Special Events Planning – Destination Tourism
Graduated 2006
While many recent college graduates were out pounding the pavement for employment in their field, Jocelyn Blandford was getting settled into her new job as an event co-ordinator at Bell Canada shortly after completing the Special Events Planning – Destination Tourism program. Even before she attended convocation to collect her George Brown College diploma, she was already collecting a paycheque.
"George Brown gave me an advantage because I have the education and experience," says Blandford, who was just finishing a required internship with the Canadian Cancer Society when she applied to Bell. "The program was a good stepping stone into the real world."
As the event co-ordinator, Blandford provides support such as research and on-site execution to a 13-member team responsible for planning 300 events a year for the entire company. Events range from sales seminars to the annual Celebrity Gala fundraiser for Sick Kids Foundation.
Blandford, whose dream job is to help plan the MTV Movie Awards, sees her involvement with Bell's full-scale gala event as important training for when she hits the big time.
Her other career goals include working at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC and running her own event planning company.
"I'm very organized and I like to run the show," says Blandford. "I'd like to be the head honcho."
Knowing her personality and work ethic, Blandford was able to identify the kinds of industries and jobs she would flourish in. It was during a Grade 10 career class that she not only discovered event planning was an actual profession but also that she has what it takes to be successful in this growing industry.
At 19, Blandford is well on her way to success with a solid education in event planning and a job that is giving her the experience she needs to accomplish her future career goals.
Blandford says she would recommend George Brown's Special Events Planning program to others who are interested in this field and adds one more piece of advice: "Listen to your teachers because they are experts in the field."
