The hospitality industry is a small and close-knit industry, so it is important that I make as many professional connections as possible. Coming into the trip, I only knew the people in the Payne School as well as the industry professional guest speakers that came in for HTM201. However, I was severely lacking in connections pertaining to my emphasis: events, and Palm Springs was the perfect trip to change that. We met Heather Gage-Lewis and Fred Bell at the Palm Springs Air Museum; Chauncey Rafferty at the Palm Springs Convention Center; Ellen Bluestein and Frank Goldstin at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens; Cheryl Magdaleno and Kal Khattache at the Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage; and Sunny McNair at the Flannery Exchange. I especially loved the energy and passion that Rafferty and Goldstin showed when touring us around the venue and telling us stories of their previous events. With their business card in hand and a follow on their LinkedIn page, I have more than doubled my network in the events industry.

I came into the meetings and events emphasis with an interest in corporate events, but I am aware that my knowledge of working in events is extremely limited, let alone the different types of events. Another one of my goals was to come back home from the trip with a better sense of which type of event I want to focus on. During the trip, I remember resonating with the work Chauncey Rafferty did the most, but after some reflection I realized that it was not the nature of her work that drew me in, but her passion and the amazing team and clientele that she works with every day. Meanwhile, I had expected to enjoy the Flannery Exchange the most, since it seemed more geared towards corporate purposes, but I was disappointed to find that it was the most lackluster one of them all for me. Perhaps it was because it was not really about events but more about rental space, so the personal aspect that drew me into the event industry became more transactional and grey. Perhaps I simply need to introspect more on what I truly want to do and be more open to the possibility that it may not be corporate events. Either way, this was extremely insightful for me, because it taught me that the people and environment I work with is equally as important as the nature of my work.

Admittedly, there are times when I wonder if I should have stayed in Statistics. When these thoughts invade my mind, my motivation in any HTM work I am engaging in that moment falters ever so slightly, and that flicker of doubt can be felt by the people around me. I believe that in order to fully and truly dedicate myself to the hospitality industry, I have to let go of these regrets. Unfortunately, the trip was not as much of a defining moment as I thought it would be in this regard. With every industry professional that we met, I felt their passion with every breath. It made myself wonder if I could even imagine myself working alongside them with equal enthusiasm. They also had extremely creative minds and could envision what others may think is impossible. I looked around to my classmates, who seemed to share the same vision, and my doubt grew even greater. But, I won’t give up. Internally, I refer back to my previous reflection: the people and environment that I work with is equally as important as the nature of my work. Perhaps I haven’t found exactly the right work, exactly the right environment, and exactly the right team yet, but I sure am happier than I was when I was in Statistics. Although this goal did not feel as concretely fulfilled as the others, I at the very least gained some hope in finding the right workspace that can make me as happy as these industry professionals appear in their element.