School of Hospitality Engages in a Fundraising Campaign
The purpose of this fundraising event is to provide support for the National Pastry Team to compete at the most prestigious pastry competition in the world, The Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie in Lyon, France in the year 2019.
The School of Hospitality, Sunway University hosted several events on 10 and 17 November 2018 for this fundraising event. Some of the events were the Wine Appreciation Workshop and Pastry Workshops, led by Dr Daniel Chong and Chef Patrick respectively. These workshops were followed by a semi-buffet lunch (‘African Safari’) and a six-course themed dinner (‘A Night in Paris’) planned and executed by students from the BSc (Hons) International Hospitality Management programme. Both events were held at the School’s high class restaurant, known as Athanor.
The themed dinner was part of the Intermediate Restaurant Operations subject module with the objective to apply appropriate concepts and practices in planning and implementing foodservice operations. These events were also supported by culinary students, a team of chefs, and BSc (Hons) Conventions and Events Management students, led by Ms Belinda Fong. Events such as these provides students with experiential learning capability, simulating a real-life example of the working environment.
The Student Project Leader of the ‘A Night in Paris’ event, Casey Yong, commented: “After the event, I feel that communication skills and trust were some of the most useful elements in this project. When everyone is connected on the same wavelength, it’s easier to work together. As my team had a mixture of international and local students, I try to bring everyone together by encouraging communication amongst them. It is also very important for the team to know the agenda and what’s going to happen next. I am glad that my team trusts that I have the ability to lead them through this project”.
The Student Project Leader of the ‘African Safari’ event, Bryan Ting, said: “Running an event was never easy. Being able to work well with different people from various backgrounds and capabilities proves to be even harder. After organising this event, I realised that trust and communication play an important role in order to organise an event successfully. Different individuals have different ways of approach. Some were easily contented while others wished to continue to push forward, aiming for perfection. Despite the differences and difficulties, I am glad that this event was a success. Through this event, effective communication and efficient time management were the greatest lessons learnt and are things that need continual improvement. As a project leader it is important to listen to what others have to say as there is always an emotion element in each person. It would be easier to for us to relate than to reason if we hope to have a smooth operation.”
The fundraising has been successful because of the School’s approach to organization of the various events. Karen Lui, Teaching Fellow and Chairperson of the November Fundraising Campaign, said: “Foodservice events or any events are often a combined effort within the teams and among team members. Therefore, a synergy has to exist for the tasks to be carried out cooperatively. It is a challenge when students from various backgrounds come together to achieve a common goal.”
