UNLV's William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration will host its annual Las Vegas International Hospitality and Convention Summit on June 5-7 at the Stan Fulton Building on the UNLV campus. The event, a capstone class for students studying events and meetings, is an affordable conference featuring the presentation of academic research and briefings from top industry professionals in the fields of hospitality, tourism, conventions, events, food & beverage, gaming, clubs, entertainment and leisure services.
"This summit serves two valuable purposes. It gives students in the capstone class real-world experience planning a meeting and convention, and it also brings premiere hospitality educators and industry leaders together to present their research," said Patti Shock, professor and chair of UNLV's Hotel College's Tourism and Convention Administration Department.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
The summit will present a full roster of informative sessions for hospitality professionals, as well as educators. Highlights include the Crystal Ball Panel: Forecasting the Future for the Hospitality Industry Across a Variety of Dimensions moderated by Stuart Mann, dean of the Hotel College. Panelists include Punam Mathur, senior vice president of corporate diversity and community affairs and corporate officer for MGM MIRAGE and Gus Tejeda, director of convention services at Bellagio Hotel & Casino.
A series of sessions, led by industry experts, will offer a unique forum for industry colleagues to exchange information and trade ideas on a range of topics, including the development of ecotourism, technology, the emergence of the Asian market and diversity.
SPECIAL SPEAKERS
The summit opens with a general session on "Technology Revolution: Preparing for the Next Wave," conducted by Steve Seghers, vice president of hospitality for HyperDisk Media, Inc., a leading e-marketing and technology agency that has represented over 150 hotels and tourism destinations, on Sunday, June 5 from 2-3 p.m.
The keynote speaker for the summit is Jim Moore, founder and president of Moore Ideas, Inc., which focuses on communication, training and advising to the hospitality and service industries. He is a consultant to many of the leading hospitality and service companies in the country today. He will speak on Tuesday, June 7 from 9-10 a.m. on "The 21 st Century Leader - Just Do It."
Also on Tuesday, June 7, the summit will host a luncheon with industry leader Phillip S. Cooke from 12-2 p.m. Cooke is chairman emeritus of FSA Group, an association management, communications, and meeting and events planning firm specializing in the foodservice and hospitality fields. His topic is "Present at the Creation: A Fast Review of the History of the FoodService and Hospitality Industry for the Past 50 Years."
All speeches are included in the registration price.
EXHIBITS
Exhibiting companies at the summit will showcase a variety of products and services including books and software. Exhibit hours are 4-7 p.m. on Sunday, June 6 and from 8-8:30 a.m. and 10-10:30 a.m. on Monday, June 6.
REGISTRATION
The registration fee is $275 if received by May 15, $300 if received between May 15 and June 5 and $350 at the door, space permitting. Additional information and registration information is available online at <a href="http://tca.unlv.edu/">http://tca.unlv.edu/</a> summit or by calling 702-895-0875.
