The network between the University of Lincoln and Haaga-Helia, University of Applied Sciences (Finland) was strengthen during an Erasmus + Staff Visit to Helsinki. Dr Dora Agapito participated in the event Gastro Fair (14-16 March), which is a trade fair for the food and restaurant industries where a stand was managed by staff and students from Haaga-Helia (https://gastro.messukeskus.com/?lang=en). During her stay, the senior lecturer in tourism and event management had the opportunity to participate and observe good practices in teaching, which involved students as producers, and design future collaborations with the Experience and Wellness Economic unit.
During this hospitality event, the research and industry-related international project “The Box: Imagineering Future Services”, of which the researcher is part of the team, was also presented to visitors.
The Box is a cross-disciplinary project developing sensory-stimulating technologies for service design, marketing and product development. It aims to help investors and operators in the hospitality and tourism industries improve service experiences and increase customer value. Funded by the industry partners and the Finnish Agency for Innovations (TEKES), an integral part of the Box research project is the partnership with international researchers from renowned educational institutions.
Information about the research team can be found at http://www.thebox.fi/team/
Further information about the project can be found at http://www.thebox.fi/
During the visit to Haaga-Helia, an ongoing study was conducted to be presented at the 8th Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Marketing and Management conference, which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, between June 25 -29, 2018. The 8th AHTMM conference will be hosted jointly by Washington State University, University of Thai Chamber of Commerce and Chiang Mai University.