On 10th October 2024, Professor Willy Legrand of IU International University of Applied Sciences delivered a compelling keynote at the Education and Research Day at Hotelschool The Hague. With representatives from all major public university hospitality management programmes present, his address served as both a call to action and a guide toward transforming hospitality education for a sustainable future.
His keynote, "Tomorrow's Table: An Inconvenient Truth in Hospitality Education (and how to deal with it!)," emphasised the need to embed sustainability as a core element in business education. Dr. Legrand articulated the challenges and opportunities the hospitality industry faces, focusing on the following key points:
- Inconvenient Truths: The industry faces systemic risks due to climate change and social responsibility demands, necessitating a transformative shift towards sustainability.
- Global Frameworks: Aligning with global agreements like the Paris Agreement requires translating these into actionable strategies, using tools such as the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
- Educational Shortcomings: Current hospitality education is to a significant extent outdated, lacking in preparation for a rapidly changing business environment. Sustainability must become the foundation, not just an add-on. Various methods to integrate sustainability into curricula were proposed to foster systemic change.
- Future-Ready Education: Hospitality industry and educators must embrace sustainability to future-proof the sector; hospitality education should include crisis management, innovation, strategic thinking, and sustainability as core competencies.
Willy Legrand presented a vision for universities to lead in sustainability, urging an embrace of models like Regenerative Hospitality and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration. His keynote highlighted that integrating sustainability is essential to securing are sponsible and resilient future for the hospitality industry. As IU International University of Applied Sciences and similar institutions take up this mission, they help pave the way for sustainable progress in hospitality education.
