March 2015
UCB competes in Passion 4 Hospitality 2015
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UCB Hospitality students recently took part in the Institute of Hospitality’s ‘Passion 4 Hospitality’ at the Novotel London West, competing against rival university teams to win stunning prizes and a feature in Hospitality Magazine.
The day was an opportunity for students to attend seminars filled with expert advice and meet people already in the industry to gain information aimed at kick-starting their career in hospitality. Key topics included how students could get their hospitality careers off to a flying start and how to “be your own brand” and establish themselves in the industry.
There was also an opportunity for students to ‘speed network’ with industry professionals from establishments such as The Ritz, Brown’s Hotel, Lancaster London and the Hilton Metro.
The Student Debating Competition final was also held on the day, with students Flavia Maxim and Gabrielle Le Roux representing UCB against seven other institutions. The topic under debate for this year’s final was: “This house believes that social media is a force for good for hospitality managers.”
They also competed in the ‘The UK Business Game’ final against rival teams using an interactive hospitality simulation programme to manage a virtual hotel business – a tool now used with full-time students to teach operational finance. This final was represented by BA (Hons) Hospitality and Business Management student Natasha Patnaik, who had to manage her own hotel on financial, commercial and economical levels whilst being mindful of the impacts that other hotels might be having on her own business.
Passion 4 Hospitality is a great chance for UCB students to meet with leading employers from the sector. The students performed really well in the competitions and I am proud of their achievements.
The group won third place in the debating competition, and they agreed to present their award to fellow teammate Isobel Henderson who, though she could not make the final due to poor health, worked hard to help the team prepare for the competition during the qualifying rounds.
Passion 4 Hospitality (P4H) was developed by the Institute of Hospitality as part of its drive towards engagement with its Education Membership Scheme (EMS) members. The competitions were developed to bring students, academia, and industry together, with the Institute acting as the catalyst to facilitate this initiative.