As AI reshapes the workplace, industry leaders say graduates need critical thinking, adaptability, communication, emotional intelligence and both AI literacy and fluency, not just technical skills. The challenge ahead is preparing students for a workforce where AI may automate entry-level tasks while ensuring technology enhances, rather than replaces, the human connection at the heart of events and hospitality.
Schools ponder how to attract new students, teach critical skills and prepare graduates for an AI-shaped workforce
In 2020, Covid upended many things: events, businesses, personal lives and educational dreams. As events made a successful return, hospitality education was left to navigate its own rebuilding process.
The Rebuild
Amanda Cecil, Ph.D., CMP, associate head of educational partnerships and strategic initiatives at Purdue University, has seen that rebuilding firsthand. “Many of us have had to rebuild our programs and rejustify why you would want to get into hospitality and tourism after a major pandemic,” she said.
For hospitality programs, rebuilding meant more than regaining enrollment. Educators also had to restore confidence among students and parents that the industry still offered a viable future. “We’ve also reflected on what our students really need, where we think the industry is going, what do we do well and what should we change?” Cecil said.
No matter the uphill climb presented in 2020, hospitality education has proved adaptable and ready to evolve. Cecil pointed to Purdue’s healthy enrollment and the expansion of its hospitality program to a second campus in Indianapolis.
“I think the future in this space is bright,” she said.
“I think the future in this space is bright.”
–Amanda Cecil, Ph.D., CMP, associate head of educational partnerships and strategic initiatives at Purdue University
A Pipeline Hidden in Plain Sight
The future may be bright, but there is still work to be done. Rising tuition, changing student expectations and the rapid adoption of AI are reshaping what students need to learn and how the industry must present itself to prospective talent.
If there is one thing most can agree on, it is that careers within hospitality and events are broad. The industry and higher education, however, have not always done the best job communicating that.
“I still don’t think we’ve done a good job of telling the story of all the different career paths that you can get into in this field,” Cecil said. “There are so many different directions you can go into with a degree in hospitality, tourism and event management.”
Hospitality and event programs can also be difficult for prospective students to locate because they are housed within different academic departments across university campuses. Cecil suggested that the industry could benefit from a coordinated national campaign explaining the range of available careers.
Sherron Washington, founder and executive director of Discovering Butterflies and an adjunct faculty member at Temple University, agreed that the hospitality label does not always capture the full range of opportunities available.
“The events industry is much, much more than hospitality,” Washington said. “There are a ton of young people who don’t know what they want to do, and I would tell them immediately, ‘Go into the events industry. There is something for you in the events industry that you will love.’”
Starting Earlier
Sometimes, the work to pique that interest needs to begin before college.
“They need to experience it in high school,” Washington said. “Instead of your regular internships where you might be getting coffee, someone needs to nurture the process.”
Early exposure must also reach students who may not already view higher education or hospitality as accessible options. Washington argued that the industry should work with schools, educators and community organizations to create clearer pathways for underserved young people.
“You seek value in what you want,” Washington said. “So let’s make education wantable. Make it desirable again.”
“Let’s make education wantable. Make it desirable again.”
–Sherron Washington, founder and adjunct faculty member at Temple University
Return on Investment
Hospitality programs must also show students why financial and personal investment in higher education is worthwhile. “There’s a responsibility for us in higher ed to create and articulate the return on investment of a college degree,” Cecil said.
One great thing about the hospitality industry is its vast network of partnerships and connections. Cecil pointed to Purdue’s relationships with Marriott International and White Lodging, which provide scholarship support and connections to potential employers.
“They see us as a talent pipeline,” Cecil said. “We see them as a valued workplace partner for students.”
Purdue also works with community colleges to create more affordable pathways into four-year degree programs.
The Skills Technology Makes More Valuable
As part of the educational rebuild, educators are now tasked with giving students a better sense of what employers actually want from them. “I say critical skills instead of soft skills,” Cecil said.
“Employers really are leaning into students who can problem solve, who are good critical thinkers, who are quick on their feet, who can be flexible and who can adapt,” she continued.
Cecil has adjusted her classes to include more case-based and scenario-driven learning, with less reliance on traditional lectures.
Richie Karaburun, Ed.D., clinical associate professor and director of the HI Hub Incubator at the NYU School of Professional Studies, also believes universities have not always placed enough emphasis on interpersonal and professional skills.
“We are very good at teaching hard skills, marketing and finance,” Karaburun said. “But we’re not teaching soft skills.” For Karaburun, those skills include networking, public speaking, time management, curiosity, continual learning and a growth mindset. “The soft skills that you develop, with your AI fluency, are going to be the winning combination for new graduates,” he said.
Allyson Keenan, senior manager of event technology and operations at Cvent, said strong communication skills and emotional intelligence will also be essential for adapting to new technologies and helping others navigate the change.
When AI or another new technology is brought into an existing operation, teams need to understand what is changing, why it matters, how it will affect them and how the new process will work. Concerns surrounding accuracy, workload, security and job displacement must also be addressed.
“Having that skill set and being able to communicate effectively has been really impactful in getting things out the door and having them actually be used,” Keenan said.
AI Literacy and Fluency
AI still has a divided fan base in the classroom.
One fear is that overreliance on AI is chipping away at critical-thinking skills. This has become one of the central issues facing educators as they bring AI into the classroom.
Even as educators encourage its use, they also acknowledge that students need the judgment to question AI’s output, push back when necessary and avoid accepting everything at face value.
“AI becomes the thinker, and then the person becomes the doer. We want to pause that,” Washington said. “There should be teaching of how to use AI in a way that’s going to be valuable but keeps your thinking skills.”
“These students, whether it’s event management or hospitality, need to be AI literate and AI fluent,” Karaburun said. “They need to know the tools, and they need to know how and when to use what tools.”
AI literacy means understanding the technology and knowing how to operate it. AI fluency requires a deeper level of judgment, including knowing which tool fits the problem, how to evaluate its output and when it should not be trusted.
When using AI to gather information, users must still verify and fact-check its output before moving forward. “Just because ChatGPT gives it to you, that doesn’t mean it’s correct,” Karaburun said. “Use it, but question it.”
“Use [AI], but question it.”
–Richie Karaburun, Ed.D., clinical associate professor and director at NYU School of Professional Studies
Teaching the Work Behind the Technology
Being good at prompting an AI chatbot does not necessarily mean knowing how to solve an event problem. Keenan said meeting professionals must first have a firm grasp of the data, systems and workflows behind the task. “Some understated skills that are pretty transferable and universal across industries are AI readiness and knowing how data, processes and systems work together,” Keenan said.
Some problems that initially appear to require AI may be better solved through process redesign, automation, stronger integrations between systems or clearer data management. “The actual solution was not just throwing AI on top of it,” Keenan said.
Being trained to use AI is one thing. Understanding the process behind it, the problem it is meant to solve and the value it adds to a workflow is another.
The actual solution was not just throwing AI on top of it.”
–Allyson Keenan, senior manager of event technology and operations at Cvent
Rethinking Entry-Level Work
AI may be a game-changer for the industry, but it could also change how hospitality graduates gain practical experience and the kind of workplace waiting for them. “Our concern is, how will our students enter the field?” Cecil said. “Typically, they’ve entered through those coordinator and assistant roles.”
Cecil pointed to itinerary creation as one example of work once assigned to early-career employees that can now be automated. “Some of those daily tasks that someone in an entry-level position would do can be automated now,” she said.
Keenan, however, does not necessarily see those roles disappearing. “Their role is not going to be eliminated, but they need to now have the skill set to manage the AI that will be doing the monotonous, repetitive work,” she said.
Tracy Judge, founder and CEO of Soundings, suggested internships as one way to connect students’ technological skills to real industry knowledge and experience. By giving interns an actual business problem, employers could allow them to explore ways AI might help solve it.
“Give them context and let them run with the AI to try to solve the problems,” Judge said.
“Give them context and let them run with the AI to try to solve the problems.”
–Tracy Judge, founder and CEO of Soundings
Listen Here: Allyson Keenan and Tracy Judge Talk About AI on Smart Start Radio Podcast
Events and Education Can’t Be Fully Automated
At their core, neither events nor education can be fully automated. With the right guardrails, AI can take on minute operational details, giving meeting professionals more time to focus on the parts of the experience that deserve their attention.
“AI can’t duplicate customer service,” Washington said. “You cannot duplicate a smile, that warmth, that synergy, that connection.”
This article appears in the September 2026 issue. You can subscribe to the magazine here.
