By Dale J. Venturini
President and CEO, Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association
As an operator of a hospitality business, you make important decisions every day - decisions that affect not only your business, but also your employees and loyal customers. It’s not always easy. But, at the end of the day, you are the ultimate decision maker, and you make choices with careful consideration, based on what you feel is necessary to protect your business.
Just as hospitality properties make critical decisions on a daily basis to drive the growth of business, the Board of Directors for the Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association does the same, only it’s done on a larger scale. As the official advocacy group for the food service, lodging, travel and attractions industries in Rhode Island, RIHTA strives to protect all aspects of the hospitality industry, and the Association’s Board of Directors are the people working both behind the scenes and on the frontlines to make this happen.
The RIHTA Board of Directors is comprised of business professionals from all areas of the hospitality industry – business owners like you, including restaurateurs, hoteliers, and industry-related marketers and vendors – whose role is to represent the interests of not only RIHTA members, but of the hospitality industry as a whole. These dedicated members work hard to bring the critical needs of the industry to the attention of city and state legislators, advocating issues that best promote the industry and keeps it competitive with neighboring areas, and opposing legislation that would affect the industry in a negative way.
Oftentimes, Board members are forced to work through strong opposition from lawmakers or other industries when making difficult decisions. There are even times when the opposition comes from RIHTA members themselves. When representing more than 500 members and 65,000 employees, we know that not all members will agree with the decisions made by the RIHTA Board, which, is completely understandable. It is the Board’s hope that members realize the amount of time and effort used to weigh each issue, and be assured that every decision is made in the interest of the industry’s continued growth and prosperity. We can agree to disagree, but in the end, the welfare of the industry as a whole is at the heart of every decision made.
Also at the core of each decision is one factor that weighs heaviest in the Board’s decision-making process – member feedback. The Association works to gain member input with faxes, polls and questionnaires with the intent of gauging your opinions on the factors that could make your business stronger, or the obstacles that could hinder it. Without your participation, the Board’s job of promoting the needs of the industry is made all the more difficult. To represent you best, we need to hear your voice.
The most important role of the Board is to make RIHTA members’ voices heard, loud and clear. The Association can guide you through the process every step of the way, whether it be providing information on the best ways to contact your elected officials, helping draft letters to the editor or message points for legislative hearings – anything to ensure that the needs of your business are recognized.
No matter how minor an issue may be, no victory is ever small. It applies to the strides and successes your business makes every day, and the same goes for the RIHTA Board of Directors. In an environment that’s constantly threatened by challenges that can affect the future growth of the industry and the prosperity of your business, it is more critical than ever to join the efforts of the RIHTA Board of Directors in educating the ultimate decision makers – city and state legislators – on the needs and priorities of our industry.
By working together, we can take the hospitality industry in Rhode Island to greater heights. That would be the biggest victory of all.
President and CEO, Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association
As an operator of a hospitality business, you make important decisions every day - decisions that affect not only your business, but also your employees and loyal customers. It’s not always easy. But, at the end of the day, you are the ultimate decision maker, and you make choices with careful consideration, based on what you feel is necessary to protect your business.
Just as hospitality properties make critical decisions on a daily basis to drive the growth of business, the Board of Directors for the Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association does the same, only it’s done on a larger scale. As the official advocacy group for the food service, lodging, travel and attractions industries in Rhode Island, RIHTA strives to protect all aspects of the hospitality industry, and the Association’s Board of Directors are the people working both behind the scenes and on the frontlines to make this happen.
The RIHTA Board of Directors is comprised of business professionals from all areas of the hospitality industry – business owners like you, including restaurateurs, hoteliers, and industry-related marketers and vendors – whose role is to represent the interests of not only RIHTA members, but of the hospitality industry as a whole. These dedicated members work hard to bring the critical needs of the industry to the attention of city and state legislators, advocating issues that best promote the industry and keeps it competitive with neighboring areas, and opposing legislation that would affect the industry in a negative way.
Oftentimes, Board members are forced to work through strong opposition from lawmakers or other industries when making difficult decisions. There are even times when the opposition comes from RIHTA members themselves. When representing more than 500 members and 65,000 employees, we know that not all members will agree with the decisions made by the RIHTA Board, which, is completely understandable. It is the Board’s hope that members realize the amount of time and effort used to weigh each issue, and be assured that every decision is made in the interest of the industry’s continued growth and prosperity. We can agree to disagree, but in the end, the welfare of the industry as a whole is at the heart of every decision made.
Also at the core of each decision is one factor that weighs heaviest in the Board’s decision-making process – member feedback. The Association works to gain member input with faxes, polls and questionnaires with the intent of gauging your opinions on the factors that could make your business stronger, or the obstacles that could hinder it. Without your participation, the Board’s job of promoting the needs of the industry is made all the more difficult. To represent you best, we need to hear your voice.
The most important role of the Board is to make RIHTA members’ voices heard, loud and clear. The Association can guide you through the process every step of the way, whether it be providing information on the best ways to contact your elected officials, helping draft letters to the editor or message points for legislative hearings – anything to ensure that the needs of your business are recognized.
No matter how minor an issue may be, no victory is ever small. It applies to the strides and successes your business makes every day, and the same goes for the RIHTA Board of Directors. In an environment that’s constantly threatened by challenges that can affect the future growth of the industry and the prosperity of your business, it is more critical than ever to join the efforts of the RIHTA Board of Directors in educating the ultimate decision makers – city and state legislators – on the needs and priorities of our industry.
By working together, we can take the hospitality industry in Rhode Island to greater heights. That would be the biggest victory of all.
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