Tradition Transformed

"All of the board can still hold their heads high, knowing it would have been another stellar evening, another one for the books." — Anthony Cawdron, Black Tie Dinner advisor

Students in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) rose to the challenge this spring, quickly turning their annual Black Tie Dinner into a virtual event amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With less than two weeks to go before the scheduled March 28 dinner, student volunteers organized an online auction in lieu of an in-person gathering.

“We learned Purdue was canceling events larger than 50 people around March 9,” says Zoe Jones (BS HTM ’20), who served as president of the Black Tie Dinner board. “From there, Vice President Mitchell Bruner, the advisors and I discussed holding a smaller event for 50 people. As time went on, however, we realized that wasn’t going to be possible either, so we decided to go virtual.”

Between 240 and 270 people typically attend the elegant four-course dinner and auction, including corporate recruiters, HTM alumni and Purdue faculty members. Students oversee all aspects of the event, from marketing and service to gourmet cooking and other fine details that showcase their creativity and talents as future leaders of the hospitality industry.

The online auction raised more than $5,000, with half going to the Food Finders Backpack program, which collects food for children in need.

Demonstrating resiliency, Jones and her team quickly coordinated the online event. “It would have been a little bit more of a virtual dinner if we’d had more time to execute it,” Jones says. “But we had to plan the event given the timeline and resources available.”

Each year during the Black Tie Dinner, attendees have the opportunity to see the auction items in person before bidding; this year, they viewed them virtually.

“We reached out to all of our guests and donors,” Jones says. “Auction items were posted online throughout the week prior to what would have been the actual dinner.” Students also posted photos of the table setups, menus and promotional items guests would have enjoyed at the dinner.

Anthony Cawdron, one of the group’s advisors, shared a video and greeted the guests via Facebook. He closed his post with these words: “Raise a Glass! Take a pic! Post a comment.” In response, virtual attendees shared heartfelt messages.

From left, Brad and Ann Cohen join the toast and dine with son and daughter-in-law Jake and Sarah Cohen; Maureen Miller joined in the festivities via her smart phone; and Abby Oksanen raises her glass for the virtual toast.

"It was an incredible learning experience for all of us, especially about being able to deal with things getting canceled and moved around because that’s a big thing in the hospitality world." — Zoe Jones, 2020 president, Black Tie Dinner board

Cawdron commends the students for persevering despite their disappointment.

“This year’s board had been outstanding. Zoe and Mitchell had done a sterling job of keeping the whole team and every one of our incredible volunteers involved, on-point, cohesive and focused,” he says.

“They had done everything right, they were on target, they were sold out and then the rug was pulled out from under them. It was especially hard on the seniors on the board as this was to be their last chance to showcase all that they loved about Purdue hospitality, all they had learned, their grand finale. Ultimately, it was not meant to be. All of the board can still hold their heads high, knowing it would have been another stellar evening, another one for the books.”

The Black Tie Dinner Board for the 2020 virtual event.

The online auction raised more than $5,000, half of it supporting the local Food Finders Backpack program, which collects food for children in need. Net proceeds from ticket sales donated back to the dinner totaled just over $9,000. These funds will be equally divided between Purdue’s Critical Need Fund, which is earmarked for HTM students, and the HTM Society for organizational activities.

For Jones, the experience provided practical vocational training as she hopes to enter the hospitality industry in California. “It was an incredible learning experience for all of us, especially about being able to deal with things getting canceled and moved around because that’s a big thing in the hospitality world,” she says. “Things can change at any given moment.”