Study Tours

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Each spring, students from the Center's fashion club, Trend, were able to attending the annual MAGIC Fashion Trade Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition, the Center is able to coordinate visits to various study tour stops including, in recent years, visits to Zappos' headquarters where students had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the company's culture,and the Louis Vuitton store on the Las Vegas Strip where they were able to view the collaborative exhibit by artist James Turell. While the students love visiting the stores most say the highlight of their experience was getting to meet and chat with industry leaders such as Kelly Helfman, the current president of WWDMagic. Through these interactions, students are able to hear about all that goes into making the “magic” happen at the trade show that displays largest selection of women's apparel and accessories in the industry.

Each January, in association with the National Retail Federation's annual Big Show event, the Center organizes a trip to New York City to visit leading companies in the area as well as attend the NRF's student program.  This trip is coordinated with the Center's National Retail Foundation Student Association (NRFSA),  Some recent stops on the Center's organized tour stops have included Macy's flagship store and headquarters, Winston Retail, REI, Nike's SOHO store, Brooks Brothers, GAP headquarters and more! This trip also provided students with the opportunity to attend the National Retail Federation (NRF) Foundation's Student Program, where thousands of retail students from universities from across the nation are able to hear from CEOs, EVPs, Entrepreneurs, CFOs about the projects and initiatives they are working towards. The programs concludes with a career fair and a majority of our students were invited for interviews for both internships and full time positions!

Each summer at the conclusion of the academic year, the Center hosts a special study tour opportunity for students to visit a city or region that is focused on the retailing and brand industry.  These focused one-week long excursions provide the opportunity for students to dive deeply into learning about the specific strategies and career opportunities at top retailers and brands.  In the past, these trips have taken students to San Francisco, Seattle and Portland to visit outstanding companies and their leaders such as REI, Winston Retail, Levi's, Walmart.com, Amazon, Starbucks and many others.

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Throughout the academic year, the Center organizes special one-day study tours focused on either a specific retailer or brand or an individual aspect of the industry. These short, intensive trips provide a great opportunity for students to engage with leaders of the industry but with the flexibility of doing so over a single day and at no cost to the student. In the past, these trips have included visits to PetSmart's - headquartered in Phoenix as well as an annual supply chain tour with stops at several distribution and fulfillment centers in the Phoenix area. These stops have included Amazon, Macys.com, REI, and PetSmart. Other anticipated trips - with a slightly extended itinerary - are to southern California.