What if your story could spark the next great leader in hospitality? At AIHM, we believe that real-world wisdom—shared through storytelling—has the power to inspire, guide, and transform. That’s exactly what our Guest Speaker Series is all about. It’s more than just a talk; it’s a chance to connect with future professionals and leave a lasting impact.
Curious to see how your voice could shape their journey? Read on.
The Guest Speaker Series: Share your Stories with the Future Leaders at AIHM
People are 12 times more likely to remember information conveyed through a story than just facts alone (Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath). Our brains love patterns and it turns out that stories are one of the most satisfying patterns we utilize. We are always looking for the story, whether you realize it or not. Every time you repeat an inside joke with friends or share a bit of advice you learned from experience with your coworker, you are telling a story.
Sharing our stories isn’t just a nice thing to do or a smart way to connect, it’s a human imperative to share our knowledge with those a bit less experienced than we are. It is vitally important to preserve knowledge for future generations, showing them what we have learned and pointing out the direction they should go.
At AIHM, we consider it a part of our mission to pass on our knowledge, to foster the growth of young people in our community, and to embrace learning at every age. It is not just a mission, but a duty that we strive to uphold for each of the young professionals that come here to study. One of the ways we preserve and pass on knowledge while imbuing young professionals with confidence to pursue new ideas is through the AIHM Guest Speaker Series.
Enriching the Academic Experience
The AIHM Guest Speaker Series is a part of the larger initiative, Student Enrichment, which offers AIHM scholars a place to participate in clubs and other extracurricular activities. Student Enrichment is a mandatory extracurricular initiative, created and led by the AIHM’s emerging professionals. Every week, a dedicated two-hour window is allocated for activities that are entirely student-driven. The Student Committee and Club Leaders are responsible for planning, budgeting, and executing a diverse range of experiences that promote creativity, collaboration, and personal development.
The Guest Speaker Series happens concurrently with Enrichment and AIHM students are required to attend at least one session per semester. This offers the AIHM young professionals a chance to absorb wisdom from experts across all industries in a more informal environment than typical panels or forums.
Sharing Unique Perspectives
We believe growth happens when individuals are exposed to diverse perspectives. The Guest Speaker Series serves as a platform to facilitate those connections and ignite a spirit of ambition, curiosity, and lifelong learning.
Previous speakers have led vision board workshops, guided reflections, shared their journeys, and answered student questions in an open and engaging format. Each session is distinct, reflecting the personality and expertise of the speaker. AIHM carefully selects professionals who are passionate, opinionated, and enthusiastic about mentoring the next generation.
Olivier Dombey led a practical and informative session called “Entrepreneurs, Startups & Visionary Leaders” sharing from his own extensive experience as a founder and managing director for multiple start-ups. Lynn Howard, an incredibly accomplished business development strategist, author, and speaker, took on a more philosophical theme with her session titled “Designing the Life of Your Dreams”. She lead the group through a fun and impactful activity, helping us all to crystallise our visions for the future. Through this series, students are introduced to a variety of industries and perspectives, enhancing their understanding of what is possible in their own careers.
Empowering Young Professionals
Our ultimate goal is to empower the next generation of leaders at AIHM to actively design their career paths with confidence and clarity. By connecting students with accomplished professionals from a range of fields, we hope to provide insight, inspiration, and practical tools to help them succeed.
The growing cohort at AIHM has become instrumental in identifying the content and speakers most relevant to their personal and professional growth. Students have been surveyed to determine the themes they are most eager to explore. Consistent interests include leadership, personal branding, emotional intelligence, and self-development.
Together with the Student Committee, the AIHM team analyses these insights to develop a targeted, engaging lineup of guest speakers. Beyond the core topics mentioned, students have proposed additional areas of interest, such as:
Each week, we receive a myriad of questions throughout the session for the speaker. Here are several student-submitted questions for our guest speakers this year:
It is inspiring to watch how the AIHM young professionals engage with each speaker, ask intentional and thoughtful questions, and even challenge our own preconceived notions regarding life and careers. We know that they will continue the mission of preserving and passing on wisdom, modelling this prosperous and uplifting cycle for future generations.
Are you our next Guest Speaker?
Are you a professional passionate about mentoring and shaping the future of Thailand’s hospitality industry and beyond? If so, we’d love to hear from you by filling out this form. Join us in inspiring the next generation by sharing your experience and insights with the AIHM community.
Each speaker helps us strengthen a growing network of passionate individuals dedicated to education, innovation, and giving back to those just beginning their professional journeys. We look forward to bringing together another group of incredible guest speakers, and facilitating interactive learning sessions with current industry leaders and the future workforce of the hospitality industry here at AIHM!