By Julia Hess '15
Professor Kevin Jack’s Travel and Tourism class wrapped up the semester with a "Shark Tank"-inspired event during which his students presented their final projects to a panel of local tourism professionals, just as contestants present their business ideas to potential investors on ABC’s hit show.
Jack is the chief of the Bureau of Labor Market Information with the New York State Department of Labor. He provided his students with many opportunities to learn about the marketing strategies that the Albany area has used to increase tourism. The students visited the Albany Institute of History and Art in March to learn about their efforts to market an exhibition titled, “GE Presents: The Mystery of Albany Mummies.”
For their final presentations, the students had to apply what they learned to create their own promotion plans.
Groups were challenged to determine the best practices of promoting convention center space by examining marketing materials from other U.S. destinations. They partnered with the Albany County Convention and Visitors Bureau, which is set to open a new convention center in downtown Albany next year.
“In addition to giving back to the community, this project was important because it helped the students develop several important skills including data research and analysis, speaking in front of professional groups and the ability to apply textbook concepts to real-world situations.” explained Jack.
The panel of local travel and tourism experts that judged and scored his students’ presentations included representatives from various industries, including sales, marketing and public relations and accounting.
“Having the panel of “sharks” really made sure that each team truly knew as much about their convention centers and cities as possible in order to answer any questions that were asked,” explained actuarial science major Michele Panicucci ’15. While she admitted that it was a nerve-wracking experience, she said it was important for professional development.
Panicucci along with her partners, economics major Tyler Kallquist ’15 and marketing major Pasquale Derubertis ’15, looked at the marketing strategies of convention centers in both Corpus Christi, Texas and Providence, Rhode Island in comparison to Albany.
As an avid traveler herself, Panicucci was interested in learning the importance of tourism in cities of all sizes. Jack’s class has challenged her to consider the deeper meaning that her travel has on the world of tourism.
