The seven students who competed in the LinkBC tourism case competition earlier this week in Vancouver.

Seven students competed in a prestigious Tourism industry competition earlier this week in Vancouver and in doing so, became experts in select areas.

Competing in the eighth annual LinkBC — a competition for students enrolled in tourism programs around the province — Nataliya Kiyan, Mahlayah Mullaney, and Xiao Zhu teamed up to win the category for diploma students with their presentation based on a case study in human resources. The team received a plaque and split $500.

A team in the degree category also represented TRU and and was made up of Rohit Magima, Ilka Jacobs, Alina Grynevska, and Iris Elias. Their presentation was in marketing.

“The students not only became experts in their topic areas, but they learned the importance of teamwork, improved their presentation skills and gained confidence,” said Tourism lecturer Doug Ellis, who served as a faculty coach along with Corey Sigvaldason and Colleen Pastoor.

In all, 65 students participated to make up 17 teams from 12 LinkBC member institutions.

Nataliya Kiyan, Mahlayah Mullaney, and Xiao Zhu teamed up to win the category for diploma students with their case study presentation in human resources.

In the lead up to the event, teams were provided a general theme four weeks before, which allowed them to research and with the guidance of their coaches, practice their presentation skills. On competition day, themes were narrowed to a case study and teams had four hours to prepare and present a 15-minute presentation, which was then judged by industry experts.

“The case competition was a great reminder for me that critical thinking, specifically under pressure, can produce extraordinary ideas,” said Pastoor. “Having only four hours to prepare a recommendation to the case question, students needed to be creative, think on their feet, and rely on their teammates.

“The recommendations the students brought were excellent and left them encouraged and empowered,” said Pastoor, adding, “The case competition has challenged me to think of ways I can incorporate this type of condensed learning in the classroom where it can be difficult to engage students in discussion and activity in a meaningful way.”

The competition also allowed for networking and the meeting of influential people in the Canadian hospitality and tourism industry. As a further bonus, everyone attended Connect Show and BC Tourism & Hospitality Summit — BC’s premier food, beverage, and lodging expo at the Vancouver Convention Centre — and took in the launching of Destination BC’s marketing campaign for 2015.

“The confidence in presenting and competing against the best tourism universities and colleges in British Columbia gave them tremendous pride in themselves, TRU and their chosen careers,” said Ellis, adding this was the first time the three TRU faculty members served as LinkBC coaches.

Seven students and three coaches.

For Sigvaldason, LinkBC was a series of reminders and among them, being mentally ready.

“Competitions are won and lost on the mental preparation as much as any other preparation a team may do, and this is where I feel the TRU teams excelled beyond all other teams,” said Sigvaldason, adding, “Mental preparation also transferred into the professional way they represented themselves throughout the three days of the conference and competition. The extra time and effort students and faculty put in for these extra curricular events is huge and the return is beyond measure for students and faculty alike.”