“We’re the underdogs.”
That’s how Arnav Gupta, third year student in the Honours Bachelor of Business Administration – Hospitality program, describes the Niagara College team who are about to compete in the Smith Travel Research (STR) Student Market Study Competition in New York City, Nov. 10.
“We’re up against some really big universities,” said Gupta who, alongside four other NC Hospitality students – Minglu Sun, Montana Marges, Erin Shoemaker and Benjamin Streef – will be among 26 undergraduate teams from across North America and Asia competing in STR’s competition, a first for the College. Gupta and his peers will represent NC as one of just two Canadian schools vying to impress the judges, and as the only Canadian college.
“This is a great example of how our College wants to prepare us to be “world ready,” said Marges. “I’m excited to get the chance to present to judges in New York City.”
“This competition draws the best of the best with respect to students from hospitality programs considered the most prestigious in the world,” said professor Adam Weaver. “Our students will be competing among many top-tier, research-intensive universities, and competing in this competition signals that we believe that our students can compete with the best. We are confident that we produce highly-skilled, talented hospitality graduates – and that our students, during their degree journey, are similarly excellent, high-achievers.”
“Entry into this competition indicates that we see ourselves as coming of age, in a sense, as a degree program,” said Weaver, who, alongside faculty members Paul Willie and Heather Clark in the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Sport, coached the students in preparation for the competition.
“Without our coaches, I don’t think we would have been able or ready to compete,” said Gupta. “They were very helpful and supportive, simply because this is a new experience for all of us. They helped us understand the material, break it down, and they had a lot of input on the final presentation.”
As students across year’s two to four of the Hospitality program, preparing for the competition has been a chance to apply course material and learn from their peers. “It has given us a competitive edge over our classmates because we’re learning a lot material through our own research that we won’t encounter until fourth year.”
For third-year student Marges, the chance to flex her research skills was what drew her to compete. “I was excited for this competition because I want to challenge myself and prepare for graduate school. This is a great stepping stone towards my goal of pursuing my masters in hospitality and tourism,” she said.
“It’s a great chance to have a new experience and apply what we’ve learned to a real life situation,” said Sun, who is in her fourth year of the program.
Shoemaker, the junior member of the group in her second year, has benefited from being exposed to statistical concepts and analysis by her upper year peers. “It’s been great to make these connections. It makes the program feel a bit closer.”
“The students have been working very hard for several weeks to prepare for this competition, even coming in on the weekend to work on their presentation,” said Damian Goulbourne, associate dean, School of Applied Business and Tourism. “We’re rooting them on and we’re proud of their initiative.”
The students are all set to present their market analysis on the city of Buffalo, selected for its proximity to Niagara. “We felt as Canadians we would have a unique, outside perspective on this American city,” said Gupta. The NC team will present the findings from their data analysis, including main clusters, trends, opportunities and market challenges, in hopes of impressing the judges at the STR Competition on Sunday, Nov. 10.
Pictured in Buffalo are five NC Hospitality students Benjamin Streef, Arnav Gupta, Montana Marges, Erin Shoemaker and Minglu Sun, who will present their market analysis on the city of Buffalo to the judges at the Smith Travel Research (STR) Student Market Study Competition in New York City on Nov. 10.
