Thoughts from a SHA Alum, Current Grad Student, and Member of the Planning Committee
By Chavisa Ramyarupa
On a Sunday afternoon, almost precisely four months to date, I received an email from my long-time marketing professor, Leora Lanz. Enclosed was an elevator pitch for the SHA Leadership Summit and a request for an appointment. Naturally, I took the meeting and soon after, was inducted into the Planning Committee.
The organizing body comprised of eight students and three Co-Chairs – it features a salient line-up of women who have been attached to the project since early fall. As the twelfth and final member, my role was the primary liaison for keynotes and speakers. I oversaw details spanning from content calls with participants to pursuing catering leads and drafting media release forms. Concurrently, each team member managed their designated niche, individually building towards our shared vision.
Once a week our timeline would converge via a video conference. Wednesdays 9:15 pm, to be exact. These sessions allowed us to pitch new ideas and report on our progress. The platform also encouraged an open discussion: we debated over minutiae including program graphics, hashtags, and swag bags; In addition to finetuning abstracts like our messaging, syntax, and tone.
Through these conversations, a recurring theme on event logistics emerged. One of our biggest apprehensions going in was the venue. Holding a function at the School of Hospitality meant that we could not utilize the perks a hotel would inherently provide. Instead, we had to approach the challenge creatively – whether it be repurposing furniture from the Dean’s suite or leveraging educational partnerships for F&B.
Above all though, was the concern surrounding the auditorium. That Friday, classes resumed as usual even with the seminar happening. This detail meant we had a mere 15-minute window – between the final lecture and our opening keynote – to turn over the room. To prepare, our student planner, Kristen Verdeaux SHA MMH ‘19, outlined a minute-by-minute logistics plan. This cheat sheet mapped out the who, what, where, and when, over the entire summit duration.
Incidentally, it also revealed that the majority of my responsibilities centered around Friday’s critical setup period. In light of this, plus my introductory speech, I went in quite nervous.
Nevertheless, the mood upon my arrival caught me by surprise. Having met the Planning Committee all together virtually only, I did not know what to expect. Fortunately, there was an immediate sense of camaraderie; An intuitive flow between the students, which transpired from our months’ worth of groundwork. So, with the support of my peers, my “moment of truth” went over successfully.
With my biggest hurdle out of the way, I was excited to experience the panels and workshops our team put together. As a graduate student, it was especially rewarding to reunite with my classmates, given that most of us work full-time during the spring. Together, we engaged with contributors of different ages, occupations, interests, race, and backgrounds.
Funnily enough, even in the face of all this diversity, copious notions rang true between speakers. One concept that stuck with me was patience. Many panelists identified our generation as too fixated on quick gains for power, profit, and promotion – without first paying our dues. This tendency bridges across industries, as seen in cooks demanding to be Chefs and analysts coveting for CEO.
Instead, the speakers stressed skills and practice. Similarly, workshops like Negotiations reinforced this sentiment. It demonstrated how to probe for alternative work benefits. Case in point: by inquiring for early review periods, free dry cleaning, and extra paid time off, when salary-based advances are not viable. Alternatively, it was also fascinating to hear from the industry leaders’ perspective, with proactive responses like creating professional programs with more incremental rewards.
That being said, patience was just one of my numerous takeaways from the weekend – a droplet among a sea of wisdom. More importantly, I not only grew as an attendee but equally so as a committee member. In a way, the planning process served as the hands-on extension to the lessons imparted during the leadership summit: from Managing Up, to Mentorship and The Art of Conversation.
