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KSU - Hospitality Management Students Hear Industry Speaker

By Lorie Scott, CMP, HelmsBriscoe

I was invited by two former instructors to speak at my alma mater on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008. It was quite a treat to walk what I consider "hallowed" grounds in Manhattan, Kan. I had reconnected with Dr. Betsy Barrett and Mr. Pat Pesci when I attended the reception this past August to meet the Hospitality and Dietetics students doing internships in the Kansas City Metro and their employers. It took a couple of months to finally get a date to maximize my time at the University.

I was able to speak to three different groups of students: 1) Introduction to Hospitality Management, 2) Convention and Event Management, and 3) The Hospitality Management Society. Overall, I was able to connect with about 100 students at the beginnings and ends of their education. Topics discussed were varied and included my basic career path and how I got to where I am today, what exactly HelmsBriscoe does and the opportunities that may arise for them, what it means to me to be a

professional,

as well as the value of belonging to and being involved in a professional organization. I talked a lot about KCMPI and discussed the new program rolled out by MPI Headquarters called the "Student in Transition" which allows student members annual fees to gradually increase over a three-year period until they are more established in the industry. I stressed the necessity of networking with others in the industry not only for knowledge but also for future job searches.

Approximately 25 of the students that I spoke to expressed interest in joining KCMPI. Our Membership Committee will maintain additional contact with them throughout the year and until they graduate. I truly appreciated the opportunity to give back to Kansas State University and to be able to share my experiences, good and bad, with the students entering our chosen profession whether it be in hotels, event planning and management, the culinary arts, a speakers bureau, a convention and visitors authority or any other of the myriad of career possibilities that are out there.


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