FIU Hosts Visionary Leaders Roundtable in Hong Kong

MIAMI – SINGAPORE (March 7,2017) – Florida International University(FIU)’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management (CSHTM) and its Institute for Hospitality & Tourism Education & Research (IHTER) brought together senior leaders from Asia’s most valued hospitality brands for the 5th Annual Visionary Leaders Roundtable in Hong Kong.

Held on February 9, 2017 at Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel, this exclusive ‘invitation-only’ event welcomed a select group of prominent hospitality thought leaders from Asia to address pertinent issues that have a profound impact on future growth of the hospitality industry.

“As the global business environment is facing constant and rapid transformation, hospitality industry leaders must be prepared to innovate and manage change at a faster pace,” said Mike Hampton, dean, Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University.

With a focus on Foresight to Action: Tools, Talent and Tenacity, the two session topics were:

• Planning for the Unpredictable
• Future Proofing Your Technology

Presenting partners, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) Asia, MacroVision Network Pte. Ltd., Rainmaker Group and Sabre Hospitality Solutions actively engaged participants throughout the day and played a vital role in the program delivery.

Executives sharing their insight and perspective at this roundtable were:

• Tejveer Singh Bedi, Group Director of Revenue Management, Park Hotel Group
• Dr. Jennifer Cronin, President, Marco Polo Hotels
• Siv Forlie, Vice President, Revenue Management, Shangri-La International Hotel Management Ltd.
• Michael Hobson, Chief Marketing Officer, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group
• Joey Kang, Senior Director Asia Pacific – Operations, Rainmaker Group
• James Lee, Director of Finance, Sofitel Singapore City Centre & Chapter President, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) Asia
• Simon Manning, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Langham Hotels & Resorts
• Philip Schaetz, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Marco Polo Hotels
• Tan Yi Sheng, Senior Vice President, Casino Strategy, Planning and Operations, Genting Hong Kong

Facilitators guiding the discussion topics were:

• Patrick Andres, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Rainmaker Group
• John Enright, Director, Global Partner Solution Services, Sabre Hospitality Solutions
• Dr. Mike Hampton, Dean, Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, Florida International University
• Christine Toguchi, Managing Director, MacroVision Network Pte. Ltd.

The organizers of this event will soon publish and share with the industry a white paper outlining key outcomes and opportunities. For more information, please visit ihter.fiu.edu

                                                                      -FIU-

About Florida International University’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management:

Florida International University's Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management has been distinguished as one of the top hospitality programs in the U.S. More than 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students from across the United States and around the world choose FIU for its outstanding reputation, advantageous campus locations, expert faculty, rich curriculum, and fast-track career opportunities in the international hotel, foodservice and tourism industries. In August 2006 FIU unveiled the first US School of Hospitality and Tourism in Tianjin, China. The Marriott Tianjin China Program is FIU's largest international program, with a capacity for up to 1,000 students. For more information about Florida International University's School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, visit http://hospitality.fiu.edu/.

About Florida International University:

Florida International University is classified by Carnegie as a “R1: Doctoral Universities - Highest Research Activity” and recognized as a Carnegie Community Engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in fields such as business engineering, computer science, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida’s anchor institutions, FIU contributes almost $9 billion each year to the local economy and is ranked second in Florida in Forbes Magazine’s “America’s Best Employers” list. FIU graduates are consistently among the highest paid college graduates in Florida and are among the leaders of public and private organizations throughout South Florida. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission with multiple state-of-the-art research facilities including the Wall of Wind Research and Testing Facility, FIU’s Medina Aquarius Program and the Advanced Materials Engineering Research Institute. FIU has awarded more than 220,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, the Miami Beach Urban Studios, and Tianjin, China. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and more than 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.

Media contact:

Jia Zhu

Email: jiazhu@fiu.edu

Tel: 305-919-4136