The Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management (DTHM) successfully hosted a weeklong Food Expo that showcased the culinary talents of their students while also kick-starting some of their proposed startup businesses that culminated with a live musical event at the VSU Ecopark.

Dubbed the DTHM Food Expo 2023, this event ran from May 30 to June 8, 2023, at the VSU Gazebo featuring the culinary skills and entrepreneurial endeavors of the students enrolled in the subject of Entrepreneurship in Tourism and Hospitality under the class of Jerwin dela Cuesta.

To complement this event and to properly execute the different activities lined up for the Food Expo, the Events Management class (popularly referred to by students as MaxiMICE) under the advisorship of April Gayle Calunangan, took care of planning and organizing various activities to engage and entice guests and visitors of the said event. The goal was to create a vibrant and immersive experience for the attendees while also promoting the bazaar to a larger audience.

Calunangan explained how important it is to find innovative ways in which students will be able to apply their classroom knowledge to actual and practical situations.

“Our intent was very clear that we would like our students to showcase what we have been discussing in the class and apply it in an actual event like the Food Expo. In the case of this event, we had to integrate the requirements of two of our classes in DTHM so that students can also learn the value of networking and collaboration, which I think are the most important skills needed to succeed in the 21st century,” the class instructor explained.

The Food Expo was complemented with many other fun-filled activities like popular ‘perya’ [carnival] games, ‘laro ng lahi’ or traditional Filipino games, a movie marathon under the stars, raffle draws, and a live jamming event that included performances from a popular local band in Baybay City called ‘Apiki Sesh PH’.

Maria Nila Sarsonas, a hospitality management student shared that because the food expo was strategically incorporated with many other activities, this drove their sales to increase as more students came in to join the festivities.

“Our sales were very much dependent on the kind of activities that were lined up for the whole week. We noticed that our income rose significantly when free events were also made available to the public. For example, our sales improved because there was a free movie marathon under the stars. This I believe is a very good lesson in entrepreneurship. The various ‘pakulo’ [promotional activities] drove the crowd and kept them busy so right after participating in these activities, they ended up getting hungry and buying snacks and food items from us.” the student revealed.

DTHM students were also recognized at the culminating party of the event, particularly the enterprise with the best booth that attracted the most number of customers. 

Hungry Bites, a student enterprise that sold corndog, plain and flavored mojos, chicken pops, and other delectable snack items, was adjudged as the Best Booth for featuring an array of products and for also effectively attracting customers in their small business. 

Co-proprietors and student managers of Hungry Bites include Redwina A. Lim, Mr. Rogin Mark F. Nopal, Maria Nila L. Sarsonas, Zyra Denise G. Sarsona, Alexandra Rina Doguiles, Rhona May Caintic, Ailyn Sinupa, Maria Kaye C. Abao, Phil Vincent C. Cornista, and Johnmar B. Balunan.

Dr. Moises Neil V. Seriño, the Dean of the College of Management and Economics (CME), expressed his appreciation to the DTHM for spearheading meaningful and relevant activities that showcase the skills of their students.

In his message during the opening program of the Food Expo, he emphasized how practical and real-life activities enable students to develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. He then congratulated the DTHM faculty and students for their initiative to put classroom learning into practice.

The tourism and hospitality management program at VSU used to be a singular bachelor’s degree offering until it was split into two distinct curricular programs following the guidelines set by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). 

These two programs are currently one of the most subscribed degree offerings at the undergraduate level at the VSU Main Campus.

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