"Women are a growing force in hospitality," said Hitesh Bhakta, chairman, AAHOA. "I've seen their participation and power in the industry increase tremendously in my tenure at AAHOA. The annual Women's Conference provides a forum for women to gather, have some fun, talk and learn about both professional and personal issues that women face."
This year the Women's Committee, headed by AAHOA directors at large Surekha Patel and Saroj Patel, has planned a power-packed day full of successful women, including keynote speaker Swati Dandekar, Iowa state representative, and Rhine L. McLin, mayor of Dayton, Ohio. Educational topics include "Achieving Excellence in Our Lives" and "Family Wealth: Keeping it all in the Family." Deepa Patel, M.D., of the Mayo Center will lead a health panel discussion featuring specialists in women's health and internal medicine.
"We tried to plan an agenda that touches upon a variety of topics," explained Saroj Patel. "Women perhaps more than men have to find a careful balance between self, family and profession. We think it's important to blend all of those elements into the day."
This combination of topics has proved successful. Over the course of marketing the Women's Conference, more than 300 women have become first-time members of AAHOA.
"AAHOA has grown 30 percent over the last four months," said Fred Schwartz, president, AAHOA. "The addition of 300 new women members as a direct result of the Women's Conference is a testament to the hard work of the Women's Committee and board of directors."
"The Women's Conference has always been about empowering women in our community and in hospitality," said Surekha Patel. "In the past few years, women have been showing more interest in educational opportunities and upper level management at their properties. We've always been the backbone of this industry. Now we want to encourage women to stay active and continue to make progress in a positive way."
About the Asian American Hotel Owners Association - Founded in 1989 and representing more than 7,800 members, the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) is a leading force in the hospitality industry and one of the most powerful Asian-American advocacy groups in the United States. The fastest growing association in the hospitality industry, AAHOA's membership has grown 30 percent since April 2003. Together the members own more than 20,000 hotels across the nation, which have 1 million rooms representing over 50 percent of the economy lodging properties and nearly 37 percent of all hotel properties in the United States. AAHOA supports its members through year-round educational programs and advocacy in the legislature, media and hospitality industry. For more information, please call 404-816-5759 or visit www.aahoa.com.
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