Welcome New York 2024

"You mean, you just came to this conference on your own?" asked one of the delegates I spoke with at the phone charging station during a break.

"That's cool."

I appreciated the compliment. But I can't remember people attending hospitality conferences as part of the cool kids club, but I'll go with it!

In any case, my family and I budgeted for me to attend the Welcome Conference last week at the David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City. Easily one of the most powerful days I've ever spent listening to authentically passionate leaders talk about what they value in hospitality.

The primary reason I attended is that I believe that one of my most critical responsibilities as a leader is to stay inspired. Staying inspired and motivated is something I'm not going to wait to happen. I care enough about my career to invest in extending the borders of my knowledge and experience. Attending a conference is one way to do it.

I'm going to summarize the takeaways that made the greatest impact on me. Hospitality is a powerful uniting force, and we need to build the right teams to care for each other. Don't allow yourself to be compartmentalized into one category; bring all of your talents and passions to work. Now more than ever, we need to live in a way that makes good use of the limited time we have in life to make a difference.

I left the conference feeling energized and excited. Serving others is one of the most noble things you can do, and I'm so glad that the Welcome Conference exists to fuel the imaginations of those who do the work.

I hope to go back!