Education/training
Hospitality grad lands in high officeAs a graduate of Centennial College's Hospitality and Tourism Administration program, you could say Emily Pimblett has come to serve her country. MARK TOLJAGIC |
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 [ 2005-11-09 ] |
In just two years since graduating from Centennial College, Emily Pimblett has landed a job as a tour assistant with the Office of the Prime Minister.
In just two short, hectic years since graduating, Pimblett has landed a job as a tour assistant with the Office of the Prime Minister, helping to co-ordinate the logistics around a prime ministerial visit.
She works with the government's tour officers who choreograph the motorcades, hotel suites and police protection for the necessary entourage of political advisors and media co-ordinators who surround Canada's head of government.
Wretched excess? Not when you consider that the Prime Minister's Office is everywhere the PM is, which requires a fully staffed mobile command centre.
"We have to book hotel space for the office support. He has to have the ability to run the country from any location in Canada or abroad," says Pimblett, 23, who started her challenging job in July.
Tour officers travel ahead to make site inspections and ensure the PM's visit will be safe, time-efficient and logistically flawless.
"There's a lot of advance planning that takes place. Up to a week ahead for local events; months ahead if it's an international visit."
Last-minute changes can confound and disappoint. An unexpected event, such as the death of a foreign leader, may throw weeks of planning out the window as the PM is redirected to a state funeral or other pressing matter.
Fortunately, her enthusiasm for the fast-paced hospitality industry prepared her well for her current position.
Helping with events at R.H. King Academy, her Scarborough high school, gave Pimblett an appetite for event planning at a young age. It dovetailed nicely with her work as a member of the Young Liberals, the youth movement connected with the political party.
She helped publicize and recruit students to attend the infamous "No" Rally in Montreal during the 1995 Quebec referendum -- her first political event.
After high school, Pimblett looked for a college program that emphasized event planning and administration, rather than culinary skills. After comparing programs offered in the Toronto area, she felt Centennial's program came closest to her ideal.
The three-year program introduced her to a host of experiences, including work with JPdL Destination Management and MacDonald-Cole Associates, two companies that organize large conventions and special events, such as the SARS concert in Downsview.
"I wanted to get involved in all the events I could. I attended all the trade shows to learn every aspect of event planning, room set up, menu selection, audio-visual technology, you name it."
Rather than commit to a single employer while she went to college, Pimblett sought out different experiences to get a wide range of perspectives on the industry.
"I realized there are many more types of jobs than people have ever heard of when they think of hospitality," she says.
"Hospitality agency work is great for learning about all the back-end operations. Imagine serving dinner for 6,000 guests at the Congress Centre, as we did when Honda hired us to cater their holiday party."
Her skills and knowledge culminated in a choice job as national events co-ordinator for the Packaging Association of Canada, which required organizing a mind-boggling array of conventions, educational programs, seminars and even golf tournaments.
It was demanding and fun, but as soon as it got familiar after the second year, Pimblett began looking for a new challenge.
For now, working for the highest office in the land --with the requisite impossible deadlines and minute details -- offers all the challenges Pimblett desires.
"It's not a job for life, but it's very exciting. I can't stand a routine."
For more details about Centennial's Hospitality programs, visit www.centennial college.ca/applied/hospital ity/hta.
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