NYU School of Professional Studies Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality Will Virtually Host the 18th Annual Grossinger-Bergman Distinguished Lecturer Series in Travel and Tourism on March 24

Featured Guest Speaker Stephen Kaufer, Cofounder & CEO of Tripadvisor, will talk about “Traffic, Trust and Travel Transformation: Tripadvisor Roars into its Third Decade”

NEW YORK, March 21, 2022—The NYU School of Professional Studies Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality will present the 18^th Annual Grossinger-Bergman Distinguished Lecturer Series in Travel and Tourism, featuring guest speaker Stephen Kaufer, co-founder and CEO of Tripadvisor. The event will take place virtually on Thursday, March 24, from 5:00-6:00 p.m.

Launched in 2000, Tripadvisor revolutionized the way travelers found and shared travel reviews and advice, and disrupted the hospitality and tourism industry. Its peer reviews took over a space previously dominated by guidebooks and travel experts, and the service expanded to encompass 48 markets and 28 languages. More than 20 years later, Tripadvisor dominates its position as a trusted source of information for an astounding 400 million global users each month, and broadened its reach to include travel booking services, guided tours, vacation rentals, and restaurant reservations.

Kaufer will discuss how Tripadvisor grew and evolved, what invaluable lessons were learned along the way, and what the future holds for him and the business in a conversation moderated by Tisch Center adjunct faculty member Edward D. Salvato.

MODERATOR

• Ed Salvato, an adjunct instructor at the Tisch Center of Hospitality, is a globally respected educator in tourism and hospitality marketing; expert in LGBTQ travel; gifted moderator of panels and public speaker; and author of the LGBT Handbook of LGBT Tourism & Marketing.

PANELIST

• Stephen Kaufer co-founded Tripadvisor in 2000 with the mission to help travelers around the world plan and book the perfect trip. Under his leadership, Tripadvisor has grown into the largest travel site in the world. As CEO, he has led the growth of Tripadvisor, Inc., which includes 24 other travel media brands that operate in 48 markets worldwide. Before co-founding Tripadvisor, he was president of CDS, Inc., an independent software vendor, and prior to that, was co-founder and vice president of engineering of CenterLine Software. He holds several software patents. Over the years Kaufer has won several awards for his entrepreneurship and leadership in the travel industry including being inducted into the 2015 British Travel & Hospitality Hall of Fame, receiving the 2015 Pioneer Award by the International Society of Hospitality Consultants, and 2005 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. He serves on the boards of CarGurus and the Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation (formerly known as Caring for Carcinoid Foundation). He earned a degree in computer science from Harvard University.

 To RSVP for the event, please register here. A Zoom link will be provided.

For media inquiries, please contact Alka Gupta at aag13@nyu.edu or Michael DeMeo at michael.demeo@nyu.edu.

About the Grossinger-Bergman Distinguished Lecturer Series in Travel and Tourism
Established in 2003, the NYUSPS Tisch Center of Hospitality’s annual Grossinger-Bergman Distinguished Lecturer Series provides a forum for the discussion of significant issues and developments within the business of tourism. The speakers and panelists selected to participate epitomize the highest level of accomplishment for leadership in the hospitality and tourism industry. Among the luminaries who have headlined this event in years past are: Roger Dow, CEO, US Travel Association; Kurt Ekert, president and CEO, CWT; Frank Del Rio, president and CEO, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings; Jonathan M. Tisch, chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels & Co. and co-chairman of the Board of Loews Corporation; and Kelly Curtin, executive vice president, Membership & Destination Services, NYC & Company, among others.

About the NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality
The NYU School of Professional Studies Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, now celebrating 26 years of academic excellence, is a leading center for the study of hospitality, travel, and tourism. Founded in 1995, the Tisch Center was established in response to the growing need for hospitality and tourism undergraduate and graduate education. Its cutting-edge curricula attract bright, motivated students who seek to become leaders in their fields.

Through its undergraduate degree in hotel and tourism management, its graduate degrees in hospitality industry studies, tourism management, and event management; a plethora of Professional Pathways programs; and its world-renowned hospitality investment conference, students gain the knowledge and the skill sets that enable them to manage change, to communicate, to thrive in complex work environments, and to advance the businesses of hospitality, travel, and tourism. The Tisch Center recently launched the Hospitality Innovation Hub (HI Hub), which will foster entrepreneurship and creative solutions for the industries it serves. The state-of-the-art facilities offer students, start-ups, established industry partners, and investors opportunities to learn, discover, innovate, and invest.

For more information about the NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, visit sps.nyu.edu/tisch.

The NYU School of Professional Studies – Celebrating More Than 87 Years of Excellence in Applied Professional Education
For 87 years, the NYU School of Professional Studies (NYU SPS) has been a deeply respected institution of higher education that is grounded in applied learning. From its early years, training returning World War II veterans to fulfill the nation’s urgent need for skilled technical workers, it has evolved into a professional education powerhouse that offers 22 graduate degrees, 14 bachelor’s degrees for traditional and post-traditional students, four associate’s degrees, and a plethora of continuing education courses and credentials.

NYU SPS is a thought leader, and serves as an incubator for new ideas in industries that are constantly changing, including real estate, real estate development, and construction management; hospitality, tourism, travel, and event management; global affairs and global security, conflict, and cybercrime; global sport and sports business; publishing; marketing; public relations; project management; executive coaching and organizational consulting, human resource management and development, and human capital analytics and technology; management and systems; translation; and professional writing. It is focused on building skills that open doors to opportunities in emerging fields and global markets. NYU SPS faculty members are leading experts in their areas of discipline, with a hands-on approach that encourages students to push beyond their limits and to break new ground.

Home to some of the largest and most prestigious industry conferences in the world, including the Schack Institute of Real Estate’s Capital Markets Conference, REIT Symposium, and National Symposium of Women in Real Estate; and the Jonathan M. Tisch Center’s International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference, the School’s invaluable connections to industry leaders is a truly distinguishing factor in the education that it provides. Through career development services and resources provided by the NYU Wasserman Center for Career Development at NYU SPS, guest lecturers, site visits, participation in numerous conferences and events, and Global Field Intensives, students benefit from an NYU education that will set them apart. In addition, they have the opportunity to learn from and network with more than 39,000 NYU SPS alumni who live, work, and contribute to innovation in industry around the world. To learn more about NYU SPS visit: sps.nyu.edu.