“Together” at the 96th Annual Hotel Ezra Cornell

HEC 96 was truly a year of innovation, resilience and of course, togetherness. While our attendees may have been physically far, HEC 96 was able to emulate the “HEC magic,” through our programming events, speed networking and meal box experience, not just during the weekend, but throughout the entire past year. I am so proud to have been part of the HEC 96 Board of Directors and the HEC family, a group of inspiring, resilient and driven individuals who persevered with grace and optimism despite challenges and uncertainty to truly make HEC 96 the best ever!

HEC 96 has been an incredible learning experience. I am so proud of what we were able to accomplish this year in crafting an HEC experience like never before. It’s been such a pleasure working with my fellow board members, HEC 96 Rooms team, and everyone involved in HEC.

It is no secret that HEC was challenging this year. With the elimination of all in-person programming, we had to create unique food and beverage events where guests could safely experience HEC. Through our new meal kit experiences, guests enjoyed HEC curated food and beverage items from the comfort of their own homes. It has been an incredible opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind HEC experience through innovation alongside the Board of Directors. I look forward to seeing what new programming remains for HECs to come and how the HEC 97 board will continue to innovate!

This year, HEC 96 was a major success. We stayed on schedule with our planned events and our communication was strong as a group. The excitement and enthusiasm of all of our attendees kept morale high. We spent a whole year creating, planning, and refining our plans to create an unforgettable virtual conference, literally pioneering what it means to be in hospitality in a pandemic. This one singular conference was the acclimation of our entire team’s hard work. Unlike many years prior, the one weekend, to me, was not the ‘defining moment’ of HEC. We planned it so our HEC events would continue on throughout the year. Starting with recruitment and the fall meal box, we continued on with various programming and engagement events throughout the fall and the early spring. The Thursday and Friday of which HEC took place was a major moment with the culmination of most of our programming as well as the mocktail box. However, even after the conference, our work was not over. HEC 96 continued on with amenity boxes, the Rocky Lagno Meal Box, the merchandise, along with additional events and programming.

HEC has made the Hotel School feel like home, and I am grateful I was able to meet and work with so many wonderful individuals. HEC 96 defied limits and adapted to become new, innovative, and something we are all so proud of. I’m especially proud of my team, who came up with creative ways to engage with our audience through department trivia, event-driven marketing, and press releases. While we were physically apart, HEC has never felt more “together”, and I’m incredibly excited to see how future HECs evolve – I can’t wait to return!

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is my ability to make the impossible possible. There were many times where I had no idea how to make the things happen. There was no blueprint and nothing for me to reference and give me confidence. Through perseverance and grit, I was able to prove to myself that virtual service is possible, and create a blueprint for someone else in the future.

HEC has been a defining experience for my time at Cornell. Amidst a global pandemic, I have been fortunate to work with an incredible board and team to create a unique and trailblazing virtual conference. While I am incredibly proud of our HEC 96 team for creating the first ever HEC meal boxes and designing an entire conference at home, what I will most remember is the relationships and friendships I’ve formed this year with all my HEC peers.

I have had such an amazing experience as the People & Culture Director for HEC 96. This year has proven to be incredibly difficult for everyone and having the opportunity to help bring the students together and build community was one of the best gifts I could have asked for. I’m so proud of everyone, from teams being built, to plans being made, and finally, to execution of projects!

This year presented the HEC board with many opportunities to innovate. I am so proud that we were able to curate so many events from a distance. The entire board was a huge inspiration to me and helped me to keep working through all of the challenges that we faced. I am so thankful for this experience and will continue to look back on it fondly.

HEC 96 has been an incredible experience and being able to create opportunities for students to get involved and connect with each other was my favorite part of my time as a director. As the programs director I had the unique opportunity to create this year’s theme. The theme Together summarizes what we strived to do as a board and organization. I’m grateful for the chance to work with a great team and create an all new HEC conference experience that people could enjoy wherever they were.

HEC this year has been a unique diving-head-first-into-the-deep-end kind of experience. I am so proud to be part of this year’s team that created HEC’s first-ever meal kits, merchandise line, and all-virtual programming with the same high standard HEC sets for itself every year. This year was like no other, and we were able to create a conference like no other.

As a director in this unconventional year I was super proud and inspired to watch my classmates, peers, and team bring hospitality to life in a new way while still honoring the tradition of HEC. Design is such a crucial part of the guest experience, and finding a way to bring that into a virtual setting was definitely a challenge. I couldn’t have asked for a better platform to grow my passion for hospitality design and push me out of my comfort zone as I learned what design could be in our industry. I will forever cherish my year on the HEC 96 Board of Directors.

HEC has been an amazing experience to find your passion and develop as a person. Throughout the year, our team has pushed boundaries and reinvented the HEC experience while growing professionally and personally.