RMBS History

legacy | history | the executive | school of business

In 1960, Dr. Bill Preshing, former professor at the University of Alberta School of Business, initated “Student Business Day” which was mandatory for all Commerce students. This all day event, which would eventually evolve into what is now known as the Rocky Mountain Business Seminar, had the goal of bringing together students and esteemed members of the business community. The event was deemed a success and with the support of the University of Alberta’s first Dean of Business, Dr. Hu Harries, it grew to a 3 day event with involvement from schools from all over Western Canada. In the mid 1960s the seminar was held at the Banff Springs Hotel and became known as the Banff Springs Business Seminar (BSBS). 

In the early 1970s a handful of motivated Commerce students, took it upon themselves to take full responsibility for the work and expense that went into the conference, a practice that still exists today. Over the years, the event continued to evolve into a dynamic and educating experience for undergraduate Commerce students across Canada. In 1988, after a change of venue due to the Calgary Winter Olympic Games, the conference was renamed to the Rocky Mountain Business Seminar (RMBS). Accordingly, the past eighteen years have seen RMBS circulate among various hotels throughout the Rockies before establishing itself at its current location, the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.