Agenda

TBD

Location: Fowler Auditorium in Stewart Center

Emma McKee, Organizational Effectiveness & Culture Strategist, Independent Consultant

Location: STEW 202

Exceptional customer and organizational experiences do not happen by accident. Behind every memorable interaction is a workplace culture shaped by leadership behaviors, communication, systems, expectations, and everyday employee experiences.

This session explores the “experience behind the experience” and examines how organizational culture directly influences trust, engagement, collaboration, consistency, and organizational performance. Participants will gain actionable insights and practical tools to help identify gaps between intended culture and lived experience, while exploring how leaders operationalize culture through everyday decisions, behaviors, systems, and interactions.

Designed for leaders and professionals in organizations where human experience and service are central to success, this session offers a practical and human-centered perspective on how intentional culture and leadership practices strengthen alignment, elevate organizational experiences, and drive meaningful impact.

Crystal Shi, Associate Professor at School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Susan Gordon, Associate Professor in the White-Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Purdue University

Location: STEW 206

As technology continues to reshape hospitality operations, organizations face new opportunities and challenges in managing their workforce. This session explores how people and technology can work together to enhance employee experiences, service quality, and organizational performance. Topics include workforce transformation, changing job roles, leadership in times of change, employee adaptation to technological change across cultures, and future workforce skills. Through industry examples and practical insights, participants will gain a deeper understanding of how hospitality organizations can successfully balance innovation with a people-centered approach to management.

The session will be led by Dr. Crystal Shi from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Dr. Susan Gordon from Purdue University, who will share research insights and practical perspectives on the future of hospitality work in the age of digital transformation.

Mickey Swortzel, Investment Strategist, Bounce Innovation Hub

Location: STEW 214ABC

In a world transformed by artificial intelligence, shifting workforce expectations, and rapidly changing customer demands, one thing remains constant: people drive exceptional experiences.

Drawing from the evaluation 1000’s of startups and experience as an entrepreneur, board member, and venture capital operating partner, Mickey will share the emerging trends shaping the future of customer experience, leadership, and business growth.

Participants will gain insight into what innovative companies are doing differently, where AI is creating opportunities (and risks), and why human-centered leadership is becoming a competitive advantage.
Attendees will leave with practical strategies to strengthen customer relationships, build adaptable teams, and develop the leadership skills needed to thrive in an increasingly technology-driven world.

Whether you are a student preparing for your first career opportunity or an industry professional leading organizational change, this session will provide actionable takeaways you can implement immediately.

Moderator: Christian Rogers, Assistant Dean for Purdue Polytechnic in Indianapolis and Associate Professor of Computer Graphics Technology, Purdue University

Location: Fowler Auditorium in Stewart Center

In today’s experience-driven economy, creating memorable, meaningful moments is both an art and a science. This session explores how organizations intentionally design experiences that resonate with guests, customers, and clients across industries.

Bringing together diverse industry perspectives, this session will examine how data, empathy, storytelling, and operational excellence come together to shape impactful experiences. Attendees will gain insight into the strategies and tools used to design, deliver, and continuously refine experiences that drive loyalty, satisfaction, and long-term value.

Participants will leave with practical frameworks and fresh inspiration to elevate every touchpoint—from first impression to lasting memory.

Vishesh Goel, Product Engineer, Bank of America

Location: STEW 202

Vishesh Goel explores how AI, cloud platforms, and operational analytics are transforming modern hospitality operations and guest experiences. As hotels and hospitality organizations adopt digital systems at scale, the focus is shifting from simple technology adoption to building connected, resilient, and guest-centered operational ecosystems.

This session will highlight practical strategies for leveraging cloud-based platforms, automation, and real-time analytics to improve operational efficiency, strengthen decision-making, and deliver more personalized guest experiences. Attendees will also learn how governance-driven system design and AI-assisted operational monitoring can help hospitality organizations proactively identify service gaps, optimize workflows, and support scalable growth.

Through real-world examples and cross-industry insights, this session demonstrates how hospitality leaders can balance innovation, operational excellence, and human-centered experiences in an increasingly digital environments – That Actually Work.

Jessica Bernhardt, Sales, Marketing, Meeting & Event Strategist, Elevate Hotel Support

Location: STEW 206

What makes a hotel truly exceptional is rarely the amenities. It is the people, and how well they work together. This session invites hospitality students to explore the hotel as a living ecosystem in which every department is interconnected, and every action creates a ripple. Presenter Jessica Bernhardt draws on 20 years of experience across Marriott, Starwood, Auberge Resorts and agencies to examine how empathy functions as the foundation of both guest satisfaction and team culture. Through real-world scenarios, the LEARN service recovery framework, and how to navigate service failures, support colleagues across departments, and build the kind of presence that guests remember long after checkout. This is a session about more than hospitality. It is about becoming the kind of professional who makes a difference as a team member and for their customers.

Jonathon Day, Associate Professor in the White-Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Purdue University, and Gally Mayer, CEO & Co-Founder, Buena Vida Specialty Coffee

Location: STEW 214 ABC

Sustainability is often discussed, but what does it truly look like in action across today’s hospitality-driven industries? This interdisciplinary session explores how sustainable practices move from concept to execution across hospitality and tourism management, selling and sales management, retail management, and financial counseling and planning.

Led by Dr. Jonathan Day and featuring Gally Mayer, CEO and Co-founder of Buena Vida Specialty Coffee, this session will examine real-world applications of sustainability through the lens of regenerative coffee production. Attendees will gain insight into how businesses can create value by restoring ecosystems, supporting producer communities, and aligning operations with long-term environmental and economic resilience.

Through applied examples and cross-disciplinary perspectives, participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how sustainability can be embedded into decision-making, operations, and customer engagement—moving beyond buzzwords to meaningful, measurable impact.