Midwestern Hospitality Conferences for 2019

  • Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals Midwest Regional Conference
  • Midwest Byway Conference
  • Indiana Tourism Conference
  • Mid-America Restaurant Expo
  • Illinois Governor’s Conference on Tourism

As the hospitality industry continues to grow, many professionals working in this field will find it helpful to attend hospitality conferences in the Midwest in 2019. Each one features workshops and lecturers as well as other events that can help professionals learn more about taking care of their customers and their facilities. The Midwest hosts several of these events every year.

Related resource: Top 15 Hospitality Management Bachelor’s Degree Online Programs

1. Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals Midwest Regional Conference

One of the top hospitality conferences in the Midwest for 2019 is the one organized by the Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP). Hosted by chapters of the organization in Detroit, West Michigan, St. Paul/Minneapolis and Greater Milwaukee, it welcomes members from any state in the Midwest. Guests can attend workshops on how to handle emergency situations and what to do during a disaster as well as how to handle employee complaints and keep both workers and customers happy. HFTP also hosts a larger conference in Orlando every year.

2. Midwest Byway Conference

The National Road runs through the Midwest and connects a number of major cities. Also called Route 40, it allowed early settlers to slowly make their way west. The Midwest Byway Conference takes place in Indiana every year near the end of August. Guests have the chance to attend events at a local hotel and in a large resort as well as in a nature center. As one of the top conferences for hospitality professionals in the Midwest, it includes workshops that teach guests how to capitalize on their locations near or on this route and how to meet the needs of their customers.

3. Indiana Tourism Conference

Another special conference for hospitality professionals in the Midwest is the Indiana Tourism Conference. Scheduled for the first weekend in March, it will take place in Plainfield, Indiana. Guests can book a room in the same hotel where the conference takes place. This hotel offers a free breakfast each morning, and the conference itself provides guests with lunch. Some of the events offered at this conference focus on some of the tourism opportunities in the state and what hospitality professionals can do to bring in more business.

4. Mid-America Restaurant Expo

One of the largest restaurant and hospitality conferences in the Midwest for 2019 is the Mid-America Restaurant Expo. Put on by the Ohio Restaurant Association, it takes place every January. The 2019 conference will bring in special guests such as Michael Symon from the Food Network who owns and operates several restaurants in the state. According to the Mid-America Restaurant Expo, guests can attend multiple seminars on both Sunday and Monday. These seminars cover topics such as the mistakes that restaurant owners make when buying insurance and the top techniques for designing restaurant menus.

5. Illinois Governor’s Conference on Tourism

The Illinois Governor’s Conference on Tourism is a top choice for professionals working in Illinois and surrounding cities. Scheduled for the beginning of February, it takes place in the heart of Chicago. Guests can register online ahead of time and take a look at some of the special guests and events scheduled for the weekend. Those events will go over the opportunities for volunteerism in the state and how managers and owners can market their tourism companies.

Hospitality professionals living and working in the Midwest can attend conferences every year. Some of those events are best for hotel managers, but others provide resources for restaurant managers and anyone who works in the industry. The top hospitality conferences in the Midwest for 2019 take place all across the region.