Hospitality Summit: Live Meetings & Events - What’s the Reality for 2021?

Peter Ricci, Ed.D., director of FAU's Hospitality and Tourism Management program, moderates a panel discussion about hosting live meetings and events in 2021. The hospitality industry is the largest private employer in Florida, with 1.1 million people working in the industry. It was decimated by the pandemic with estimates showing that about half of those workers were laid off or had hours reduced at the start of the outbreak. Venues that typically host conferences and other large gatherings saw that revenue dry up as organizers were forced to cancel or hold the events virtually, and while vaccines are nearing approval, they may not be widely available to the general population until later in 2021 or 2022, Ricci said.