Spring Ball 2023: The secret to hospitality

Every year, with the advent of warmer weather and flowering fields across Switzerland, Swiss Hotel Management School (SHMS) prepares for another iteration of our annual Spring Ball held on the beautiful Leysin campus. This event is organized by students earning a postgraduate diploma in hospitality management, which is a year-long program designed to help those with work experience in another discipline shift gears into the world of hospitality.

This year’s theme is “Secret Garden” – equally verdant and mysterious, the students work hand in hand with the operations team on the Leysin campus of SHMS to set up luscious green walls around the grand hall and to hang beautiful vines from the ceiling. The photo booth looks straight out of a fantasy book: a swing hangs from an archway that is wrapped with leaves and blossoms set against an overgrown wall. Every corner of the space is full of vibrant shades of green, fully embracing the new life brought by the changing of the seasons.

The menu, carefully selected by the students, is no exception. Featuring dishes originating from hot, tropical climates reinforces the springtime theme – picture the delicate plating and tempting smells of Vietnamese pho and spring rolls, and sushi with fresh cucumber and carrots. Barbecue kabob skewers and steaks are reminiscent of outdoor family cookouts that come with holidays and sunshine, so often observed in the parks and by the lakes in Switzerland, now that the snow and ice have receded. Accompanying these dishes are refreshing cocktails flavored with rosemary, mint, and other fresh aromatic herbs. To finish the buffet meal, a more typical European dessert spread of cakes and macarons is augmented by an ice cream corner, where one can choose springtime flavors such as mint or lemon heaped into a large waffle cone. Sharing ice cream together certainly has a nostalgic effect, creating cherished memories and adding a touch of bliss that perfectly complements the end of the school semester.

The menu and decorations are but two of the aspects that SHMS students have to consider when putting their knowledge and skills to the test in a practical setting. The ambiance is equally important to plan, for example. The entertainment of the evening features a range of performers, from a classical music duo with the double bass and piano to talented singers enthusiastically interpreting favorite pop hits. Most iconically, some students and staff burst into a flash mob dance and would dance their way across the room to music and cheers from observers, which sets up an energetic, positive mood for the rest of the evening. 

The Spring Ball not only develops practical skills that the postgraduate students will use in their budding hospitality careers, but it is an opportunity for them to ‘strut their stuff’ and show how far they have come in their studies. In addition to their postgraduate courses in hospitality management, events such as the Spring Ball allow students to put into practice all that they have learned, from managing a budget to deciding which tablecloths to use. 

The students organize themselves into teams to handle marketing, entertainment, kitchen, and sponsorships, trusting each other to pull their own weight. Esther Njoki Wambul, 2023 Spring Ball student manager, says that she has learned a lot about how to work together and drive coordination among her classmates. “We’re friends, but we also have to learn how to work together to make the event a success,” she says. “You learn pretty quickly who is good at what task,” says Esther, who is responsible for coordination of the overall teamwork.

What makes this particular event special, however, is the especially ambitious goal that these students are setting out to achieve. More than 300 guests are invited to the “Secret Garden” Spring Ball. "None of the students have ever planned anything on this scale before,” says Ludovic Cosandey, the SHMS lecturer overseeing the event in Leysin. Despite classes, exams, and even other projects, the students organizing this event must be truly dedicated to make it as successful as possible. “They are working hard, and they are pulling no punches. It is an amazing experience for them,” adds Ludovic. Granted that the Spring Ball is a real event with real stakes, it is nonetheless a safe space for students to innovate and test their creativity, because the event takes place on campus among staff and fellow students who can help and guide the postgraduate event organizers.

In the end, the annual Spring Ball is for the students, and it is a celebration of everything all SHMS students have accomplished during their studies. As we approach the end of spring, and thus the end of the semester, the event offers a time to loosen up and socialize before gearing up to study for final exams, preparing for internships, or finishing dissertations or projects. Above all, the memories created during this time will accompany the students throughout their lives. The Spring Ball serves as a beautiful reflection of their growth, camaraderie, and shared accomplishments at SHMS.