The Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management (RHTM) department at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is preparing for the 20th Annual Student Enrichment Fundraiser Honoring Commissioner of Tourist Development for the State of Tennessee Mark Ezell.
The event is used to raise money to support students in the department for their experiential learning. In fact, the event itself is an experiential learning opportunity where the planning, marketing, and hosting of the fundraiser is done by students.
The fundraiser will be held April 3, 2025 in the Crowne Plaza Hotel located in Knoxville, Tennessee. This year we will honor Commissioner Mark Ezell, a tireless advocate for the development of tourism across the entire State of Tennessee. He established the Office of Rural Tourism to bolster economic growth in the communities where it’s most needed and spearheaded the creation of Bill Dance Signature Lakes and BikeTN to enhance Tennessee’s footprint in outdoor recreation. His contributions continue to broaden the state’s influence and cultural awareness with work on ongoing initiatives including the U.S. Civil Rights Trail, Tennessee Music Pathways and Tennessee Songwriters Week. We are beyond ecstatic for the opportunity to host this event to honor a true leader in the industry while raising money to give back to the students of the Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management (RHTM) program.
We will begin the evening with our silent auction which will offer unique items from many different retail and tourism categories at 5:30pm. Following the silent auction, we will begin the program and dinner at 7:00pm.