FAQ
What are the key dates for this competition?
February 19, 2024, by 11.59 pm: Applications due
February 23, 2024: Announcement of teams selected to proceed to Stage 2
March 18, 2024: Stage 2 Presentations, with each team presenting for 8 minutes to judges, followed by 12 minutes of Q&A
March 21, 2024: Announcement of teams selected to compete in the Finals
April 2, 2024: The Finals of the Student Wellbeing Track take place
April 4, 2024: The Finals of the Open and Social Impact Tracks take place during the 2024 Hospitality Innovation Competition
How do you define Hospitality?
When we say Hospitality, we are referring to the world of hotels, resorts, restaurants, meetings and events, cruise lines, membership clubs, wellness, and senior living facilities. Your idea or venture could be related to a new business model, an innovative way to address a current problem or be related to areas such as technology, real estate, sustainability or any others within the hospitality industry. Email us at shaideas@bu.edu, if you aren’t sure your idea qualifies, and we’ll be happy to help.
Who is eligible to enter the competition?
HA’s Innovation Competition is open to all undergraduate and graduate students currently attending Boston University, and alumni who graduated in 2023. Teams must have a minimum of 2 and maximum of 5 members. All members must be in good academic standing with a minimum GPA of 2.5.
Teams are not required to have an operating venture or a full business plan to apply; any team with a great idea that is hospitality-related can apply. They must however use their time in the competition to work on their idea and refine it during the next two stages.
Students or teams that won prizes in previous years of the competition are not eligible to apply again with the same idea or venture.
Can I apply for all three categories of the competition?
While all teams are welcome and encouraged to apply for the Open Track (OT), they should also indicate applicability of their idea to the Social Impact Track (SIT) or the Student Wellbeing Track (WT) during the application process if relevant. Teams may only receive one prize across the various tracks.
Throughout the selection process, teams in the OT that are deemed more suited for either the SIT or the WT will be reassigned accordingly. This process ensures that all participants are competing for the largest prize money while simultaneously leveraging their specific project strengths. The placement decision by SHA and the adjudicating panel is final.
What are the requirements to apply for the Student Wellbeing Track?
The following requirements apply to all applications submitted for the Student Wellbeing Track:
- Ventures must be non-clinical concepts that support student wellbeing
- Ventures must be student facing, meaning the end users are current BU students
- Ventures must be original and cannot be a remix of an existing initiative at BU
- Teams must identify a primary campus sponsor who has agreed to facilitate delivery and execution of venture to facilitate continuity should students graduate during the delivery period
- Delivery timeline: Deliverable in Summer 2024 or during the 2024-2025 academic year
The three winners of the Student Wellbeing Track agree to two conditions:
- Complete the Student Wellbeing Program Feedback Report once the venture has been completed
- Participate in monthly check-in meetings with the Director of the Wellbeing Project leading up to the delivery of the venture
Can I apply on my own?
You may have a great idea, but it takes a team to execute it in the real world. We therefore require all participants in the Competition to be a part of teams that have between 2-5 members.
Can I apply with non-Boston University students?
The Competition is currently only open to students of Boston University and alumni who graduated in 2023.
Who will be judging my submission and application?
All applications in Stages 1 and 2 will be reviewed by a team of Boston University professors, alumni and members of the BUild Lab and the Office of Student Wellbeing. The final team presentations will be judged by senior industry leaders who have extensive experience creating and leading innovative organizations.
Do I retain ownership of my idea and venture?
Yes, each team retains the intellectual property rights to its ideas or concept, and retains complete ownership of its venture.
Contestants are however responsible for all confidentiality, copyright, trademark, and patent issues. Protection of sensitive materials such as intellectual property, copyright, patents, or confidentiality is the sole responsibility of contestants in the competition. Boston University and all related parties assume no liability and shall have no liability or obligation.
We would like to highlight that all presentations in the Finals will be made in front of a live audience. These presentations will also be recorded and be made available on the School of Hospitality Administration’s website and various social media channels. All teams are therefore required to ensure that they do not disclose confidential information in their slides or in their verbal presentations.
Additional questions?
Please contact us here to reach us with any further questions.