NEARLY 1,000 HOSPITALITY professionals attended the AHLA Foundation’s ForWard Conference at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta. With a theme centered on recognizing, accessing and amplifying power designed to elevate women in hospitality, the two-day event included professional development and networking opportunities.
The conference featured speakers from across the hospitality industry and adjacent industries. They included Jennifer Hyman, CEO and co-founder of Rent The Runway; Lamiaa Laurene Daif, worldwide strategy leader at Apple; and Grammy-nominated songwriter Makeba Riddick.
"Our industry thrives on connection," said Kevin Carey, AHLA Foundation president and CEO of the. "By bringing ForWard to Atlanta, we placed this important dialogue in the heart of a major hospitality hub, allowing us to engage with a broader audience and drive meaningful change."
The program “has become a force in this industry,” said Rosanna Maietta, AHLA president and CEO.
"There is power in this movement,” she said. “I’m thrilled to see how our industry has embraced this conference and is meaningfully showing up for women in our industry.”
Anu Saxena, president of Hilton Supply Management and chair of the AHLA Foundation, spoke at ForWard.
“Power is not just about personal success. It's important, but it's also about uplifting others as we rise. It's important to understand the impact that we can have on the journeys of others and using that to influence, to inspire, to uplift, to help others finding their superpowers,” Saxena said. “Uplifting others and creating pathways to success is what the foundation stands for, and to ensure that as the industry grows, everybody has a chance to grow with it.”
Saxena went on to interview Kathryn Valentine, CEO of Worthmore Strategies, who also gave a workshop on negotiations with vendors. The two of them discussed the importance of networking.
“I feel like ‘network’ has become one of those words that we use so frequently now that it's almost lost its meaning a little bit,” Valentine said. “When we say network, we're simply talking about your relationships, whether you're intentionally building them or not. We all have a network, and what we know from research is that 80 percent of our opportunities come from our network.”
A strong network doesn’t just lead to job offers, Valentine said, but also better projects at work, promotions and getting credit for that thing you already did. She provided three characteristics of a strong network.
One is the number of contacts one has, she said, but only to a certain extent. More important is that those relationships be truth based.
“If you think about someone who knows 1,000 people but isn't particularly well connected to any of them, that's not a great network,” Valentine said. “We would much rather know fewer people and have authentic relationships with them.”
Valentine’s third characteristics of a strong network is that it contains a variety of information. That means people with different backgrounds and different perspectives, encouraging innovation.
Other sessions included:
“The Future of Guest Expectations” featuring Heather Balsley, IHG Chief Commercial Officer; Mary Ellen Jelenek, American Express; and Monica Xuereb, Loews Hotels, moderated by Kristie Goshow, Chief Commercial Officer of Peregrine Hospitality
“Unlocking AI: The Power of the Right Prompts” conducted by Steve Berrey, Global Head of AI & ML Solutions at Onix
“Hidden Careers in Hospitality” exploring non-traditional leadership paths within the industry
“Hotels as Local Hubs” discussion on strengthening community connections as a competitive advantage
Last year’s conference was held at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago.
Red Roof President Zack Gharib, far right, participates in a panel discussion at AAHOA’s 2025 Convention and Trade Show.