As the hospitality industry works to attract and retain the next generation of talent, The Hospitality Show is placing a greater emphasis on young professionals through its Emerging Leaders Program, a dedicated experience designed for hospitality professionals under 30 and those in the early stages of their careers.
The program is designed as an immersive experience that combines education, networking, mentorship and career development with access to the broader conference. According to program materials, participants gain exposure to curated sessions, networking opportunities and professional-development activities intended to help them build industry connections and accelerate their careers.
The Emerging Leaders Program reflects a growing industry focus on workforce development at a time when hotel operators continue to face recruiting and retention challenges. Program organizers describe the initiative as a way to give rising professionals greater visibility within the industry while connecting them with experienced leaders, owners and operators attending the event.
The Emerging Leaders Program is presented by the Hospitality and Tourism Management Program at Florida Atlantic University's College of Business.
Among the benefits are one-on-one career coaching opportunities, resume reviews, mentorship connections and educational programming tailored specifically to emerging talent. The program is designed to provide practical career guidance while helping attendees expand their professional networks.
The conference agenda also includes sessions specifically focused on leadership and career development. One session, Mentorship That Actually Works, explores how hospitality companies are creating structured mentorship programs to improve retention, leadership development and operational alignment. The session examines approaches ranging from reverse mentorship to cross-functional mentoring relationships.
Another session, Experiential Learning: Building the Career Journey in Hospitality, looks at how hotel companies are building talent pipelines through partnerships with schools and universities, job-shadowing programs and defined career paths designed to move employees from entry-level positions into leadership roles.
Several of Hotel Management’s 2026 Thirty under 30 honorees will discuss how they’re building careers while rethinking long-held industry norms. They’ll share real-world perspectives on adopting technology, evolving the guest experience, and advocating for more balanced, inclusive workplace cultures, along with honest reflections on what’s working, what isn’t and what needs to change.
The Emerging Leaders Program is open to participants age 30 and younger, including students and professionals with approximately zero to five years of industry experience. Organizers have also explored partnerships with hospitality schools and university programs as part of the initiative's effort to strengthen the future talent pipeline.
In addition to the educational programming, attendees receive access to The Hospitality Show's broader conference, where owners, operators, management companies, investors and hospitality executives gather to discuss operational performance, technology, workforce issues, guest experience and profitability. The Emerging Leaders Program as a way for younger professionals to gain exposure to the industry's top decision-makers while building relationships that can support long-term career growth.
The Hospitality Show has increasingly incorporated workforce-development programming into its agenda, recognizing that developing future leaders is critical to the industry's long-term success. The Emerging Leaders Program aims to help bridge that gap by providing young professionals with mentorship, education and networking opportunities alongside the event's larger focus on hotel operations and performance.
Individuals ages 21–30 working in the industry or enrolled in a hospitality program qualify for an exclusive The Hospitality Show All Access rate of $199. For more information and to register, visit https://www.thehospitalityshow.com/.