Boston University School Of Hospitality Administration (BU SHA) Announces 2021 Virtual Leadership Summit Featuring Global Travel Connoisseur Peter Greenberg

Boston University's School of Hospitality Administration is proud to announce two luminaries at this year's Hospitality Leadership Summit to be held virtually on Friday, March 26, 2021, at 10:30 am-12:30 pm EST (via Zoom). Global Travel Connoisseur Peter Greenberg will deliver the keynote address, followed by the presentation of the SHA's 2nd Icon Award to industry pioneer Danny Meye r.

Hospitality Leadership Summit

registration and information: BU SHA Hospitality Leadership Summit | School of Hospitality Administration

DANNY MEYER: Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Danny Meyer grew up in a family that relished great food and hospitality. Thanks to his father's travel business, which designed custom European trips, Danny spent much of his childhood eating, visiting near and far-off places, and sowing the seeds for his future passion. In 1985, at the age of 27, Danny opened his first restaurant, Union Square Cafe, launching what would begin a lifelong career in hospitality.

Thirty years later, Danny's Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) comprises some of New York's most beloved and acclaimed restaurants, including Gramercy Tavern, The Modern, Maialino, and more. Danny and USHG founded Shake Shack, the modern-day "roadside" burger restaurant, which became a public company in 2015. USHG also offers large-scale event services, foodservice solutions for public and private institutions, industry consulting, and educational programming.

Under Danny's leadership, USHG is renowned not only for its acclaimed restaurants but also for its distinctive and celebrated culture of Enlightened Hospitality. The guiding principle of prioritizing employees first and foremost has driven and shaped USHG's ongoing evolution from a small group of restaurants into a multi-faceted hospitality organization.

Danny and USHG's diverse ventures have added to the hospitality dialogue in many contexts including dining options in museums, sports arenas, and cultural institutions, as well as prescient investments in burgeoning neighborhoods.

Danny's groundbreaking business book, "Setting the Table" (Harper Collins, 2006), a New York Times Bestseller, articulates a set of signature business and life principles that translate to a wide range of industries. A celebrated speaker and educator, Danny has set industry standards in areas such as hiring practices, innovative leadership, and corporate responsibility and addresses a wide range of audiences on such topics around the country.

Danny has been generously recognized for his leadership, business achievements, and humanitarianism, including the 2017 Julia Child Award, the 2015 TIME 100 "Most Influential People" list, the 2012 Aspen Institute Preston Robert Tisch Award in Civic Leadership, the 2011 NYU Lewis Rudin Award for Exemplary Service to New York City, and the 2000 IFMA Gold Plate Award. Together, Danny and USHG restaurants and individuals have won an unprecedented 28 James Beard Awards, including Outstanding Restaurateur (2005) and Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America (1996).

"Honoring Danny Meyer is significant for us in so many ways," said Arun Upneja, PhD., Dean of Boston University's School of Hospitality Administration. "Danny established his foothold in the industry around this same time of SHA's founding in 1981, heralding the modern era of hospitality as well as innovating it every step of the way. He is a true pioneer and inspiration. We are most proud to celebrate Danny who will certainly continue to inspire us with his creativity, spirit and philanthropy. He is an icon and role model for our undergraduate and graduate students."

PETER GREENBERG: A multiple Emmy-winning investigative reporter and producer, Peter Greenberg is America's most recognized, honored, and respected front-line travel news journalist. Known in the travel industry as "The Travel Detective," he is the Travel Editor for CBS News, appearing on CBS This Morning, CBS Evening News, and CBS Sunday Morning. And his national CBS EYE ON TRAVEL radio show is broadcast from a different location around the world each week.

The consummate insider on reporting the travel business as news, Peter Greenberg hosts the public television show, The Travel Detective with Peter Greenberg. The series offers 40+ half-hour episodes that seek to empower audiences with travel news, must-have information, insider tips known only to a select few, and hidden gem destinations not found in traditional guidebooks or brochures.

Travel Weekly named Peter Greenberg one of the most influential people in travel, along with Bill Marriott and Sir Richard Branson. He was inducted into the U.S. Travel Association's Hall of Leaders for his contributions to the travel industry. Among his other honors, Peter Greenberg received a News & Documentary Emmy Award as part of the NBC News Dateline team for outstanding coverage of a breaking news story, "Miracle on the Hudson."

Peter Greenberg began his career in journalism as West Coast correspondent for Newsweek in Los Angeles and San Francisco. He won a national Emmy Award for Best Investigative Reporting for the ABC 20/20 special on the final orphan flight out of Vietnam, "What Happened to the Children?" He also is the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin and an Excellence in Broadcasting Award from the Aviation Space Writers Association of America.

"Fitting with our mission at SHA to ignite a passion for transformative experiences, we are thrilled to welcome Peter Greenberg as the keynote speaker for this year's Leadership Summit," said Leora Lanz, ISHC, Faculty Chair of the School's Master of Management in Hospitality degree program. "For decades, Peter has been bringing us up-close to amazing sights around the world and exposure to extraordinary hospitality and tourism leaders. His profound insights into hospitality will help us identify lessons learned during this past year and will guide us moving forward. He sparks our desire for discovery, connection, and exploration that is so important in life-long learning and the delivery of hospitality experiences."

Summit Sponsors

BU SHA is grateful for the generous support from our Summit Sponsors who helped shape this unique opportunity for the hospitality community to network and learn: Diamond Sponsor: Hotel Commonwealth; Platinum Sponsor: Access Point Financial; Gold Sponsors: Aramark, Hilton Hotels, Pinnacle Advisory Group; Silver Sponsors: HHM, HMS Host, Longwood Venues and Destinations, Seaport Hotel, Spot On Ventures, The Newbury / Boston Park Plaza, PSAV Inc.; Supporters: Sid Wainer & Son.

About Boston University School of Hospitality Administration:

Celebrating 40 years of Developing Leaders, Inspiring Entrepreneurs, and Creating Remarkable Experiences (Est. 1981) Boston University's School of Hospitality Administration (SHA) offers students a combination of rigorous academics, liberal arts curriculum, and international experiences for the pursuit of success in lodging, restaurants, food service, and other avenues of the hospitality industry. SHA has a unique relationship with the City of Boston, where the area's hotels and restaurants provide students with numerous opportunities for internships to satisfy work experience requirements for their degree. BU SHA launched its graduate program, the Masters of Management in Hospitality, in 2017 to strong international acclaim. www.bu.edu/hospitality.

About Boston University School of Hospitality Administration

Established in 1981 and now celebrating 40 years of Innovating the Business of Hospitality, Boston University's School of Hospitality Administration (SHA) offers students a combination of rigorous academics, liberal arts curriculum, and international experiences for the pursuit of success in lodging, restaurants, food service, and other avenues of the hospitality industry. SHA has a unique relationship with the city of Boston, where the area's hotels and restaurants provide students with numerous opportunities for internships to satisfy work experience requirements for their degrees. Information on graduate and undergraduate degrees at BU School of Hospitality Administration: www.bu.edu/hospitality/academics

About Boston University

Founded in 1839, Boston University is an internationally recognized institution of higher education and research. With more than 33,000 students, it is the fourth-largest independent university in the United States. BU consists of 17 schools and colleges, along with a number of multi-disciplinary centers and institutes integral to the University's research and teaching mission. In 2012, BU joined the Association of American Universities (AAU), a consortium of 62 leading research universities in the United States and Canada.

Leora Halpern Lanz, ISHC
Faculty Chair, Master of Management in Hospitality
Boston University School of Hospitality Administration