Since 2010, the EHL Hospitality Business School has been hosting the Young Hospitality Summit (YHS), the largest hospitality summit organised by students.
40 EHL students are hard at work organising this summit with one goal in mind: to create an engaging and relevant summit, focusing on bringing together the youth and industry professionals to discuss pressing topics within and adjacent to the hospitality industry.
This year's theme is "The Double B: Bridging Concepts, Beyond Realities".
With just a few days to go before this summit meeting, Caroline Baggio, President of the 2024 edition, talks to us about the programme and the importance of such a meeting for the participating students.We're already in March, just a few days away from the launch of the summit… How many schools and students are taking part in this edition?We have 25 schools from around the globe, and 63 delegates attending YHS 2024.Why do you think it is interesting to bring together professionals and student delegations?It is interesting because the bond formed between aspiring leaders and experienced professionals creates a special connection. They share their wisdom, career stories, life lessons, and valuable advice with young students, making it an enriching experience for all. The results from the last event were incredibly positive. Attendees left YHS with lasting industry relationships, valuable knowledge, and a deeper understanding of the real world in the Hospitality industry.You have four pillars: YHSTalks, YHSChallenge, YHSessions and YHSocials. How do they complement each other?All of these pillars complement each other in a way that they offer different perspectives on the topics discussed throughout the summit.
For example, YHSTalks are mostly focused on speakers and industry professionals engaging in discussions about common topics but with different perspectives, such as in panels, or sharing insights about their own career paths and how they applied concepts to achieve their goals, as seen in the keynotes.
After gaining insights, delegates can share their perspectives and learn from one another during YHSocials.
YHSessions are workshops designed for our partners and delegates to network and interact. They provide a platform for partners to discuss new ideas.
Lastly, the YHSchallenge is a case set by our Presenting Partner, challenging delegates to find innovative solutions and think outside the box using the insights gained throughout the three days of the conference. On the final day, finalists present their solutions and compete for prizes.Tell us more about the challenge, which is clearly where all the students go to work hard, with little sleep in between? Do you have any examples of innovative solutions that have been put into practice in the past?The 3 days are packed with information and fun activities for the delegates, but most importantly, they are also packed with breaks and a night off during the second day, where delegates should not only work on their projects for the challenge but also rest and enjoy time with new friends and connections they made throughout the day.
The challenge is also shared in advance with delegates, giving them a chance to come already prepared to face the challenge!
Previous innovative solutions include sustainable practices for hospitality companies.The three days are packed with keynotes and panels with experts, each more interesting than the other. How long did it take your team to prepare? What were the biggest challenges?The YHS team began preparing for this year's summit at the end of June, once the new presidents were announced. After hiring the team, which consists of 40 EHL students, with 25 different nationalities, from different BOSC programs, YHS began organizing the new concept for 2024.
In total, the team has been working hard for 11 months leading up to the summit while pursuing the study program at EHL.
Because YHS is a student-led organization, we have full responsibility for creating an event that brings together more than 200 people, including students from other schools, industry professionals, and partners. This task is more complex and challenging than it may seem, but we were able to coordinate efforts to reach our full potential and successfully bring YHS 2024 to life!On a personal level, what have you enjoyed most so far? Did you take part in the challenge last year?What I have enjoyed the most so far is the teamwork and real-life experience we get by organizing such event. This experience is for sure added value to my future career path and professional experience. I took part in the team last edition as well and look forward to bringing another YHS edition to life.
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