Sam graduated from QRC with aspirations to work in the ski industry. He spent four years working across New Zealand, France and the USA in various roles including ski technician, lift operator and travel agent.
Upon returning to Melbourne, Sam transitioned into events, working in several event assistant and coordinator positions at Monash University.
He is now with Frank Wild, a sustainable events agency in Collingwood, where he focuses on custom build and styling in VIP event spaces, activations and conference management.
Why did you choose to study Adventure Tourism Management?
- I chose to study Adventure Tourism Management because I originally wanted to work in the ski industry.
What was the most memorable part of your time at QRC?
- Living at the lodge was legendary. It was constant fun with a buzz at all times!
Where did you complete your internship?
- I completed my internship at Sun Valley Resort as a Ski Rental Technician. This gave me a huge amount of knowledge on ski products, boot fitting and gave me the customer service skills to sell on those items.
Tell us about your journey post QRC – Where have you worked, travelled, studied? What have you been doing since QRC?
- Since QRC, I’ve had the opportunity to solo travel through Europe twice, with one trip coming after I managed a ski rental shop in Alpe d’Huez. I then spent a season working as a lift operator at The Remarkables. Following that, I worked as a Travel Agent in Queenstown for Peter Pans, where I also led bar crawls during the evenings.
- After moving back to Melbourne, I’ve taken on various event support and coordinator roles at Monash University. I’ve found that many of the skills I learned at QRC have been directly applicable in these positions, particularly in areas like marketing, customer service, and video and photo editing.
Where are you working now?
- I’m currently working as a Project Manager at Frank Wild – Sustainable Event Agency.
Can you share a proud moment or significant achievement from your career?
- I am proud to be working with a company that is leading the way in sustainable events – especially in builds. One of my proudest achievements was leading the Kia Pavilion project at the Australian Open, constructing the Kia Pavilion using 98.5% reused materials.
Do you have any advice for prospective students considering QRC?
- It is the most fun you’ll ever have while learning. Take advantage of every opportunity because there’s a good chance you won’t have moments like that again!
What advice would you give current QRC students?
- Build as many relationships as you can and say ‘yes’ to as many opportunities as possible, you never know where they might take you!
Any exciting plans for the future?
- Developing sales and marketing tools for the business with the intention of expanding our client base and range of projects for ’26 and onwards! Also having a baby and building a family!
Learn more about our Adventure Tourism Management and Hospitality Management Diplomas.
