This past reading week, 20 lucky Telfer students were selected to head to Canada’s marketing capital of Toronto for two days filled with exciting tours, information sessions, and networking opportunities. The trip presented a chance for students to be exposed to how the top marketers of a variety of organizations approach both their everyday duties and their careers – including those from the world’s most popular search engine, to those from a charity that makes “doing good, doable”.

On October 26, 2017, Google Canada opened its doors to Telfer for an intriguing look into their collaborative-based office. Students were invited for a tour of the many floors of the environmentally friendly, LEED-certified facility – including a chance to see their state-of-the-art technology stations, famous “micro-kitchens”, and an informative and insightful career chat with Google Performance Ads Marketing Specialist (and Telfer BCom graduate), Claûde Beaupré.

Canadian communications and media giant Rogers was up next, and the Telfer students were treated to an educational presentation of the company’s values and mission, a speed networking session with a variety of Rogers marketing professionals, and a tour of the much-loved facilities of Sportsnet. The presentation and tour was conducted by the enthusiastic Patrice Smith and My-Binh Trung, and was supported by Victoria Falle, a recent Telfer graduate who was just recruited by Rogers’ new grad rotational program.

The last company of the day was 500px, an upcoming and innovative photography startup where Director of Marketing Rommil Santiago gave students insight into the hustle of startup life and how smaller companies approach marketing with a minimalistic perspective. Rommil was joined by content marketer Annie Halim-Paulionis for a laid-back career chat and a tour of their facilities, which concluded the first day of the trip.

An early start on the morning of October 27th found the Telfer group at P&G Canada headquarters in North York, Toronto, for a presentation and career advice session held by Telfer graduates Christina Bellevue and Brad Marshman regarding the multinational corporation’s many diverse opportunities in their marketing and sales functions.

For the last outing of the trip, Toronto’s coolest charity organization WE opened their doors for an in-depth presentation by Telfer graduate Meghan Kelly and WE’s Director of Brand Muqu Pacheco, which introduced their mission and values, their approach to the WE brand, and the process they underwent in launching their newest product, ME to WE Chocolate. The students were then given a tour of their new facility, called the WE Global Learning Centre.

Upon reflection, the trip was a great opportunity to network, learn about various organizations and be exposed to many different approaches to marketing. The valuable experience of meeting a variety of marketing professionals, which was supplemented by touring their workplaces to better understand their working environment, was both eye opening and inspiring.

--

The Telfer Marketing trip, organized by the Career Centre, takes place annually during the end of Fall Reading week for two nights, and is an opportunity available for 3rd and 4th year students completing their specialization in Marketing (all Telfer students are welcome to apply). For more information, visit the Special Activity section of the Career Centre website.

Group picture_Toronto Marketing trip1 

Google_Toronto Marketing trip 2017

Google graffiti wall

Group pic at Google

Android

Photo credit: Lu Yang