Getting involved with professional organizations early in his career allowed Tommy Beyer to grow his network and learn from others at a time when he was just thinking about breaking into the hotel industry.
Beyer, executive vice president at Kingsbury Financial, joined the Next Gen in Lodging podcast to discuss how networking through professional organizations positively affected him early in his career.
He was a part of the American Hotel and Lodging Association's Under 30 Gateway in his early 20s, which he said provided an opportunity for him to grow his network outside of the hotels where he worked.
"It's one of those things at the time you're super excited to be a part of," he said. "AHLA Under 30 Gateway was a really good way to connect with folks that were from different parts of the country, different parts of the industry."
Sharing a space with peers in the same boat as him proved productive, as it was easier to relate to those in his age group, he said.
"You had like-minded people on the same career path and career trajectory. It was exciting because you got a chance to grow up and experience things, but also have what I feel like was a meaningful impact on the topics that we discussed," he said.
Beyer said he recommends younger employees ask their companies if there's a budget for them to participate in professional development programs. He also advises networking locally, regionally and nationally at different conferences.
Most of all, he said to remember that connections young professionals make today absolutely can reap positive rewards even well into the future.
He gave the example of going back 15 years in a time machine and telling his younger self and his Under 30 Gateway colleagues, "Hey look, 15 years from now, you guys are going to own hotels, you're going to be asset managers, you're going to be working together on deals ... we'd be like, 'There's no way, that's not going to happen,'" he said. "The point is, you just don't know how the connections you're making today, how that's going to work out for you in the future or help you in your career."
For more from Beyer and Next Gen in Lodging podcast host Davonne Reaves, listen to the full podcast at the link above.
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