Lasell College hosted the first ever Hospitality Day on March 4th. Specifically designed for students in Hospitality Management, Event Management and Resort and Casino Management departments to help provide connections and to learn more about how they can be successful in their field. Juniors, Deirdre Duddy-Kennedy and Briana Penney, planned the event, an entire day full of panels, lectures, and a networking luncheon.
Sodexo catered the continental breakfast and Spinelli’s catering sponsored the networking luncheon. Mohegan Sun also sponsored the event with CEO, Mitchell Grossinger Etess, as the keynote speaker.
The conference included an alumni panel with speakers Sarah Robinson, Special Services Manager at Winston Flowers, Megan McCool, Event Marketer at Wellesley Information Services, Harsh Trivedi, Owner of New Light Inc., and Ainsley Wolfe, Customer Service & Operations Coordinator for the Special Interest Group Department of Odysseys Unlimited. There were three breakout sessions throughout the day, each with two speakers. Topics included Dining Etiquette, Interview Skills, and Sporting Event Management. There was also an internship and career fair that featured companies such as The Downtown Harvard Club of Boston, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, and Liz Page Associates. Andrea Delucia, Event Planner and Owner of Elegance and Grace Weddings was a favorite speaker among students in the industry. “She was inspirational. She started from nothing and created this amazing business,” said freshman Madison Garside. Penta agreed, saying “She was honest and straight down to business.”
The evening concluded with a New England Area Hospitality Student Hors d’oeuvre Reception, where students outside of Lasell College were also invited in to connect with fellow students in the industry. Students agree that they day was extremely successful, professional, and allowed them to learn more about the industry as well as practice networking.
Duddy, who has been dreaming of bringing this day to Lasell since freshman year, said“[The] success was due to the overwhelming support, commitment, and investment that both the students and professionals had in the event. Prospective and current students majoring or minoring in hospitality management, event management or resort and casino management seized the opportunities that the day had, which resulted in an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from industry professionals and speakers who were blown away by the professionalism, interest, and commitment that our students had in their career and furthering their academic advancement.”
And for next year? “Ideas are already forming for how to make next year’s bigger and better and we hope more and more students will continue to see the possibilities and endless opportunities,” says Duddy. Expect this to become an annual event at Lasell with continued progress through student planning.