CMAA 2020 WORLD CONFERENCE AND CLUB BUSINESS EXPO

CMAA 2020 WORLD CONFERENCE AND CLUB BUSINESS EXPO February 8 -12, 2020 in Grapevine, Texas

TAKEAWAY The CMAA World Conference has definitely been a highlight of my college career. I was able to meet many industry professionals at the conference as well as students from around the country. Students who attended the CMAA Student Conference in November remembered our chapter, which made me feel welcomed and supported. The education sessions our chapter attended were able to highlight how to become a better leader in the hospitality industry. One session highlighted the importance of doing what you love because it will make your career and life better. My favorite session we went to was with a life/career coach Kevin Mac. Donald. We were able to learn more about how to be our best selves and find a career path that is right for us in a small group setting. One educational session we attended discussed how important it is to have connections and how to keep those connections throughout your career. The CEO of the Kenwood Country Club in Ohio sat with our group during lunch one day to discuss the club industry. It was very interesting to hear his personal story about how he ended up in his position and why he thinks we should join the industry. At the Career Opportunity Showcase, we were able to talk more with recruiters looking for summer interns or full-time workers. At the end of the showcase, three of us scheduled interviews and were offered summer internships the next day. This experience was amazing overall and helped me become more interested in the private club industry. Vanessa Ruiz, President of NAU’s CMAA Student Chapter-

TAKEAWAY I really enjoyed attending the CMAA World Conference last week. It was very exciting to go to Texas because I have never been there before and this club has allowed me to travel so much more than I ever would have which I love. This conference was huge. There were hundreds of students and professionals from the club management industry from across the U. S. and Canada. We were able to sit through some very interesting sessions, some of which were for students, but we were also able to attend the professional sessions. I really enjoyed those because they allowed me to network with a bunch of GM’s from some amazing clubs. The conference also offered a career fair at which clubs were looking for students to interview for summer internships. I actually had two interviews, one for a city club in San Francisco and one for a golf club in the Hamptons. They each did many interviews over the four days and each only had 6 to 7 spots open. I was actually offered a position at both clubs. I decided to take the food and beverage internship at Noyac Golf Club in the Hamptons which even offered me free housing. I think that this conference was very beneficial. I networked more than I ever have and got so many employment opportunities. I cannot wait to attend our next conference and meet some more people and learn about the industry. It was also cool because we are the only school who attends from Arizona, so from the NSEC conference, everyone remembered us at this conference which was really cool. One other thing which was great was that Royal Cup Tea and Coffee sponsored this event which gave us free drinks throughout the conference. I am very grateful for HRM allowing us and providing funding for us to attend these CMAA conferences. I hope that we can attend them next year as well! Joshua Kiecolt, Vice President of NAU’s CMAA Student Chapter 3

TAKEAWAY • New York was such a whirlwind experience. It was amazing to get to tour some of the nicest country clubs in the nation, I especially loved the Westchester country club. It was also incredible to get to meet some of the general managers of these top country clubs. They shared so much insight into their industry and it was incredible to see how young some of them were and to hear how they got to where they are now. I got the incredible experience to sit down with Mark Bado and talk business, I ended up getting an offer to come and work for him at Myer’s Park Country club. I was astonished when he offered me this internship, but I hope to go and participate in a rotational internship their this next summer. My favorite part about this conference was connecting with other Hospitality students from around the nation and hearing about their schools and what they've done. Its an amazing feeling when you get to connect with people who are equally as passionate as you are. I am so grateful for getting to go and participate at a conference that led to so much networking and so many amazing job opportunities. - Autumn Edgar, Member of NAU’s CMAA Student Chapter-

TAKEAWAY Conference was a huge learning experience! We got to converse with industry professionals and learn a lot from them. At one point we had a CEO of a Club sit with us at lunch and answered any questions we had for him. I personally very much enjoyed the coaching with Kevin Mc. Donald. He gave us great overall business advice on how to be successful. This conference informed me about clubs and made me excited to start my future hospitality career. My eyes were also opened to all the resources available to me as a student. - Lauren Arrazola, Member of NAU’s CMAA Student Chapter- 5

CMAA 2020 WORLD CONFERENCE

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