Hundreds of guests turn out at the 2015 ITC Graduation
Thursday 16 July 2015
Graduation is always a special event at the International Travel College of New Zealand (ITC), but 2015’s ceremony was a particularly memorable occasion. More than 700 guests turned up on the night, making it ITC’s largest graduation event in history.
The ceremony was held in the Grand Room at The Langham, Auckland, one of the city’s most luxurious five-star hotels. Guests were greeted with canapes and champagne on arrival. The atmosphere in the room was electric; everyone was buzzing with anticipation and excited to celebrate student success.
The official ceremony opened with a beautiful Powhiri and Kapa Haka performance from the Edgewater College Kapa Haka Group. This was followed by a series of inspiring speeches by leading members of the tourism industry, including ITC Managing Director Kerry Priestley, MP for Botany Jami-Lee Ross and Chairman of Discover New Zealand David Simmons.
Each of these speakers imparted their own experiences with the crowd, and shared their own advice for finding success within the industry. They all had one thing in common; a sense of optimism about the future of tourism in New Zealand.
After the speeches, the Happy Hour Dance Crew made a fantastic performance, and then every one settled down to watch the highlight of the evening; students receiving their certificates. That moment on stage is the culmination of months, if not years of hard work – a huge achievement and one every student who graduated that night should be immensely proud of.
For Natasha Allen, the Campus Manager at ITC Botany, this ceremony is one of her favourite moments of the year.
“It was amazing to see so many students celebrate their successes with family and friends,” Natasha said.
“We were all part of something special – watching students proudly walk up onto the stage to collect their certificates and take the next step towards gaining an exciting new job out in the industry that we all love.”
The ITC team is incredibly excited to see where these student’s end up, and have no doubt they will go on to lead wonderful careers within this dynamic industry.
The night wouldn’t have been possible without the support of several key sponsors. ITC would like to formally thank: The Langham Hotel, Jucy, EcoZip, YHA, Stray Travel, Sky Jump Auckland, Great Sights & Intercity, Nomads, Auckland Bridge Climb & Bungy, 360 Discovery, Rainbows End, Auckland Whale & Dolphin Safari and Explore NZ.
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