While the third annual UGA Hospitality and Tourism Summit took place at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel, UGA student Scott Chapman hovered in the hallway, notebook in hand, confirming that fellow students were in their assigned places to help summit attendees bid on items in a silent auction.

Chapman, a senior in the capstone class for UGA’s Hospitality and Food Industry Management (HFIM) degree program, also scheduled fellow seniors in the class to register attendees, moderate panel discussions, ferry microphones to audience members during sessions, and staff designated posts during the day, in order to direct attendees to bathrooms, refreshment breaks, and lunch in the center’s Magnolia Ballroom.

This year, the capstone project for HFIM students was to work directly with the leaders and staff at the Georgia Center to plan and implement almost all aspects of the annual Hospitality and Tourism Summit. According to Chapman, a Savannah native, his internship at the Georgia Center’s hotel front desk prepared him for his summit assignment.

“That really taught me a lot about navigating needs,” said Chapman, who will begin work as a finance manager-in-training at the Denver Four Seasons Hotel after graduating in May.

The students’ duties included identifying speakers for panel discussions, pursuing sponsors, planning meal and break menus, organizing a silent auction, managing the budget and staffing the event. Many of the students had previously worked or interned with the Georgia Center, which provides a learning laboratory for the HFIM program. Working alongside their professional mentors made the summit an extended experiential learning opportunity. 

Of more than 300 hospitality programs in the United States, very few have full-service hotels and conference centers that are run independently, like the Georgia Center, said John Salazar, who heads the HFIM program, based in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

“The Georgia Center is the foundation of our program,” Salazar said. “We can modify the learning experience to meet the specific needs and wants of the students.”

Dan Remar, UGA assistant professor who teaches the capstone class, said he intentionally gave students little direction to help them line up speakers, organize the silent auction or plan the lunch menu. It was incumbent on them to use the skills they’d learned through the program and look to their mentors at the Georgia Center for guidance.

“You want them to problem solve and figure these things out,” Remar said. “You’re pushing them to learn without helping them. That’s the goal.”

“We’ll try to learn what works, what didn’t work, and continue next year,” Remar said.

One lesson learned was the importance of being prepared to handle the pivots often necessary in event management.

When Maya Dubos, a senior in the capstone class, realized a session might end earlier than planned, she checked with food services at the Georgia Center to see if the snacks and drinks scheduled for the morning break could be ready sooner.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned is to be flexible,” says Dubos, who served as assisting coordinator of the summit and will begin work as an event planner at Atlanta’s Cobb Galleria Centre after graduation. “You don’t have to have a plan, but you have to be able to make a plan.”

The event sold out with 160 registrations. About 80 people attended the summits in 2022 and 2023, with most of the attendees from UGA the first year, as HFIM faculty focused on introducing the university community to the program. In 2023, university faculty joined industry professionals in panel discussions.

This year summit registrations came from individuals in the hospitality and food industry in addition to the university community. Delta Airlines, IHG Hotels and Resorts, the Marriott’s Ritz Carlton Division, Sea Island Resort, and Waffle House were among the major companies represented. Their leaders shared their insights on food, lodging, conventions, tourism, marketing and more.

Their advice to the students? Get as much experience as possible.

“Work in as many restaurants as you can. You’ll get great experience seeing how different they can be,” Drew French, Your Pie founder and 2005 UGA graduate, said during the All About Food panel discussion. “You’ll learn really early whether you love it or not.”