UT Students’ Experience at Tennessee’s Annual Governor’s Conference on Hospitality and Tourism
By Cara Smith, CEHHS Student Reporter, Class of 2024
Three students from the Department of Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management (RHTM) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, attended the 2024 Governor’s Conference (Gov Con) in Chattanooga on Sept. 25-27.
Erin Cosentino, Paul Vaughn, and Lily Vincent were three out of 10 students in the Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) program chosen to attend Gov Con by the Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism Association (TNHTA).
The students submitted applications for the selection process, and professors in the department provided letters of recommendation.
“It was such an honor to be chosen to attend Gov Con. I appreciated the letters of support on my behalf from the RHTM department, here at UT, as well as the support from the TNHTA,” said Cosentino.
Gov Con is a three-day conference that brings together representatives of Tennessee’s travel and tourism industry. Speakers at this year’s conference included Gov. Bill Lee and Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, Mark Ezell.
Being chosen to attend Gov Con is a recognition of student’s hard work, talent, and potential for the hospitality and tourism industry.
“It came with a great sense of responsibility, knowing that I was representing my university, and was truly rewarding,” said Cosentino.
While attending Gov Con, all three students had opportunities to make professional connections. They split off into breakout groups, where experts in HTM gave advice on different topics, like how expansions of airports affects travel and how to use TripAdvisor to maximize all its benefits.
Speeches at the conference were also a highlight to the students because they provided first-hand examples of Tennessee’s tourism industry.
“Commissioner Ezell gave a very insightful and informative presentation about the state’s high-ranking position in various categories of tourism across the country,” said Vaughn.
All three students recommend applying and attending Gov Con for the different skills learned and networking connections made.
“I would highly recommend this conference to any student wanting to be in the hospitality industry, especially if you wish to stay in Tennessee because you learn a lot of statistics about the state, as well as meet a ton of people,” said Vincent.
Advice they gave to next year’s participants is to be engaged, be present, set a goal, and ask lots of questions.
“Put your heart and soul into your application, because it is an experience you will never forget!” said Vaughn.