Cruise firm boss leads lineup of top business speakers at Future You conference and fair

Top professionals from the world of business, tourism and aviation will be sharing their expertise with University College Birmingham students at a conference on campus this month.

Backed by the Institute of Travel and Tourism (ITT), the 2020 Future You Business Conference and Employability Fair will host a series of guest speakers and employers at McIntyre House on Tuesday 25 February.

The annual conference, now in its fifth year, has been organised through a close collaboration between the University’s Business School and the hired@UCB employability, careers and placements service.

This year’s event will feature a keynote speech from Antonio Paradiso, Managing Director (UK and Ireland) of MSC Cruises, one of the world's biggest cruise firms.

Starting at 9.30am with an opening address from the ITT's Claire Steiner and Danny Wain, the conference will include further talks from Lee Bushell (CEO of Bushell Investment Group), Joe Schuppler (Founder and Creator of Independent Birmingham) and aviation YouTuber Josh Cahill.

Students will then have the opportunity to take part in a Q&A session with a range of industry figures including Jodie Pilgrim (Party Hard Travel), Olly Nicholls (Attraction World), Cassie Goodwin (Holiday Extras) and Angela Day (Affordable Car Hire).

This will be followed by an employability fair on the ground floor of McIntyre House from midday, featuring a wide variety of employers such as Ernst & Young, Swissport, Holidays Please, Royal Airforce, Royal Aeronautical Society, HM Courts and Tribunal Service, West Midlands Police and many others.

The Future You Business Conference and Employability Fair is open to both higher and further education students on courses at UCB's Business School, though students from the University's other schools are also welcome to attend.

Business School Assistant Dean Michelle Callanan said: "We are very excited to be hosting our fifth annual Future You event, which showcases a range of industry experts offering excellent advice to our students for 'getting ahead' in their careers.

"With a variety of speakers and an employability fair, we expect the day to be very busy and dynamic. The industry presence will cover the wide range of our outstanding programmes in the Business School.

"Given the increasingly competitive graduate market, our students can start to make smarter career plans based on the excellent guidance offered by these professionals. We expect to have a full house on the day and everyone is welcome!"

For more information and to register for the Future You Business Conference and Employability Fair, visit the hired@UCB events page on the Portal.

University College Birmingham is recognised as an ITT Centre of Excellence and offers a variety of specialist courses for the aviation, travel and tourism industries.

As part of a £130 million programme of investment in cutting-edge new teaching facilities and environments, the University has opened up a state-of-the-art Aviation and Tourism Suite, featuring a mock plane cabin, check-in areas and Galileo GDS system.

UCB is also a key player in supporting the West Midlands' rapidly developing tourism industry, with the West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC) having outlined major plans last year to expand tourism in the region over the next decade in order to produce an additional £1 billion in revenue and create 19,000 new jobs.

Are you interested in a career in aviation, travel and tourism? Discover our range of courses at UCB's Business School here, and follow the latest updates from the School on Twitter.

You can also find out more about the variety of services and events offered by our hired@UCB careers, employability and placements team.