Boston University School of Hospitality Leadership Summit annually brings together students, faculty, and the community to hear from world-renowned industry leaders on pressing topics and trends that are shaping the future of the business.

Boston University School of Hospitality Administration (BU SHA) is proud to announce the annual Hospitality Leadership Summit on Friday, March 24, 2023, 8am-6pm at Hotel Commonwealth (500 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston). The 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 inaugural $50k Poyiadjis Hospitality Innovation Competition will give their final presentations pitching new ventures, followed by awarding the $50k in cash prizes to the winning teams by a panel of judges. To cap off this exhilarating day, the 2023 ICON Award will be bestowed upon the industry leader who has significantly transformed the paradigms of hospitality.

Summit Speakers -"Experience Innovation"

Throughout this day-long event, the speakers (listed below) will inspire us all to imagine new ways of sparking the power of hospitality to improve wellness and wellbeing. Addressing the theme of "Experience Innovation" from a variety of angles, highlights include the founder and CEO of the world's largest vegan fried chicken manufacturing company; a scientist redesigning the food experiences via the "air we eat" for improved health outcomes; and the director of the MIT-Ukraine Program, which is leveraging hospitality and innovation to assist with preservation and reconstruction of war-devasted Ukraine. Among the forward-thinking leaders is a CEO of a company designing premium sneakers that come with NFTs to access exclusive experiences.

  • Deborah Torres, Founder and CEO, Atlas Monroe of the world's largest vegan fried chick'n manufacturer. On ABC's hit show, Shark Tank, in a viral episode, Ms. Torres turned down one million dollars ($1M) from Mark Cuban and Rohan Oza.
  • Bennett Collen, Cofounder & CEO of Endstate, enriches retail experiences by combining the physical and the digital to connect people with what they are passionate about.
  • David A. Edwards, Ph.D., scientist, author, and pioneering inventor, explores new ways of improving human health and wellness by the air we breathe and the food we eat.
  • Svitlana Krasynska, Ph.D., manages the newly launched MIT-Ukraine program, implementing the vision of capitalizing MIT's world-class technical expertise, internal resources, and external reputation to assist in the preservation and reconstruction of war-devastated Ukraine.
  • Robert Vail, Head of Innovation and Activation, Boston Beer Company, stewards this iconic company's expansion into new products that include Twisted Tea, Angry Orchard, Truly Sparkling, 26.2 Brew, Tura Kombucha, and Wild Leaf Hard Tea brands.
Visit website