2018 Hospitality and Tourism Management Destinations Career Fair

The 2018 Hospitality and Tourism Management Destinations Career Fair was a success! With over 35 vendors, a wide variety of hospitality related businesses were in attendance from across the United States. Companies were recruiting for a variety of summer internships as well as full time positions at exclusive international resorts and hotels, private clubs, professional sport venues, fine dining restaurants, franchisees, hotel management companies, and tourism destination management organizations.

The three-day career event started with panel discussions on Wednesday. Students were able to see what companies look for in employees, resumes, cover letters, and interviews. They were also able to learn about career paths and how to move up the corporate ladder. Following the panel discussions, the student run Hospitality Management Association (HMA) hosted a reception, giving students and recruiters the opportunity to network together in a more intimate environment.

“The diversity in panelists for both panels was great — there were industry professionals from hotels, resorts, restaurants, clubs, and tourism, so their experience really spanned the entire hospitality and tourism industry. It was great for students to hear from professionals in a variety of fields.”- Alexa Vergelli, a current HTM student.

The turnout was phenomenal, with student attendance up by 13% over last year. Destinations is one important reason why our HTM graduate placement rate increased from 86% in 2016 to 94% in 2017, one of the highest rates on campus!

Many students came away with multiple interviews before the day was over. Recruiters were just as excited to be there as the students. Diana Burke, Executive Director at the Virginia Beach Hotel Association and VT alum exclaimed “We love coming here and meeting with students! It is always a pleasure to meet the high quality students at Virginia Tech each year. The employers I share resumes with in Virginia Beach are thrilled with the opportunity to engage with such qualified and enthusiastic students!” Diana also added “congrats on being ranked #2 in the nation!”

Along with Diana, there were several other HTM grads in attendance:

Caity Warren, class of 2017 and Assistant General Manager of the Hampton Inn and Suites in National Harbor. Warren was recruiting with OTO Development.

Gabe Jones, class of 2017, recruiting for Crestline Hotels, a large-scale hotel management firm. He is currently working at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel in Staunton, Virginia in their MIT program, with plans to move to a property in downtown Chicago this summer.

Ella Wade, also 2017, recruiting for Marriott’s Voyage Leadership Development Program. She is a Voyager herself at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington D.C. Ella was eager to share her experiences with current students and represent Marriott at her alma mater.

HTM is always excited to welcome new hospitality and tourism organizations to our annual Destinations Career Fair. Delaware North Companies specializes in serving up what fans crave at professional sports venues across the US and beyond. The company manages food and beverage concessions, premium dining, entertainment, lodging and retail at such marquis locations as TD garden in Boston, MetLife stadium in New York City and Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

We are looking forward to next year’s fair! Visit the Pamplin Hospitality and Tourism Management website for more information.