NMSU Hotel Students Check Out New York Trade Show

Date:  Nov. 4, 1997
Editor:   D'Lyn Ford  (505) 646-6528,  dlford@nmsu.edu

LAS CRUCES -- Thirty students from New Mexico State University will check in at an international hotel trade show in New York from Nov. 8-11 to learn, interview for jobs and serve as New Mexico ambassadors.

At the International Hotel/Motel and Restaurant Trade Show, students will attend workshops, meet industry leaders and investigate job leads. While staffing their booth in New York City's Jacob K. Javits Center, they also will answer questions about New Mexico and NMSU.

"This experience affords our students a chance to learn about trends in the industry and make professional contacts," said Ron Cox, NMSU professor of hotel, restaurant and tourism management. "We're taking 30 students this year, which is the largest NMSU group to attend the show since we started the program in 1988."

NMSU's Hospitality and Tourism Student Association coordinates the trip and raises funds through student projects such as raffles, catering, car washes and working at the Renaissance Craftfaire. Though most of those going to the show are studying hotel management, several students with other majors will attend, said Becky Bayang, the association's president and a three-time trade show attendee.

The state's sunny reputation and free copies of "New Mexico" magazine are a big draw at NMSU's booth, she said.

"We get a lot of response from students who are interested in going to school at NMSU because it's in the Southwest where the weather's warm," she said. "We also have people who come back every year looking for the copies of New Mexico' magazine we give out."

Bayang, who will graduate in May, plans to attend seminars on hotel catering at the trade show to further her goal of going into the catering business. She also will pursue job leads, though she's not worried about finding a position.

"Our department has a 98-percent placement rate," she said. "Our faculty are well-connected in the industry."

NMSU students studying restaurant management have a similar opportunity to attend a national trade show for the food and beverage industry in Chicago each May, Bayang said.