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COTR students win Tourism Student Case Competition
A student team from College of the Rockies was crowned the winner of the regional Kootenay Rockies Winning Pitch competition.
The Winning Pitch, organized and presented by go2HR, B.C.’s tourism human resource association, is a post-secondary student case competition.
This year, student teams had to develop a new product or service that supports the development of accessible tourism opportunities in the Kootenay Rockies region.
Two teams from the College of the Rockies and Selkirk College submitted their high-level business concept via tele/video-conferencing to an industry judging panel, consisting of:
- Emilie Cayer-Huard – Industry & Destination Development Specialist, Kootenay Rockies Tourism;
- Jessica Fairhart – Program Manager, Imagine Kootenay;
- Mike Riediger – Project Lead & Digital Marketer, Kootenay Adaptive Sport Association & West Kootenay Tourism Alliance.
The College of the Rockies team, made up of Kudratpreet Kaur, Brayden Lemay, Rebecca Ord and Wen Xi, won with their proposal of ‘Kimberley Alpine Outdoor Adventures.’
The competition was very close and it was a tough decision for the judges. The winning team’s idea “presents great potential and definitely answers to a need. The concept is anchored in the destination and based on local and regional partnerships that would build upon a strong brand equity and improve economic benefits for all…[it was] grounded and realistic,” said Emilie Cayer-Huard, one of the judges.
“Part of our mandate is to provide a platform for students to showcase their skills to the industry,” said Arlene Keis, CEO of go2HR. “We applaud the competing teams for taking on the challenge of the Winning Pitch and displaying such consideration and insight in their ideas to support the industry.”
The winning team will represent the region at the provincial finals, which will take place at the 2019 BC Tourism Industry Conference in Vancouver in February.
The Winning Pitch competition is sponsored by Partners in Tourism Society and Destination British Columbia, with Kootenay Rockies Tourism as a regional sponsor.
To supplement their knowledge and insight around accessible tourism, students were able to draw on the mentorship and expertise of Nancy Harris, Regional Development Liaison, Spinal Cord Injury BC.
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