Neon lights flickered among booths and trees. Carnival rides zoomed and twirled, filling the air with laughter and squeals of delight. A celebratory parade featuring embellished golf carts and 性视界传媒鈥檚 marching band added to the festive environment as it made its way past crowds of Rebels.
More than 5,000 性视界传媒 students reveled together at the fall 2021 Rebel Homecoming Festival, the campus鈥檚 first big face-to-face gathering since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a time for students and alumni to not only celebrate their collective Rebel pride but also a return to near normalcy.
Homecoming brought a new meaning to coming home.
鈥淭he event was surreal,鈥 said hospitality senior Cheyne Sauceda. 鈥淢y favorite part was just seeing people鈥檚 faces. It was so exciting and heartwarming to finally bring everyone together.鈥
Sauceda was one of 24 students charged with planning the Hospitality College鈥s booth at the homecoming festival. With the help of event sponsors, students decorated the space with a photo booth, roulette wheel, rainbow slinkies, and a neon sign nodding to the psychedelic Life is Beautiful festival.
Each semester, event instructor Ian Seidenberg guides teams of hospitality seniors through the event-planning process as part of their final culminating experience class. Rebels are required to plan, prepare, and execute an event from start to finish, bridging both theoretical and practical application of their industry knowledge and skills.
Real world
鈥淚 treat my (students) as if they are my colleagues out in the real world,鈥 Seidenberg said. 鈥淲e tackled homecoming like it was a professional event, and we planned everything as a team.鈥
The college encourages students to be thought leaders as they reimagine how the event industry will operate in a post-COVID world. This includes asking big questions, such as 鈥淗ow can people safely come together?鈥 and 鈥淗ow can we best serve customers in this environment?鈥
A part-time teacher and working professional, Seidenberg understands the event industry is changing, noting that clients have new expectations regarding attention to detail, cleanliness, and safety. He also acknowledges that while virtual events proved to be a safe alternative throughout the pandemic, it鈥檚 human nature to want to socialize and share experiences.
鈥淪ome hybrid event components are here to stay, but nothing replaces live interaction,鈥 Seidenberg said. 鈥淲e now have to consider how to make things accessible while accommodating everyone in a space where they feel safe. That鈥檚 the challenge.鈥
As part of an industry that has always been shaped by global events and trends, the Hospitality College is uniquely positioned to address changes in customer expectations through its research and coursework. As Sauceda noted, challenging students to find solutions to industry problems has long been the program鈥檚 foundation.
鈥淥ur professors constantly remind us to prepare for anything that possibly can go wrong, and the pandemic has been the most extreme version of that,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e have to be significantly more adaptable than we ever thought, but that鈥檚 what will make us the best in the industry and in our careers.鈥
That kind of adaptability will be key as the hospitality industry navigates a post-pandemic world. And while a lot of uncertainty lies ahead, there鈥檚 one thing the industry can count on: Whatever the challenge, Hospitality Rebels will be ready to respond.
