IMI at Hospitality award 2008

Worldwide Hospitality Awards 2008

Best Initiative in Education coming from a Hotel School

Winner picture first IMIstudent photo competition

Much more information in detail as well as many more pictures can be seen on the project WIKI page online at http://creatimi.wikispaces.com/

Best Initiative in Education coming from a Hotel SchoolDescription of the initiative

Thinking outside the parameters of traditional hospitality education approaches: Creativity and Innovation Semester

Runner up picture at the firstIMI student photo competition

Best Initiative in Education coming from a Hotel SchoolAbstract

We are all born creative, but somehow our experiences and societal norms stifle the value we place on doing things differently, in order to conform. On the other hand, in order to stay competitive, contemporary hospitality businesses want and need to utilise creative-thinking and new educational approaches to build capacity in people and systems.

Runner up pictures at the first IMI student photo competition

Best Initiative in Education coming from a Hotel School Goals of the initiative

1. To supply the international hospitality industry with innovative,

flexible and creative graduate talenttalent2. To facilitate and enhance active engagement active engagement of students

with both local and international stakeholders3. To develop students’ comfort and belief comfort and belief in their ability to

create new approaches and processes at living and work4. To create a positivepositive student learninglearning environment which

values innovation, diversity and difference5. To create a dynamic staff work environment in which which

change is funchange is fun!6. To create new approaches that build networking skills

Best Initiative in Education coming from a Hotel School Facts

• Developed from Spring 2008 • In response to student and industry feedback as well as

organisation re-structuring. • The initiativeinitiative focuses on 3 targets:

industry, students, staff

• EvidenceEvidence for demand: – Student research work (dissertations)– Business projects– Industrial placement employer and student evaluations– Organisational subject and school surveys– Project Wiki covering all projects on planning, action, focus and

outcome

Best Initiative in Education coming from a Hotel School within the initiative

1. Combination of a variety of contests/competitions at student, staff and school level

2. Web-based consultation and participation on a global scaleglobal scale

3. Creativity days

4. Guest speakers for staff and students

5. And more touches of creativity

Runner up picture at first IMIstudent photo competition

Best Initiative in Education coming from a Hotel School within the initiative

• Combination of a variety of contests/competitions at student, staff and school level– Photo competition (winner pictures are used on first slides)– Best character costume during IMI’s first non-uniform day (Winner

see below)

Switzerland

Best Initiative in Education coming from a Hotel School within the initiative

• Web-based consultation and participation on a global scaleglobal scale– IMI participates at 2008 Global Entrepreneurship Week (

unleashingideas.org )

EDP-Achievements through thematise of the term

• First time publishing of projects on (unleashingideas.org )• Projects on innovation• Projects that can be useful for the hospitality industry or other third parties• Flexible student task groups• Students select the topic themselves• Interaction between students from IMI and international partner institutes• Interaction with tutors from international partner institutes• First time use of wikispace• First time use of online classes through webcast

Switzerland

Best Initiative in Education coming from a Hotel School Conception

• In order to achieve total creativity and avoid the constraining effects of imposing pre-requisites, industry was not invited to determine methods used. However, live industry projects were

used as themes around which creativity was built

• The main innovative aspects of the initiative:– Were defined by the students

– A totally new approach to student-led learning

Switzerland

Best Initiative in Education coming from a Hotel School Entrepreneurship

• Entrepreneurship allows students to create new approaches to innovative business through the development of projects that advance an idea or concept critical to Hotel Management and Leadership. Students at IMI have created projects that:

• Advance a concept essential to sustainable Hotel Futures

• Develop new skills that assist with embracing different cultures

• Embed new understanding of customer needs to build new strategies that balance learning with practise

• >> see all current project abstracts at http://creatimi.wikispaces.com/EntrepreneurshipWeek08

Switzerland

Best Initiative in Education coming from a Hotel School within the initiative

• Creativity “days” Culture Night F&B Concepts (sample Rivendell, many more to come within 2008) Induction Activities (Lucerne scavenge hunt, in-house treasure-hunt) Non-uniform day (be somebody famous for one day) Staff-duty day (Walk a mile in my shoes) Student-creativity day (Where things just go slightly different) Guiness Book World record participation (IMI students took part

at the longest fondue table of the world)

Pictures from activities listed are posted on the next slide.Much more information in detail as well as many more pictures can be seen on the project WIKI page online at http://creatimi.wikispaces.com/

Best Initiative in Education coming from a Hotel School within the initiative

• Guest speakers for staff and students Steffen Konrad (from Im-Boot.de ) Prof Lloyd Williams (award winning professor on leadership, creativity

and change) Heiko Antoniewicz (German molecular top chef)

Best Initiative in Education coming from a Hotel School within the initiative

• Other minor but not less innovative activities

– Second Life campus of IMI (IMI being the first Hotel Management School with a virtual presence on Edunation in the virtual world of Second Life)

– IMI worldmap (Visual display of IMI’s cultural diversity)

– Marketing corner display (new initiative from marketing department to do visual display of their monthly activities)

Best Initiative in Education coming from a Hotel School Investment and settlement

• Total cost: 9650.-- Sfr• All education establishments could apply such an

initiative

Best Initiative in Education coming from a Hotel School Reaction and performance

• Continual monitoring of internal feedback from students and staff

• Industry satisfaction with previous student projects and initiatives extremely high, giving confidence in new positive outcomes

• Extension of the initiative planned for subsequent themed semesters on:

– Creativity and sustainability - Creativity and technology– Creativity and the ecology - Creativity and employment

Best Initiative in Education coming from a Hotel School Results and Student feedback

• What is the most interesting aspect in having a semester themed as Creative and Innovative?– Being creative is never boring because everyone's mind is always

working.

– While most hotel schools focus on traditional and standardized practices, IMI has made a good start to encourage something different, something a business might really be looking for.

– I can put this on my CV!

– It gives students the opportunity to look and think outside the box, to toy with different ideas and to be freer to express themselves