Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County (VAAAC) and Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corporation (AAWDC) are teaming up to host a Thursday, June 10 virtual hiring event to help hospitality industry employers connect with qualified workers as they gear up for increased business following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.
VAAAC Executive Director Kristen Pironis and AAWDC President and CEO Kirkland J. Murray used the occasion of the 38th annual National Travel & Tourism Week (NTTW) celebration (May 2-8) to announce the collaborative effort to connect businesses in need of employees with individuals seeking jobs as the destination’s hospitality industry travels the road to economic recovery.
“Every sector within our industry was affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and tourism in every community across the nation has suffered. Businesses in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County were no exception. As a destination marketing organization, Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County works to drive visitors – and the associated economic growth – to local businesses and partners, but we want to go a step further. We want to do what we can to help ensure our hospitality businesses will have the staffing they need to help drive and reap the benefits of the economic recovery and ensure an exceptional visitor experience,” said Pironis.
Pironis says a successful hiring event that leads to an increase in tourism industry employment and performance exemplifies this year’s NTTW theme, the Power of Travel.
Murray says the hiring event will be a win-win for all involved. “Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corporation is in the business of providing workforce solutions. Our efforts are geared toward helping area businesses have the skilled workforce they need to be competitive and to help all Anne Arundel County residents meet their full career potential. Many hospitality businesses are short-staffed at this time. The hiring event will give residents an opportunity to return to the job market after an unwanted and unanticipated hiatus. AAWDC will use all of the tools in our tool kit to help bring the two groups together with positive results.”
Employers registered for the 10:00 a.m. June 10 hiring event will have the opportunity to post a company biography, job openings and descriptions, and their federal employer identification number in their virtual booth. Businesses are invited to provide up to four links to their social media channels and websites. On the day of the event, recruiters will have the ability to welcome job candidates to their site for one-on-one meetings in a video chat format. Behind the scenes, members of the AAWDC team will help to facilitate and control the flow of job seekers to the recruitment booths.
To help ensure maximum turnout for the hiring event, VAAAC and AAWDC will host a virtual information session at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 8 for individuals seeking employment in the travel and tourism industry. Event speakers include VAAAC Executive Director Kristen Pironis; staff members from AAWDC; BWI Arundel Mills Hospitality Alliance President Ray Cajudoy; and David Ludwig from the Hotel, Culinary Arts and Tourism Institute at Anne Arundel Community College. The session will provide job seekers with an introduction to the travel and tourism industry, an overview of AAWDC services, advice for individuals considering a career change, and success stories of individuals who have climbed the hospitality industry ladder.
The VAAAC/AAWDC June events are part of a larger four-week VAAAC recruitment campaign that kicks off today and runs through June 11. Via radio, digital display, and social media advertising, the organization will be encouraging friendly, talented, motivated, hard-working individuals to “Apply Now.” The ads will drive job seekers to a newly created VAAAC Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality job board on the VAAAC website. Individuals interested in attending the VAAAC/AAWDC information session and hiring event can sign up by completing a form on the job board. VAAAC/AAWDC will follow up with registration links for the events when they become available.
A recent addition to the VAAAC website, the job board allows member businesses to potentially reach more job applicants by posting openings on the organization’s aggregate website that attracts more than 50,000 users monthly.
