ShareMcLean, Virginia, August 31, 2022 – With the hospitality industry facing an uncertain landscape in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the HSMAI Foundation is launching a first-of-its-kind global competition designed to inspire fresh thinking on how to market in this environment and to create a platform for developing and rewarding future leaders in this area.
The competition is open to teams of up to four undergraduate or graduate students; students from different schools may compete on the same team. Each team must submit a recorded group presentation of a marketing plan for their choice of a hotel company by December 31, 2022.
The Foundation competition’s theme, “Recovery and Revival,” speaks both to the opportunity for renewal for the hospitality industry and the challenges of developing marketing messages and campaigns that will resonate with consumers who may still be uncertain about traveling.
“This case competition gives a new generation of thinkers the opportunity to address real challenges facing the industry,” says Stowe Shoemaker, dean of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Harrah College of Hospitality and HSMAI Foundation board member.
The group presentations will be evaluated by a panel of leading academicians from throughout the global hospitality industry. The panel will identify the top two teams for the undergraduate track and top two teams for the graduate track. The finalist teams will present their work at the final competition event (virtual), which is tentatively scheduled to take place in March 2023.
“This is truly a one-of-a-kind event in hospitality marketing,” says Laurie Wu, Ph.D., chair of the Competition Organizing Committee and associate professor, Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management, at Temple University. “The resources and connections HSMAI have devoted to developing this competition are truly amazing. For our students who are passionate about hospitality marketing, this means the opportunity to shine, to showcase their talent on a global platform, and to establish connections. This altogether will be invaluable for their career development, and invaluable for the future of our field.”
The winning undergraduate and graduate student teams will receive $2,000 in prize money. Equally valuable, they and their competitors will receive hands-on experiential practice in hospitality marketing and pave the way for future industry-academia collaborations to champion new generations of hospitality marketing leaders.
The Foundation collegiate competition builds on some of the Foundation’s other 2022 initiatives to attract talent to the hospitality sales, marketing, and revenue disciplines, including—
- the launch of a video series titled “Career Stories: Success Stories from Hospitality Champions”;
- a well-attended Virtual Intercollegiate Global Conference produced in partnership with the HSMAI Greater New York Chapter;
- the awarding of the annual Mike Dimond scholarships; and
- a series of faculty forums for those who teach sales, marketing, and revenue classes in hospitality programs.
Additional information about the Foundation competition and a link to the competition application are available here.
Media Contact:
Stuart Hales
HSMAI
stuart.hales@wearemci.com
About the HSMAI Foundation
The HSMAI Foundation is a 501 c3 organization established in 1983 to serve as the research and educational arm of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International. The Foundation’s mission is to elevate the overall caliber and performance of sales, marketing, and revenue management professionals in the global hospitality industry by driving initiatives that will attract new talent, develop emerging talent, and engage existing talent. The work of the Foundation is supported by private donations and corporate talent partners. Visit hsmaifoundation.org for more information.