"Showcasing Hospitality Education Through Student Leadership" was the mission of the 83rd student-run Hotel Ezra Cornell (HEC) conference, held April 3-6 on campus. About 270 hospitality industry executives and alumni attended HEC, which was designed this year to balance education with lavish dining -- and to set the stage for unofficial recruiting.

This year HEC programs focused on debt and equity in hospitality, and the credit crunch. In addition, the president of ARAMARK Business & Industry Group, Ira Cohn '83, came to discuss the extraordinary logistical challenges his company faces in feeding the Beijing Olympic Village.

"We delivered a strong program," said managing director Geoff Gray '10. "Everything ran like clockwork. Everyone was focused on achieving the goals we set for ourselves."

Gray had two HECs under his belt when he was elected managing director of the student board of directors, each of whose 16 directors was responsible for a key area of the conference (operations, food, marketing, finance, etc.). He and the board logged hundreds of hours of planning for the 2008 HEC, working collaboratively with 300 to 400 students -- about half the Hotel School's undergraduates.

Numerous event "walk throughs" and "function flows" were conducted, recipes tested, programs tweaked. HEC cuisine traveled the world from Cajun and Tuscan dinners to a much-praised Asian-inspired bento box lunch and French café breakfasts. Executive chef Cathy Popp '10 managed a $25,000 budget to feed the demanding clientele and led a team of student volunteers, many of whom had never before cooked.

"We brainstorm to make sure every dish is cutting-edge," said Popp, who has been cooking professionally since she was 15 and runs a catering business. "We had one event that was playing with molecular gastronomy, looking at food from a chemical perspective. We use the best-quality ingredients, including locally purchased food when possible."

Operations director Brett Rubin '08, who among other things was responsible for hotel and conference reservations and managing concierges assigned to each guest, said the gala dinner "brought the whole weekend to fruition. It was beautifully decorated, and the energy was great. We have guests who span the entire hospitality industry, from cruises to e-banking to hotels and restaurants. Watching them interact with each other and with students is networking at its finest."

In a job-interview setting, candidates must sell themselves by talking about how right they are for a position. HEC provides students entry into the hospitality industry by showcasing their prowess as chefs, marketers and organizers to presidents, directors and board chairs whose business is service. This often results in job offers, and at least three of the personal concierges, all freshman and sophomore volunteers, received internship offers from industry guests.

During peak periods leading up to the big event, in addition to his Hotel School studies, Gray logged 30 hours a week on HEC and another 25 hours on his job as the first general manager of the Statler Hotel. "It's difficult," he said, "but I do it because I love it. It's intellectual, emotional, physical effort. It's your product, your delivery.

"Seeing guests really enjoying themselves and saying they are having a great time is really satisfying," Gray said. "Our guests are perhaps one of the most critical groups but also one of the most understanding. Many people attending this year said if Hotel Ezra Cornell is any indication of where our industry is headed, it's going to do very well."