Academics, Execs Meet at UNLV Hospitality & Convention Summit

Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 6/28/2004

Events in the exhibition industry labeled "educational" usually are either academic conferences or speeches by industry pros heavy on the how-to of things. But that wasn't the case at the June 5–7 Las Vegas Intl. Hospitality & Convention Summit, produced by the University of Nevada Las Vegas' William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration.

"Professors need a place to present research to the industry, and the industry needs a place to learn from the professors and interact with them," said event organizer and UNLV Professor Patti Shock. She noted that professors sometimes get locked in their ivory towers, and hearing from the industry can give them valuable information to take back to their classrooms.

This was the summit's first year in a format that embraced the hospitality community in addition to the convention industry. Shock produced nine Convention/Expo Summits between 1989 and 2000; the 10th Convention/Expo Summit was held in Hong Kong last year. "This year, because the number of convention educators is still low, we expanded into the broader hospitality area," Shock said.

Attendee M.T. Hickman, program coordinator for travel, exposition and meeting management at Richland College in Dallas, agreed. "This is the best way for me to network with educators who understand what I do," she said. "It is so nice to go to a conference where I can talk to fellow educators and share the challenges and successes of teaching this material."

The summit showcased advanced research and practices in tourism, particularly in hospitality and convention management. It also offered students hands-on experience planning and producing the meeting. There were 28 presenters, 96 attendees and six exhibitors, with a surprising number from overseas, Shock said.

Juli Finnell Jones, vice president of the Convention Industry Council, offered a 90-minute presentation on CIC's Accepted Practices Exchange initiative, which seeks to implement industry-wide standardized practices and procedures. Jones said she liked the summit's emphasis on sharing new ideas and information. "My presentation on APEX was a great success. Attendees got a better sense for what it can and will mean for them and their students," she said.

Intl. Assn. for Exhibition Management President Steven Hacker, who spoke on exhibition management education, said, "The audience was enthusiastic, and several professors expressed real interest in learning more about exhibitions, which are all too often overlooked in favor of meetings and conventions."

The next summit is scheduled for June 6–8, 2005 in Las Vegas.