Two students from The School of Hospitality Business traveled to Switzerland to attend the Young Hotelier Summit (YHS) from March 12-14, 2018. The YHS has been hosted at Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) every year since its introduction in 2010. As YHS is an independent event, organized by a selected team of students from EHL, it attracts students, the academic body, and professionals by taking advantage of its position as the most influential student-organized hospitality summit on a global scale. Through keynote speeches, workshops, and the YHS Challenge, all delegates and faculty from 40 leading hospitality institutions along with some of the most influential operators in hospitality had a positive and meaningful experience.
The delegates representing The School of Hospitality Business were Alex Trompke (BA ’18) and Shelbie Lock (BA ’19). In their own words:
Alex Trompke (BA ’18)
“Being able to attend the Young Hoteliers Summit in Lausanne, Switzerland March 12 through March 14 was an amazing experience. I am so blessed and fortunate to have been able to represent The School of Hospitality Business at Michigan State University. There were 78 students representing 40 universities around the world from 6 different continents. The purpose of the summit was to come together with these students to discuss trends in the industry and also learn from guest speakers from various companies such as Disney, Four Seasons, and Paramount Pictures Hotels. Most of the summit consisted of various networking opportunities, panel discussions, keynote speakers, and a challenge case study. The challenge case study was sponsored by Onefinestay, and we had to come together with four other students to create a concept to address the challenge topic. Such an inspiring opportunity to come together with like-minded students from all around the world, with such a diverse background in hospitality. Really thrilling to come and discuss new trends and solutions in the industry. I will be taking all of the topics, discussions, and networking from the event to take to my career.”
Shelbie Lock (BA ’19)
“Attending the Young Hoteliers Summit at the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I was able to network with like-minded students all over the world. Our days were spent at different networking events, panel discussions, and keynote speakers held by leading companies in the hospitality industry. We were able to bond with students through laser tag, gala dinners, and sales pitch competitions. My personal favorite was attending a gala dinner at the Olympic Museum. We were able to walk through the exhibit and then have a dinner with a live band and a chance to network with professionals and delegates. I will never forget this experience and hope to keep in touch with fellow delegates that I have formed relationships with. I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to represent Michigan State University at this prestigious conference.”
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