Three UNOH Students traveled to Columbus, Ohio on September 22 to attend a state conference that was organized by the Ohio Hotel Lodging Associations, workforce/education committee. The students who attended the event were Kaylee Henderson, Huntsville, Ohio majoring in Business Administration, Kaylee Adams, Kenton, Ohio, majoring in Travel and Hospitality Management, and Grant Boecker, Delphos, Ohio, majoring in Travel and Hospitality Management.
John Strouse, UNOH Assistant Professor in the College of Business, serves as the second vice chair for the committee and assisted in the organization of the conference.
The conference consisted of three sessions:
The first session featured the Chief Operating Officer of UpShift. The focus of this session was about how many different career opportunities there are in the hospitality industry, regardless of one's major or experience. Activities were set up at each table for attendees to participate in. UNOH student, Kaylee Adams, volunteered to be the spokesperson and gave a great presentation about her table’s results to the attendees. “I was very grateful that I was able to attend the conference to meet the business people in the industry,” said Kaylee. “My one big take away was that my generation matters within the hospitality industry, that there are plenty of jobs to get, and they are listening to what is needed for their future careers."
The second session featured a three-member panel from industry and education to discuss the "Misconceptions of the Hospitality Industry". This session focused on all the negative misconceptions that are out there about the Hospitality Industry.
Kayle Henderson stated, "I enjoyed today's conference, it gave me insight on what it would be like to work in the hospitality industry. I also think times are changing where employers are looking for the opinion of their employees and more employees are voicing their opinions to their employers. I think it is going to be good to see the changes that are actually happening in the hospitality industry."
The Third Session was the “Hospitality Mutt Session”. This session featured a six-member panel comprised of industry professionals and educators. This session focused on many hospitality industry topics and what things would look like in the future within those topic areas, that included flexibility and misconceptions from the prior two sessions.
"I had a good time at today's conference,” said Grant Boeker. “We talked about all aspects of the hospitality industry. It is not just hotels but also restaurants, event planning, and conventions. the conference got me very excited to be in this industry, where I can work with many people."
After the summit ended, the three UNOH students and Professor Strouse stated, "This was a great experience for the students to spend the day networking with industry educators and professionals to gain contacts for future employment, as well as a better understanding of the this dynamically global industry. Also, the hospitality industry is seeking graduates with all different majors (Business and Technical) and experiences to fill vacancies throughout the industry."
Original source can be found here.
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