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- From volunteering to experiential learning: a service-learning project in tourism higher educationPublication . Melo, Carla; Meneses, Daniela; Vasconcelos, SandraIn recent years, there has been a growing adoption of more active, student-centered pedagogical strategies, which aim to develop skills beyond theoretical knowledge and better prepare future professionals. Motivated by a diverse range of factors, such as the need to bridge/fill in training gaps identified by the job market, or the difficulty to engage 21st century students, this adoption of innovative methodologies can also be framed by the lack of systematized data, which allows effective reflection and sharing of good practices in tourism higher education (THE). Innovative pedagogical methodologies are diverse and include service learning, which is understood as an approach that “combines the learning goals and the community service in such a way that it can simultaneously benefit both the students and the community” (Chau et al., 2023, p. 5). This approach is at the root of the Events Team project, a volunteer group that includes students from different courses and levels of higher education (vocational courses, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees) of the School of Hospitality and Tourism of the Polytechnic Institute of Porto (ESHT-IPP), in Portugal. The project – Events Team – aims to support the organization of events promoted by and/or requested to the School, while providing students with the opportunity to engage in hands-on learning experiences. The research hereby presented aims to further contribute to the ongoing reflection on the affordances of service and experiential learning by sharing the insights and key results of the project, namely by exploring the students’ motivations join and take part in the group’s activities, as well as their perceptions on the contribution of the experience to the enrichment of their learning and their future employability.
- Shaping the new normal: Portuguese hotel and event managers’ reactions to COVID-19Publication . Melo, Carla; Melo, António; Vasconcelos, Sandra; Meneses, DanielaThe COVID-19 pandemic has created a worldwide crisis, which has had an impact on all economic sectors, having transformed social and consumption patterns. This crisis has been particularly difficult for the tourism industry, with uncertainty and the emergence of new consumer profiles and demands prompting swift reactions from policymakers and stakeholders. Focussing on two sub-sectors of the Portuguese tourism industry – hospitality and events – this paper aims to identify the most relevant concerns and Crisis Management Strategies adopted in each of these sectors in the early stages of the pandemic, putting forward a multi-layered analysis, juxtaposing the different challenges faced by managers and how they were approached. Based on previous studies and on 14 semi-structured interviews with hotel and event managers, the authors adopted an exploratory qualitative approach as to record and categorize the interviewees’ perceptions, having established the transversal importance of resilience, flexibility, and technology for each sector’s recovery. Moreover, taking into account the singularity of each setting, the authors were also able to identify more specific sectorial categories, which have had an effect on both the decision-making and future outlooks for both the hospitality and events industries. Overall, despite being hopeful, hotel and event managers anticipate different recovery challenges, with the first highlighting the importance of soft skills, and the latter emphasizing the need to regain the public’s confidence, at the same time they will have to rethink their offer as to better address current needs and concerns.
- The changing face of events after COVID-19: initial reactions and future perspectivesPublication . Melo, Carla; Vasconcelos, Sandra; Melo, António; Meneses, DanielaThe COVID-19 health crisis has significantly impacted the tourism and events industries, having prompted different responses from stakeholders and decision-makers. Focusing on the initial response from event managers and drawing from their perceptions, this paper outlines the dimensions considered to have been more directly affected by the crisis, analyzing how they shaped event managers’ outlook on the future. In order to provide a comprehensive view, researchers carried out six interviews, having resorted to purposive sampling, as to collect data from managers working with social, corporate, and cultural events. Overall, Operations, Human Resources, and Decision-making stood out as the most relevant dimensions, mostly stemming from the need to act quickly when faced with this unforeseen situation, having had a short- and medium-term impact on recovery prospects. Together with Health and Safety and Customer Relationship Management, these dimensions are expected to play an important role in shaping the future of events, as, in addition to changes regarding the dimension, format, and sustainability, managers anticipate a shift in peoples’ behavior and expectations, which will ultimately affect their experience, calling for different approaches and strategies.