Two years have passed since Lugano was scheduled to host the EHMA Annual General Meeting. Plans that had not taken into account a global pandemic. Today, finally, the Organizing Committee has announced the new dates of the exclusive event, which will be held at the LAC in Lugano between March 18 and 20.

EHMA – European Hotel Managers Association was founded in Rome in 1974 by some executives of the hotel industry with the desire to maintain and enhance the image of the hotel heritage. It is made up of executives of high level hotels united by the common goal of improving and innovating services for customers. The Association currently has approximately 400 members representing 29 European countries.

For almost half a century, EHMA has been choosing a different European location for this prestigious event, and this time Lugano, Switzerland, a crossroad of international cultures, will be the stage for this important moment of meeting and exchange. The event will be hosted by LAC – Lugano Arte e Cultura, the city's cultural hub, ideal to pay homage to the theme of the event "It's all about Passion", with the red thread of passion guiding the assembly at all times.

"The appointment in Lugano represents for us the restart: after three years since the last assembly we finally have again the opportunity to meet and confront each other – explains Ezio A. Indiani, President of EHMA and GM of the Hotel Principe di Savoia in Milan – now it's time to look at the future and prepare for the challenges to come, certain that our event will be an inspiration for the professionals and for the entire tourism sector. Among the most eagerly awaited moments of the meeting, there will also be the presentation of the European Hotel Manager of the Year award, to celebrate the hotel manager who has particularly distinguished himself or herself during the year".

"It is passion that motivates us to achieve the most ambitious goals," comments Giuseppe Rossi, Chairman of the Organizing Committee and GM of the Hotel Splendide Royal in Lugano. "Passion makes creativity blossom and, especially after Covid-19, we realized its importance. Particularly in the hospitality industry, which is active 24 hours a day, only passion can make a difference and motivate new generations to a profession that is as rewarding as it is challenging. This is one of the objectives of EHMA Lugano 2022: to attract young hotellerie talents driven by passion".

A "passionate" program

It is no coincidence that, the highlight of the three-day program in Lugano will be the Educational Day on Saturday, March 19.

The speakers may come from different worlds than those of the hotel industry, but they share a professional life driven by passion and will bring their personal experiences of success to the stage. Among them there will be Umberto Pelizzari (Italian former freediving recordman, university professor), Simona Atzori (Italian dancer, writer and painter born without arms) and also Daniele Finzi Pasca (Swiss playwright, director, choreographer and passionate Ticinese).

An exceptional round table discussion will conclude the day, with the participation of some of the executives of the most prestigious hotel chains in the world: Christopher Cowdray – CEO Dorchester Collection; Roland Fasel – COO Aman Resorts; Andrea Guerra – CEO LVMH Hospitality Excellence and Shannon Knapp – President & CEO The Leading Hotels of the World. These important speakers will animate the panel discussion, talking about how they live and value passion in their companies and how passion itself has helped the industry to overcome the difficult time of the pandemic.

During the Gala Dinner at the Hotel Splendide Royal, among the most anticipated moments, there will be the presentation of the awards "European Hotel Manager of the Year 2022" and "Lifetime Achievement". The "EHMA Sustainability Award by Diversey", dedicated to the best sustainable hospitality project of the year, will also be presented. In fact, EHMA has always distinguished itself for its attention to the Green theme, which is as fundamental today as it will be tomorrow for the sustainable growth of the sector.

Young people, opportunities and institutions

The program of EHMA Lugano will start on Friday, March 18, as usual, with the General Assembly, the 48th in the history of the Association, in the beautiful location of the LAC. During the meeting there will be the presentation of: the new members ( two of which will be lucky enough to win an online course at Cornell Nolan Hotel School), the candidatures for future General Assemblies. During the meeting, the EHMA presidential election for the upcoming 2022/24 term will be held.

Commitment to the next generation of hospitality professionals has been one of the Association's goals from the beginning. Precisely in this spirit, at the same time as the Members' Assembly, the Young EHMA 2022 Group will participate in a working session organized by EHL (Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne) and present the results of its work. The group is composed of young hoteliers, presented by the various delegations, with a certain level of experience (junior managers/department heads) who are offered the opportunity to participate in the EHMA Annual General Meeting.

Among the group, also the latest winners of the "EHMA Dario Dell'Antonia Award" that is annually granted to a particularly deserving EHL graduate.

The Meeting will continue with two very interesting speeches, the first by the President of HOTREC – Jens Zimmer Christensen – and the second by member Marco Truffelli, who together with Jan Ferris, will bring to the attention of members the theme of "mental health and resilience in hospitality". The "Members' Hour" will close the first day of work.

The Welcome Cocktail at the Hotel Villa Principe Leopoldo in Lugano will close the day.

The fantastic program of the event was made possible thanks to the incredible work of the Organizing Committee and the invaluable support of EHMA's partners who are always close to the Association.