This is a guest blog by Laura Millward, currently studying BA (Hons) International Hospitality Management.

Hi,  I am currently in my final year, studying International Hospitality Management. We were lucky enough to get the opportunity to attend the annual Fusion Summit in London, as part of our course. We were introduced to some recognised names in the industry such as Dorchester Collection and Grange Hotels.

The event was insightful and gave us a real view into the career opportunities we have ahead and what we can expect from securing a role within the tourism and hospitality industry after graduating. Additionally to this, we heard from BU graduates that are working in the industry, which gave us relate-able examples of what we can expect post-university.

The speakers all provided a lot of interesting information on industry trends and topics such as the development of technology in the future and the impact of healthy eating in society. It was really nice to see our lecturers getting involved at this point as they partook in a debate on the stage. The topics covered will be useful for some of the assignments we are working on now, giving us a more in depth understanding of certain aspects of the industry.

Alongside hearing the speakers talk about their particular topics, we also had the chance to network with them throughout the event, which was a really valuable opportunity, especially for people such as myself who haven’t yet secured a graduate role or aren’t interested in looking for grad schemes.

Overall, the Fusion Summit was a highly productive day and a great opportunity to do something outside of our day-to-day university life. I felt it was really useful and has helped me gain even greater understanding on what the hospitality industry is looking for in its future managers. If you are interested in this course, it won’t disappoint.