Two students from The School of Hospitality Business attended the HOLA and CHRIS conferences in Miami, Florida. The HOLA conference focuses on Latin America and the CHRIS conference focuses on the Caribbean.
The conference provided Lauren Trumbull (BA ’18) and Kennedy White (BA ’20) an opportunity to learn about international hotel investments, in particular the Caribbean and Latin American regions. This learning experience was possible in part by generous scholarship contributions from the Hospitality Business Real Estate Investment Advisory Council at MSU and an invitation to participate by the Burba Hotel Network: Jim Burba (BA ’77) and Jonathon Zink (BA ’04).
White and Trumbull volunteered to work at registration, breakout sessions, main sessions, and in the VIP lounge. These volunteer opportunities provided a variety of opportunities to network with many of the executives in the industry.
I am thankful for the opportunity to volunteer at the HOLA and CHRIS Conferences. It truly had an impact on my understanding of the industry outside of the United States. The opportunity to network with industry professionals also had an impact on my future career potential. Thank you! [Trumbull]
Attending and volunteering at the HOLA and CHRIS Conferences as a representative of Michigan State was an honor. I was able to learn so much about hotel investment and development in the Caribbean and Latin America, a region I previously knew very little about. Additionally, I was able to meet and make connections other volunteers from Europe and Latin America; this was probably my favorite part! I am thankful for this moving opportunity to network and gain valuable industry experience. Thank you, I look forward to making more connections in the future. [White]
