. He put his genuine effort into planning this trip for his students each year. He encouraged our opinions and let us have a say in what we did. Billy is a big reason why the TRU event program is successful. This is due to his expertise in the industry, and the way he connects with all students in the program.

Overall our experience coming to TRU for event planning has been a richening success. We would recommend the Bachelor of Tourism program to any students interested. We suggest that you take as many classes with Billy as possible, and to go on the field experience trip to Vancouver. Our experience at TRU has been great, from the professors, to meeting industry professionals we can insure that our future will benefit as a result.