Event in Pictures: COGS Industry Expo 2017
2017 COGS Industry Expo (Photo by Dave Maclean)
The College of Geographic Sciences (COGS) held the 2017 COGS Industry Expo on March 23 in Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia. COGS has a long-standing tradition of hosting an annual career fair and inviting industry professionals to present new technologies and equipment. This was my third industry expo, and by far was the best attended. Approximately 250 people visited the expo.
While winter weather had an impact on the attendance of some participants, there still a strong showing from both private and public sectors seeking to showcase their organizations and geospatial technologies. This year the event was rebranded as an Industry Expo while in the past it was a job fair. However the primary goal still seemed to be to connect companies with potential candidates for employment and conduct interviews throughout the day. Throughout the day there were also presentations made by industry participants.
My main reason to attend the expo was to look for employment opportunities in the GIS field and network with industry representatives. I am a fairly recent grad on the job hunt myself. There were some GIS positions, but most of the opportunities were for the surveying and the geomatics engineering technology students.
The weather may have started out snowy, but the expo turned out fine. Patti provided chili for lunch. The expo had a good many students, faculty, COGS alumni and former faculty. A group of high school students also came to check the programs at COGS.
The GoGeomatics social at the End of the Line Pub in Bridgetown was really well attended and a lot of fun. There were over 50 people who attended but it was hard to count with people coming in and out. I think there might have been many more.
A thank you to GANS for sponsoring the food at the social, it was much appreciated by all. Jackie, the GoGeomatics group leader for Halifax, did a terrific job of organizing the event and making everyone feel welcome. A big thank you to Dave Maclean the GIS instructor at COGS for pitching in as well.
Tour of the Expo in Pictures
As I toured the expo, I made a point to talk to someone at every booth to find out what part the industry the company represented and their major focus. Here’s a summary of my tour. I hope to see you all next year. Let me know in teh comments if you want me to provide larger pictures.
