2025 Hospitality Leadership Summit
Thursday, April 3, 2025
Boston University Center for Computing & Data Sciences (CDS)
665 Commonwealth Ave. Boston MA 02215
The Hospitality Leadership Summit brings together students and faculty with hospitality industry colleagues for a day-long conference of inspiration and networking, spotlighting exceptional speakers who are revolutionizing the bounds of hospitality. Further highlighting “Experience Innovation” in hospitality, student teams vying for top prizes at the $100k Poyiadjis Hospitality Innovation Competition will give their final presentations pitching new ventures, followed by awarding the $100k in cash prizes to the winning teams by a panel of judges. To cap off this exhilarating day, the 2024 ICON Award will be bestowed upon a visionary changemaker who has significantly transformed the paradigms of hospitality.
2024 Highlights
2024 Speakers
-
Padma Lakshmi
ICON Award Winner 2024, NYT best-selling Author, Host and Executive Producer, “Taste the Nation” and “Top Chef”
-
Bryan Rafanelli
Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Rafanelli Events
-
Bashar Wali
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Practice Hospitality
Event Agenda
2024 Summit Sponsors
BU SHA is grateful for the generous support from our Summit Sponsors who make this event possible.
Platinum:
Supporters:
Blue Ribbon Restaurants
Entertainment Specialists
GoTab
Hyatt Boston
InterContinental Boston
The Social Butterflies Events
Interested in becoming a Summit sponsor? Contact Mara Littman, Director of Corporate and Public Relations at mlittman@bu.edu.
Summit Media
- $100,000 Awarded to Student Entrepreneurs at SHA’s Annual Hospitality Leadership Summit [BU Today]
- Food expert Padma Lakshmi gears up to receive BU award [GBH]
- Padma Lakshmi receives Boston University’s 2024 ICON Award [The American Bazaar]
- SHA to Bestow 2024 ICON Award to Padma Lakshmi Press Release
- 2024 Hospitality Leadership Summit Press Release
Stay tuned for updates by following us on Instagram!