STR's SHARE Center crowns winners of four virtual Student Market Study Competitions

STR’s SHARE Center, in its continued support of hospitality and tourism higher education around the world, held four virtual student market study competitions in November.

Read more on each competition below, with quotes from STR VP Duane Vinson as well as professors and students who participated in the events.

2021 Central & Eastern Europe Student Market Study Competition, supported by La Fondation pour la Formation Hôtelière
 

“While the SHARE Center assists schools all over the world, we wanted to do more to engage with the hospitality and tourism programs in central and eastern Europe,” Vinson said. “By hosting a competition open exclusively to schools in that region, we have gone a long way in meeting that objective. For many of the students, this was their first introduction to deep analysis of hotel industry information and data. They put together marvelous presentations and represented their schools well. We are also grateful for our partner, La Fondation pour la Formation Hôtelière, and their assistance in promoting the competition. Professor Elizabeth Ineson was particularly helpful in communicating and coordinating with many of the schools.”

Five teams participated in this competition on 5 November.

1st Place – Budapest Business School (Hungary)

2nd Place – University of Rijeka (Croatia)

3rd Place – Prague University of Economics and Business (Czech Republic)

“This competition led us through gaining invaluable experience and knowledge about the hotel industry, gave us a unique insight to how the industry is affected by world events, and it made our passion for the topic even more prevalent,” the team from Budapest Business School said. “We learned to tell a story through the analysis and interpretation of various data, as well as enhanced important soft skills, such as teamwork, critical thinking, and presentation skills. This experience will stay with us for all of our careers.  The organization of the competition was extremely thorough and the STR SHARE Center fully supported us. We strongly recommend that all universities participate in the future.”

2021 STR Student Market Study Competition
 

This was the 7th year STR has hosted the event. Held on 13-14 November, 26 undergraduate and 11 graduate teams participated, with nine of those schools being new to the competition.  

“We’ve heard from a number of the faculty that advised their teams that the experience was overwhelmingly positive for their students,” Vinson said. “They learned so much while analyzing various data and working together as a team on their presentations. The competition was quite challenging, but they enjoyed it as well. They’ve all said they’re already looking forward to competing again next year with a new group of students.”

Graduate Division

1st Place – Louisiana State University Shreveport (U.S.)

2nd Place – Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (Switzerland)

3rd Place – University of Guelph (Canada)

“I appreciate STR’s incredible efforts for another great event,” said Minsun Kim, assistant professor at Louisiana State University Shreveport. “The online platform helped us to participate in this competition. I am thrilled that our team performed so well last year (2nd place) and this year (1st place). I am very proud of the LSUS graduate teams who converted the live hotel data into fantastic presentations. Other schools did outstanding works as well, and I genuinely enjoyed watching them. Congratulations to all participants! This competition is meaningful not only for students but also for professors. I hope STR continues to engage with higher education and provides many wonderful opportunities for young professionals in the hospitality and tourism industry.”

Undergraduate Division

1st Place – Republic Polytechnic (Singapore)

2nd Place – Virginia Technological University (U.S.)

3rd Place – Holmesglen Institute (Australia)

“Participating in this year’s STR Student Market Study Competition has given our students the experience of analyzing real-world data and trends that affect the hospitality industry,” said Celine Quek, senior lecturer at Republic Polytechnic. “Preparing for this presentation has deepened our students’ understanding of the industry by allowing them to engage with our teaching staff, as well as key industry partners. They have gained invaluable insights into the impact that policies have on a destination and the organizations that are affected by them. We would like to express our appreciation to the team at STR for organizing this global competition and congratulate our fellow participants.”

2021 STR & CONPEHT Student Market Study Competition (Spanish)

“This was our second competition that included schools in Latin America and our first to be conducted completely in Spanish,” said Vinson. “Although we did not have many teams participate, the region was well represented with schools from Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Guatemala, Peru and Spain. “The student presentations were simply outstanding! It was evident how much time and attention they had given in preparing. We’re excited to make this an annual event and look forward to working with CONPEHT next year with more schools involved.”

Eight teams participated in this competition held on 17 November.

1st Place – Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla (Mexico)

2nd Place – Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico)

3rd Place – Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (Peru)

“Over the last three years at IBERO Puebla, we have participated in several Market Study Competitions that have represented a challenge for both, students and faculty advisors,” said Selene Itzia Perez Martinez, professor at Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla. “Since we started to work with the STR SHARE Center, we knew that offering certifications and participating in competitions would help us to raise the standards of our program and to help students develop more competitive hard and soft skills required for managerial positions in the Hospitality Industry.  This year by winning the STR & CONPEHT Student Market Study Competition, we see that all the effort and extra mile given by faculty advisors and students has been reflected in an outstanding result.  We look forward to participating in the future as well as to keep training students in the right direction to help them excel as future industry decision makers.”

2021 Philippine Student Market Study Competition – Hosted by LPU Laguna, Supported by COHREP, AAHRMEI and TIBF

“It was exciting to see so many new schools in the Philippines learn what all the SHARE Center has to offer through their participation in this event—our first competition specifically open to programs in the Philippines,” said Vinson. “Beginning as early as April, many instructors joined us for webinars and certification training to learn about the various reports and data that their students would be using as they did their market studies. We also appreciate the kind support we received from COHREP, AAHRMEI and TIBF in getting the word out about the competition. A big thank you as well to Professor Ryan Calinao with Lyceum of the Philippines University-Laguna for coordinating and hosting the competition.  He and the League of Tourism Students-Laguna Chapter put on a phenomenal competition.”

This competition was held on 20 November.

1st Place – Lyceum of the Philippines University Batangas

2nd Place – Lyceum of the Philippines University Manila

3rd Place – Lyceum of the Philippines University Davao

“The market study competition was exciting and challenging at the same time,” said Jhonex Madridano, a fourth-year student at Lyceum of the Philippines University–Batangas. “It will test your preparedness and analyzation skills. I was able to collaborate with a team full of dedicated students and built a new family for all of us. For future competitors, teamwork and communication are the key for a successful presentation. This will be necessary throughout your journey of market study because every side of the story counts.  Be prepared, trust your team and make sure to enjoy the experience because there is a lot to learn in this competition.”

Anyone wishing to find out about upcoming competitions or how the STR SHARE Center can help programs with resources including training programs, certification training materials, and global hotel related information and data, should email sharecenter@str.com or call +1 615.824.8664 ext.3329.