Anne Kokko

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

Address: #518-410 King Street W Kitchener ON N2G1C3 Email: anne.k.kokko@gmail.com Website: annekokko.com Phone: 226.989.2140

Current Masters of Arts, Tourism Policy & Planning student, with Bachelor of Tourism Management, Hons.: Passionate about planning, developing, and marketing tourism experiences shown through variety of applied, professional experiences: o Experience developing, implementing, and promoting tourism in collaborative environments with multiple stakeholders by developing and fostering relationships with private, non-profit, and public organizations; o Strong knowledge of tourist segments, agritourism, culinary tourism, and event tourism, and their potential effect and application to new and emerging tourism experiences; o Advanced research, analytical and strategic planning skills developed through consulting projects, research assistant positions, and significant academic coursework. Effective ability to manage and coordinate multiple projects with a high degree of professionalism, organization, and attention to detail; Proven adaptability and resourcefulness shown through breadth of experience planning events, designing websites, and developing social media for professional purposes; Highly developed professional communication and interpersonal skills; Exceptional report writing, editing, and presentation skills using MS Office Suite products. Highly developed ability to learn new software quickly and problem solve using emerging technologies.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE & PROJECTS Teaching Assistant Introduction to Recreation and Introduction to Tourism University of Waterloo September 2011 - Present

Worked with 1st and 2nd year students to apply tourism and recreation topics to assignments and exams; Facilitated communication between professors and classes of 200-300 students. Princeton Community Asset & Signage Plan Completed July 2011 With Peak Planning Associates Planned and coordinated a community asset sign audit for Princeton BC; Trained other researchers how to conduct community sign audits. Event Coordinator January May 2011 Rural Tourism Conference with the Red Tree Project Designed a streamlined experience for attendees, working with vendors to provide: 1) exceptional food sourced locally 2) engaging and authentic entertainment 3) participatory learning activities aimed to enhance conference goals; Coordinated logistics, marketing, budgets, registration, and volunteers attracting over 120 delegates; Successfully met and exceeded expectations of delegates at a rate of over 98%. Penticton Sign Audit & Wayfinding Plan Completed December 2010 With Peak Planning Associates Planned and coordinated a sign audit for Penticton, BC and developed a database of all tourist signs; Created maps with georeferenced points showing sign locations; Conducted primary analysis to identify gaps in signage for tourism assets; Developed, presented, and implemented recommendations to improve tourism signage, resulting in 20 new signs for the community.

Site Supervisor May August 2010 Travel Alberta Milk River Visitor Information Centre Established strong connections with stakeholders through regular communications and meet & greet events; Supervised and trained a team of four to provide quality service at a busy visitor centre and museum; Oversaw creative development of on-site information boards and packages for tourists; Developed an on-site operation manual to help train employees and reduce errors. Rural Tourism Development - Undergraduate Research Assistant May October 2009 RED TREE Project Gathered and analyzed primary and secondary research related to rural community tourism development, with a focus on new product development; Wrote a how-to manual for communities to evaluate tourism related signage; Collaborated on a strategic plan for winter tourism activities in Princeton, BC. Rapid Rural Appraisal Wells, BC Completed May 2009 Collected perceptions of local operators about the direction of tourism through interviews. Collaborated on a report directing the future of Wells tourism industry and development. Social Media Development Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Completed May 2009 Blogged about various destinations within the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast DMO to encourage visitation. Travel Counselor Summers of 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 & 2008 Travel Alberta Field, Canmore & Walsh (2008, 2005 & 2004), Edmonton (2007), Chinook Country Tourism (2003) Provided guidance to tourists regarding tourism products, accommodation and travel information; Completed projects to improve information centre functions including developing brochure tracking systems using MS Excel and compiling research on local and regional tourism products; Created innovated and visually appealing display boards, and information packages designed to inspire visitors to stay longer and do more EDUCATION Masters of Arts in Tourism Policy & Planning, Current January 2013 (expected) University of Waterloo Course average 93% Thesis topic: Deep-Seated Motivation in Tourism Bachelor of Tourism Management (Honours) 2011 Thompson Rivers University Double major: management & entrepreneurship Commended for Outstanding Performance in Thesis: Wayfinding: Tourist Signs & the Case of graduating class of 2011 School of Tourism Penticton, BC Overall GPA 3.95 Certifications Foundations of Project Management I February 2012 Fundamentals of University Teaching Ongoing SCHOLARSHIPS & AWARDS Senate Scholarship Award April 2012 Applied Health Sciences - University of Waterloo Best Research Poster in Improving our Living Conditions April 2011 Thompson Rivers University Undergraduate Research Conference, Kamloops BC Vancouver Airport Authority Scholarship October 2010 Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops BC COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT Ringette Referee Kitchener Waterloo, Thompson Okanagan, Edmonton, Lethbridge Website & Social Media Coordinator Graduate Association of Recreation & Leisure Studies Secretary and Promotions Coordinator TRU Economic Student Association Student Committee Member Rural Tourism Conference Planning Committee Ringette Coach Edmonton & Lethbridge Ringette REFERENCES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST 1997-Present 2011-Present 2009-2011 2009-2010 2002-2007