Boston University School of Hospitality Administration 2025 Hospitality Leadership Summit Spotlights the Fan Experience in Sports and Entertainment
(January 28, 2025) Boston, MA – Boston University School of Hospitality Administration (BU SHA) is proud to announce the annual Hospitality Leadership Summit on Thursday, April 3, 2025 at Boston University’s Computing and Data Sciences Center. The Hospitality Leadership Summit brings together students and faculty with hospitality industry colleagues for a day-long conference of inspiration and networking with exceptional leaders in Sports and Entertainment and creating unforgettable fan experiences.
The dynamic speaker line-up features Sports and Entertainment leaders who create unforgettable fan experiences at iconic events such as the Paris Olympics, Super Bowl, Boston Marathon, Fenway Park, and the FIFA World Cup. Highlighting that hospitality is a team sport, executives from Union Square Hospitality Group, founded by Danny Meyer, showcase how Enlightened Hospitality, the bedrock of the group’s success, can lead to greatness with a people-first, hospitality-led approach.
For registration and information, visit BU SHA Hospitality Leadership Summit.
Event Details:
- Date: Thursday, April 3, 2025
- Time: 8:30am-6:00pm
- Location: Boston University Center for Computing & Data Sciences (CDS)
665 Commonwealth Ave. Boston MA 02215
“The Summit is one of our School’s most anticipated events of the year—an energizing day of inspiration and connection,” said Arun Upneja, Ph.D., Dean of Boston University School of Hospitality Administration. “This year’s focus on Sports and Entertainment celebrates the creativity and innovation that define unforgettable fan experiences while offering a glimpse into our exciting new graduate degree in Sports and Entertainment Venue Management launching in 2026. We’re thrilled to bring together industry leaders, students, faculty, and our sponsors to make this extraordinary event possible.”
Further highlighting “Experience Innovation” in hospitality, student teams vying for top prizes at the $50k Hospitality Innovation Competition & $12.5k Student Wellbeing Competition will give their final presentations pitching new ventures, followed by awarding the cash prizes to the winning teams by a panel of judges. To cap off this exhilarating day, the 2025 ICON Award will be bestowed upon a visionary changemaker who has significantly transformed the paradigms of hospitality. The ICON Awardee will be announced in the coming weeks.
Featured Speakers and Topics
Morning Panel:
Winning Experiences: Hospitality’s Game-Changing Impact on the Fan Journey at Sports & Entertainment Events
Hear from industry leaders who bring the electrifying action on the field to life through unforgettable fan experiences. Get the inside track on how they collaborate with athletes and combine thoughtful planning, seamless execution, and exceptional service to create iconic events such as the Paris Olympics, Super Bowl, Boston Marathon, Fenway Park, and the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
Moderator: Martha Sheridan, President and CEO of Meet Boston
Panelists:
- Alison Birdwell, CEO and President of Aramark Sports and Entertainment
- Carrie Campbell, Senior VP of Fenway Events
- Leah (Pavao) Linke, SVP, Event and Hospitality Delivery – FIFA World Cup 26™ of On Location
- Lauren Tallon Proshan, Chief of Race Operations & Production of Boston Athletic Association
Afternoon Panel:
Union Square Hospitality Group: Hiring Hospitalitarians
Great teams are often defined by a positive organizational culture. The panel, Hiring Hospitalitarians spotlights the ways that Enlightened Hospitality can be applied to foster a culture of care. Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) was founded by modern-day restaurant pioneer Danny Meyer, 2021 SHA ICON awardee and the author of the New York Times bestseller Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business. Learn how Enlightened Hospitality, the bedrock of USHG’s success, can empower you to develop your “Hospitality Quotient.”
Panelists:
- Patti Simpson, Chief Administrative Officer of Union Square Hospitality Group
- Abe Monzon, Head of Talent of Union Square Hospitality Group
For the full Agenda, Speaker Line-up, and Hospitality Innovation Competition information, visit the Hospitality Leadership Summit webpage.
Sponsorship Opportunities are available. Contact Mara Littman, Director of Corporate and Public Relations, at mlittman@bu.edu.
About Boston University School of Hospitality
For more than 40 years, Boston University’s School of Hospitality has been cultivating the next generation of leaders of the multibillion-dollar hospitality industry. The Boston University School of Hospitality, in collaboration with hospitality industry leaders is redefining hospitality as Experience Innovation. Our focus is on optimizing human interaction by innovating experiences that are employee, customer, investor, and business driven. Boston University School of Hospitality offers a range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs (several of which are STEM-designated). From experience management to hospitality real estate and beyond, our academic programs challenge students to become Experience Innovators for hotels, restaurants, travel and tourism, healthcare enterprises, retail and luxury brands, sports and entertainment venues, and any organization where hospitality can be strategically applied to help establish lasting and meaningful relationships. Learn more about Boston University’s School of Hospitality and Experience Innovation by visiting bu.edu/hospitality.