To celebrate M.U.S.T.’s 24th Anniversary, the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management (FHTM) held the third lecture of “Seminars by Masters from the Tourism Industry” on April 12, 2024, in N317. Mr. Ben Smith, Associate Professor at the Hotel Institute Montreux Business School Switzerland, was invited as the guest speaker and provided an inspiring lecture titled “How to Earn Loyalty and Advocacy in the World of Luxury”. Prof. Ben K. Goh, Dean of FHTM, Associate Dean Prof. Timothy Lee, Program Director Dr. Feng Yan, and more than 130 teachers and students attended the event.

Group Photo

Before the lecture began, Prof. Ben K. Goh delivered a welcome speech. He believes providing an excellent customer experience and learning how to win customer loyalty is a crucial part of the hotel industry. He mentioned that attending summer camps gave students a more comprehensive perspective on their future studies and work, and also encouraged students to pay more attention to Mr. Ben Smith's sharing to gain pertinent information from it. 

Prof. Ben K. Goh Presented a Souvenir to Mr. Ben Smith 

Mr. Ben Smith first discussed the definitions of customer service and customer experience as well as their distinctions and further explained the connection between consumers and emotions. He described the six distinct emotional drivers of the customer experience with several examples and concluded that there is a "true bond"—a genuine emotional connection with the consumer. To win over clients, it is also critical to understand their demands, habits, and motives. Additionally, Mr. Ben Smith encouraged the students to generate exceptional client experiences and positively impact the future growth of the hospitality sector.

Mr. Ben Smith Gave a Lecture

Students were very engaged during the Q&A session with many inquiries and Mr. Ben Smith used his wealth of knowledge to address them. The students gained fresh insights and perspectives on the hotel industry's future growth trend as well as personal career planning from this presentation, which taught them how to gain the loyalty of customers from an industry professional standpoint.