Semester Takeaways

        My number one takeaway from this semester was the importance of networking from the informational interview project. Although this project was extensive and required a lot of attention-to-detail, I felt like it was such a great experience for hospitality students. Going through the process of researching industry professionals, contacting them, scheduling and executing an interview, and writing a thorough report on the interview allowed me to gain knowledge on the process of an interviewer. It was also extremely rewarding to sit down with an events professional, and allowed me to work on my networking skills. It was so surprising to see how willing people are to share their knowledge and experiences, and I will definitely take advantage of informational interviews in the future.

        My second takeaway was from the different case analyses we did throughout the semester. Studying these different large-name establishments really allowed me to understand and gain insight on operations of the companies without having to work there. For instance, the Mission Hills case analysis allowed me to understand the importance of employees and consistent service. The cases also directly applied to the work I am currently doing, causing me to relate these big-scale lessons to my smaller-scale business.

        My last takeaway from the semester was how to respond to customers or guests through our different role-playing scenarios, and the video commentaries from Founding Farmers owner Dan Simons. It was interesting to go through the hands-on experience of situations from a managerial perspective, and then comparing my response to a successful business owner. Simon’s advice definitely helped me in how to respond to people in the service industry, and how to approach unhappy customers at my business.