Press release

Scottish students say “howdy” to Texas!

Five students from a Scottish university will travel to the USA with their professor on 8 th January to attend the week long Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) conference in Dallas, Texas.

The event management students from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh will be among the thousands of delegates, from primarily north America, who are attending the annual convention of this 53 year old professional association. While in Dallas, the five Scottish students will volunteer during PCMA’s Hospitality Helping Hands programme at the North Texas Food Bank on March 9, 2010. Their participation in this volunteer activity is sponsored in part by Scotland’s national tourism organisation, Visit Scotland.

This is the second year in a row that students have accompanied Professor Joe Goldblatt, an international events guru, native to Texas but now based in Scotland, to this conference. In 2008 six students from the Scottish university performed one full day of volunteer activity cleaning up a historic cemetery that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana, the location of the PCMA conference last year. In 2009 the Queen Margaret University students have conducted numerous fundraising activities to be able to support their trip to the USA. It is the first trip, for each of the students, to Texas, the lone star state.

While in Dallas, the event students will tour various event venues including the Dallas, Texas Cowboys football team new billion dollar stadium, various museums and other venues where special events are conducted. They will also participate in all of the educational programmes at PCMA whilst networking with 200 other students who are attending the conference.

Professor Joe Goldblatt, who organised the student trip, said: “We believe these kinds of experiences are invaluable learning opportunities for our students, as it affords them an opportunity to conduct high level networking whilst learning about new cultures, technologies and the latest trends in the meetings and events industry.”

In 2008, the event students at Queen Margaret University officially founded the first European student chapter of PCMA. This achievement resulted in worldwide publicity for the students and their university.

Professor Goldblatt concluded: “We look forward to bringing our Scottish good will to the lone star state where I am certain our students will, once again, make a very positive impression.”

ENDS

For further media information please contact Lynne Russell, Press and PR Officer, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, Scotland, tel: 0131 474 0000, mobile: 07711 011 239, email: lrussell@qmu.ac.uk For more information about the trip to the USA contact: jgoldblatt@qmu.ac.uk