School of Hospitality and Tourism Management places 3rd in global Forecaster Cup

School of Hospitality and Tourism Management places 3rd in global Forecaster Cup

Monday, December 9, 2024

Media Contact: Terry Tush | Director, Marketing and Communications | 405-744-2703 | [email protected]

Oklahoma State University's School of Hospitality and Tourism Management made a notable debut in a rapidly growing global competition.

OSU placed third overall in the second annual Forecaster Cup, a seven-week remote competition that concluded at the end of November. HTM students applied industry knowledge and analytical skills to stand out in a field of 83 teams from 19 universities, eight countries and four continents. Participants used real-world data to predict occupancy rates for the City of Nashville's Central Business Improvement District.

A newcomer to the event, OSU had four entries, two of which ranked fourth or higher in the team standings. The graduate student team of Emily Poulin, Niger Brishty and Abraham Terrahplaced second, while the undergraduate duo of McKenzie Beesleyand Sienna Lawson finished fourth.

"Our growth during this experience isn't just about what we have learned; it is about what we have practiced," Poulin said. "Forecasting occupancy rates in a real-world context gave us insights that we might not have encountered otherwise. By practicing these skills in a low-stakes environment, we've built the confidence and competence to excel in revenue management in our future endeavors."

OSU graduate students Asma Azizi, Saeed Azizi, Skyla Edwards and Jay Rathnayaka also participated, along with the undergraduate team of Dane Ellett and Jack Hammonds. All four teams contributed to OSU's third-place finish, continuing the HTM program's trend of recent success in competitions.

"I am so proud of these students," said Steven West, an HTM assistant professor of professional practice. "They were given the basics on how to perform in a real-world scenario; then I threw them to the sharks. These students did as well or probably better than their professional counterparts in the industry."

West said the remote format gave students a realistic experience because many revenue managers work remotely while analyzing data from hotels around the country or world.

Sponsored by Smith Travel Research/CoStar, the competition required commitment and sustained communication among students. Brishty said this experience instilled teamwork, flexibility and critical thinking, and Terrah described how their runner-up team improved those skills over seven weeks.

"It was great to be part of the Forecaster Cup and achieve high placement with my teammates," Terrah said. "Thinking about our first meeting where we struggled to find consensus for the numbers, I can say that we definitely grew as a team and became more synergistic in terms of combining our personal strengths to produce forecasts. Looking ahead to my career path, I take away from this experience that building a team takes time, and it is important to have early agreement on basic processes for team decision-making."

With a top-10 ranking in the United States and a top-25 global standing, OSU's HTM program offers experiential learning opportunities that prepare students to succeed not only in competitions such as the Forecaster Cup, but also as industry leaders after graduation.

Visit the Spears School of Business website to learn more about OSU's acclaimed HTM program.

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