January/February

President’s Letter - January 2023 Greetings SHFM Members,

Apa Kabar? (This is our greeting for friends and family in Malaysia, and roughly translates to “how are you?”). The holiday season is not over yet! The Lunar New Year celebration is on January 22nd, and I wish you and your families good health and prosperity.

As your President, I am working hard to add to the value of your membership.

Our industry is at its greatest moment of reinvention, and you are an important part of that future. Thank you for your support and encouragement since I began my term as President this year.

• SHFM has released our new Strategy Assessment Surveys which you should have received via e-mail for your membership category. This is to learn how we can help you in your day-to-day work and how we can build SHFM to meet your needs in the future. Your input is important as this will help our strategic team work on our 3-year plan for our organization. Please be sure to add your voice to the future of SHFM! • We will be launching our traditional Benchmarking Study in early 2023. This survey has been conducted for a number of years and the data provides valuable information for your operation. Our Benchmarking Champions will be reaching out to our SHFM member operators to participate in this important industry study. We plan to launch the Study prior to the National Conference in September. Be sure to participate! • One of our top goals is to promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) throughout SHFM. The DEI Council created a comprehensive Mentorship Toolkit, and we look forward to hearing your feedback about this new addition to your membership benefits. It is a useful guide to roles, expectations, and best practices that can be customized to foster a successful mentoring program and culture. Mentors empower a person to realize their inherent abilities and achieve their goals. Please consider donating your valuable time and expertise to guide our next generation of hospitality professionals to success. • SHFM has released the Affinity Group Toolkit, a resource that provides you with a step-by-step guide on forming a successful Affinity group within your organization. Groups can be structured around any common cause, status or understanding such as ethnic status, gender empowerment, service affiliation. • In partnership with the International Association of Conference Centers (IACC), the Meeting Room of the Future Barometer Study has just been released. The focus of this study was to look past the pandemic and on to the recovery in order to uncover new insights into how the meetings and events industry is responding to the changing needs and expectations of meeting planners. Be sure to check it out! (Members only content under original research.) continued on page 8

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