UNE students put business coursework to work for Icelandic eco-tourism companies

Twelve University of New England students recently traveled to Iceland to consult for small eco-tourism businesses as part of an Arctic Tourism course. 

The students spent the semester developing marketing plans for Icelandic clients before presenting their recommendations in person at the end of May. Many of their proposals, including a new website strategy for Hotel Hafnir and a cooking class concept for Grindavick Guest House, were well received and will be implemented, they said. 

Connor Pepin (Biological Science, ’27) worked on a team of students who helped Hotel Hafnir design a website and find new ways to establish a social media presence. Pepin might never run a business, but he said learning how to do so gave him a strong new set of professional skills.

“This taught me different ways people can collaborate with other professionals and businesses to achieve a common goal,” Pepin said. “I believe that what I learned will help me become a better professional. I can take what I have learned and help the companies I work for build a stronger foundation for their business models.”

Although the class was primarily a business course, it drew more than students majoring in outdoor business and innovation (OBI), the only undergraduate major of its kind in the nation. It also drew students studying biological science and environmental science. Aimee Vlachos, Ed.D., a teaching professor at UNE’s College of Business and the founder and director of its OBI program, said the public speaking and presentation skills the course demanded in a strange, new culture were profound no matter the students’ area of study.

“The Arctic Tourism course delivers hands-on learning at every level, from interactions with real business owners to working on a project to help a client’s business thrive. But the life skills and soft skills this course taught went far beyond the marketing expertise and business acumen the students developed,” Vlachos said. “These students had to develop a relationship with business owners from another country and then meet them in that country, all while learning and adapting to a new culture. It’s not an exaggeration to say the experience had the potential to be life changing.”

This past winter, three student groups met with their Icelandic clients on Zoom to learn more about their business needs to help them design social media platforms, website designs, mission statements, and promotional events and offerings.

Then the students worked on the semester-long projects, honing their marketing presentations and ideas for a proposal based on their respective clients' business needs. 

Shelby Budzko (Environmental Science, ’27) said the Icelandic landscape blew her away because there were so few people out on the land, scarcely any forests, and miles of lava rock, some of it covered by “pillows of squishy moss.” 

“It wasn’t like anything I had ever seen. It was so interesting,” Budzko said.

Then there was the challenge of working with a small business owner to help them improve their company and draw more customers.

“I thought it was a really great experience,” said Arden Caley (Environmental Studies, ’27). “I’m proud of the ideas we came up with for our client.”

While neither Caley nor Budzko major in business, they said the experience of helping their client, Grindavik Guest House, was empowering. 

“We talked with our client about how food is an important part of culture and how when people go to a different country, the first thing they want to do is try the food. So, we thought it would be cool if she incorporated a cooking class into her cafe, teaching traditional Icelandic dishes,” Budzko said. 

Their resulting presentation in Iceland, Caley called “more of an open conversation, rather than us talking at her.” 

“It was more of a collaborative effort,” Caley said. “One of the goals of her business was to connect tourists and locals together and make them more of a community. So that’s what we focused on helping her do.”