By ASHLYN TOLEDO
The International Association of Reservation Executives recently partnered with Florida International University’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management and the Wellness and Recreation Center at Biscayne Bay Campus, to leverage the unique structure of a hackathon to get a better idea of what students at a university are really thinking.
Students from all across the university teamed up for six hours at the FIU-IARE Hackathon on Saturday, September 24, 2016, to brainstorm new ways to help travel reservation centers attract and retain Millennials – a subject that is increasingly on the minds of top industry executives. Teams were judged on two criteria: how innovative their ideas were, and how feasible they were.
“Innovation is the cornerstone for any organization competing in the 21st century, “ said Miguel Alonso, director of research and economic development at the Chaplin School. “That’s why it’s so important to give our students the opportunity to develop their innovation tool belt, so that when they graduate, they can be entrepreneurs and innovators in their own right. Events like this one give our students that opportunity.”
Jill Hellman, who has worked as an innovator with audiences worldwide for the last 13 years and is currently serving as the Strategy and Innovation Advisor at Florida International University, was the driving force behind the hackathon. Throughout the day, she led the students through a unique process known as Outthinker, which Jill has used internationally with companies like Microsoft, Virgin Hotels and Estée Lauder. Throughout the process, participants are guided through stages of generating new and innovative ideas, and then working to make those ideas more attainable.
“What companies really want to know, is what students are thinking,” she said. “We have the interdisciplinary talent that every organization craves in a consulting group, and we have a lot of it – 55,000 of them sitting in our university.”
In the hours leading up to the hackathon, the student lobby of the Chaplin School where the event was taking place, was transformed. Hellman worked with Christina Reddick, Assistant Director for Student Affairs at FIU, and their team of student assistants, to create an environment that would inspire creativity and innovation. Student artist, Juan Carlos Ortega, who studies mechanical engineering at FIU, was brought in to create a graffiti mural that welcomed students as they walked into the room, and playful elements – like inflatable pizza slices and giant Storm Trooper statues – were sprinkled throughout.
“I had a fantastic time,” said hospitality management major, Vivek Somani. “I loved how the organizers completely transformed the second floor of the Chaplin School and the energy was great. I am a firm believer that collaboration is key and working with students from different majors is a really great way to broaden my horizons and gain new perspectives.”
Jon Mendez, a Chaplin student in his senior year, was the group leader on the winning team.
“I definitely think it was beneficial for me from the leadership perspective,” he said. “I thought we came up with some creative ideas on how to shake things up, and we are actually going to continue with this project and see how far it can go from here.”
Mendez led a team of five students: computer engineering major Daniel Patino, fellow hospitality management student Katherine Reyes, Shirly Czaikowski who is studying social media and Steve Rodoquino, a doctoral student pursuing an Ed.D. in adult education/ human resource development. Their proposal was for a campus-based call center that would allow students to work around their class schedules and minimize their commute, while gaining valuable experience with companies who may want to recruit them for higher-level positions after graduation.
“I believe that the winning group may not have come up with their winning idea if we just stayed in the hospitality lens,” said Hellman. “I’d recommend that anyone, at any school, look to their friends who are doing different things for inspiration. When you’re trying to innovate, and you want to know what’s possible, you need to ask other people.”
With eight different areas of study represented, the collaborative nature of the hackathon allowed the students to draw on one another’s unique strengths. Having a computer engineering major on board, the team was able to dream up an interesting way to incorporate technology – a virtual reality guided tour of hotel properties led by employees at the call center.
“As an Engineer, it was an amazing experience to work with such a diverse group of majors. I learned very real skills on how to talk to other professional people who might not have the same background as you,” said Patino.
“This event is the first of many that will infuse innovation and entrepreneurship into the Chaplin School and provide a test bed for students to sharpen their innovation chops,” said Alonso. “With the integration of STEM programs into the Chaplin School curriculum, students will be better prepared for the coming wave of innovation in the marketplace.”
The first and second place teams presented their ideas to a room full of over 100 leading industry executives at the 32nd Annual IARE Conference held at Margaritaville in Hollywood, Florida on Tuesday, September 27, 2016.
“I think the biggest benefit to the students was being able to present their ideas in front of industry professionals that can hire them,” said Reddick. “With the tools Jill gave them to take a really crazy idea and make it attainable, I think they were able to do really well.”
The second place team conceptualized an Uber-style take on call centers, allowing workers and customers to connect whenever, wherever, through a mobile app they named “Wever.” It was an incredibly close race, and team members Jordan Hamilton, Shelley Wright and Juan Tamayo from the Chaplin School, management information systems major, Opeyemi Osundahunsi and David Tooch from the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs, missed first place by only half of a point.
