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Heather Dahmer |
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But she soon realized that
she needed something more stable and secure. "It was
a very hit-and-miss industry," Dahmer explains. "I'd have work one week
and nothing the next."
So she began searching for a new career. Her mentor,
who she met through a family connection, was an event planner for an
investors group.
"I'd always been interested in her career. So I sat down with her
and asked her what she did. She guided me in this direction,"
Dahmer recalls.
In her research of college programs, she came across
Special Events Planning -Destination Tourism, offered
by George Brown College. The January start-up fit her schedule perfectly so she
enrolled. "It was a great experience. The teachers were extremely
friendly and helpful," Dahmer says. "It's the type
of industry where you need the hands-on experience. The
teachers tried to really immerse us in that. They always said 'get out
and volunteer and be a part of the associations'." Dahmer took that lesson and
ran with it.
She was the first in her class to join Meeting Professionals International
(MPI) and International Special Events Education Society (ISES).
Her commitment to MPI recently earned her a nomination for New Member
of the Year. Eventually, Dahmer hopes to advance to the board of directors
for the Toronto chapter.
"I am very much an advocate of getting involved. I've
taken a lot from those associations and gained a lot of experience from
them," she
says. "I wouldn't have known (about them) had it not
been for George Brown."
Dahmer says she also learned a great deal from
her internship
with the Wynford Group. She was asked to continue working
there on a contract basis and following that contract,
they connected her to one
of their clients.
Since graduating from George Brown,
Dahmer has worked for CIBC Wood Gundy and CIBC's sponsorship
department and is now working at Decor & Mor Inc.
She uses much of what she learned at
George Brown in
her daily work. "I still keep my textbook with me," she says. "Sometimes
you need to flip through and refresh yourself."
For
those interested in working in the event industry,
Dahmer recommends they take the Special Events
Planning program. "You have to start with an
education. I don't think it's fair for people to just
walk in and say 'I'm a party planner.' It's not just party planning;
there's
a lot more to it," she
explains, adding that the hours can be long and sometimes
weekends get swallowed up by work. "I do it because I
love it — that's
what keeps me in the industry."
We encourage you to visit the Alumni Association.
Or, contact information the Hospitality & Tourism Alumni association
at:
Hospitality & Tourism Alumni
300 Adelaide St. E.
Toronto, ON M5A 1N1
To learn more, visit the George
Brown College Alumni page.
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