Sold-Out AAHOA Workshop is a Wrap!

On Tuesday, November 29, more than 100 AAHOA members, officers and guest speakers gathered at the Courtyard & TownePlace Suites in Grapevine, Texas, for two days of professional development at AAHOA’s first-ever "How to Form a Management Company" workshop.

The event, which sold out in only a few weeks, drew attendees from all around the country and garnered a sizable waiting list in the weeks beforehand.

"The response from AAHOA members was overwhelmingly positive," said AAHOA Director of Education, Kathija "Kat" Mohammed. "We couldn’t have asked for a more excited and engaged audience."

Attendees spent Tuesday and most of Wednesday hearing from industry leaders on the varying departments that make up the infrastructure of a management company. Topics included revenue, information technology, human resources and procurement. The first day also featured an extensive Q&A session and a three-member panel titled "Lessons from Successful Member Management Companies." This talent-filled panel welcomed to the stage our 2013 AAHOA Chairman and NewcrestImage CEO Mehul Patel, The Witness Group’s CEO Ohm Patel, and Zenique Hotels COO Rupesh Patel.

The panelists offered both practical advice and inspiring lessons learned from decades in hospitality and many years at the helm of their respective organizations. On the critical importance of building a solid team, Ohm Patel said, "The cost of investing in people and culture is a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of turnover."

Tarun Kapoor, Managing Director of Kapoor & Kapoor Hospitality, served as the workshop and panel moderator. He brought with him extensive experience as a consultant and has assisted many AAHOA members in forming their management companies. Other workshop speakers included The Witness Group’s Director of Technology Hetal Patel, Director of Procurement Amit Patel, and Director of Revenue Management Gurtej Medi; Vision Hospitality’s SVP of Operations Reggie Piercy and VP of Sales & Marketing Scott Crunk; NewcrestImage’s Senior Director of Operations and Sales Greg Presley, and Director of Finance Katherine Whitford.

The workshop also featured a lunch-andlearn session hosted by sponsor Purchasing Management International (PMI). Carl Long, PMI SVP, discussed the benefits of project-based procurement and how third-party purchasing companies may be more cost-effective for management companies.

On Wednesday afternoon, the workshop culminated with a tour of the NewcrestImage corporate office to allow members to visualize the concepts they learned over the two-day event.

"Based on our feedback, everyone had a rewarding experience," Mohammed said. "I’d like to personally thank our sponsor and each one of our speakers, panelists and contributors for making this workshop such a success."

The workshop will be held again in 2017 on a date to be determined.

For more information on AAHOA workshops and other educational offerings, please see visit our events calendar on www.aahoa.com.