CECI News
Jack's Involvement with the Festival Industry Leads Students to Hands-On Experience
October 18, 2022
Those who have previously attended the Grand Rapids International Wine, Beer & Food Festival (being held this year on November 18-19, 2022 at DeVos Place) may have noticed all the smiling faces offering samples of wine, beer, cider, spirits and more. What attendees may not have known is that many of these are hospitality and culinary students from Ferris State University, Grand Valley State University and the Culinary Institute of Michigan – Muskegon.
Since the festival's founding in 2008, these educational institutions and their passionate leaders have helped provide an unparalleled festival experience. And while these students provide a vitally important element to the festival—pouring samples—it's also an educational experience for them. These students not only rub elbows with industry leaders like winemakers, brewers, distributors and the like, but they also gather valuable customer service skills that will aid them in their future careers. For some, the networking opportunities lead to full time jobs and fulfilling careers within the thriving beverage and culinary tourism industries in Michigan and beyond.
Grand Valley's Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM), under the School of Community Leadership and Development, is a dynamic program that encompasses a wide variety of career opportunities within the vast hospitality industry.
Majors are offered in Meeting & Event Management, Food & Beverage Management, Lodging Management, and Tourism Management, while minors can focus on specific interest areas like Cannabis Operations Management or Adventure Tourism. Students who graduate from this GVSU program are well qualified for jobs in convention sales/service, hotel/resort management and service, special events, food and beverage management, human resources, catering and conference sales.
Kristen Jack, Ph.D., has served as an Assistant Professor of Hospitality & Tourism Management since 2003 after putting in more than a decade in the industry in a variety of hotel positions. Today, she is also Program Director for the Hospitality & Tourism Management program.
"The festival is a great opportunity for our students," said Jack. "First of all, it is a great way to get them into the convention center to work and be a part of a large event. Instead of just attending, they get to see what goes on behind the scenes and learn a great deal about that aspect. Secondly, by pouring they learn about different wines, spirits, beers etc. and how to talk about them to guests and pour properly."
By working at a booth, Jack explains that students also get to network with not only the vendor they are working for, but also the other vendors around them, and sometimes guests of the event who spend time at the booth.
"Several students have even gotten internships through networking or impressing the organization they were working with," Jack continued. "Finally, because it is a paid volunteer position, (by group not by individual) the student HTM club is able to take that money and pay for additional experiences for students within the club. We have been participating for many years, and students always speak very highly of the experience and encourage new students to participate when the next year rolls around!"
Read full West Michigan Woman article