Hospitality educators and industry practitioners worldwide were reminded to submit proposals for presentation on 15 June 2006 , for the First Annual International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA) Human Resources Development Forum by Friday, 16 June.? The Forum will take place on 27 October 2006 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in conjunction with the 43rd Annual IH&RA World Congress 26-29 October 2006.

A short two or three-page proposal in the format of an outline or abstract of the intended presentation should be submitted to the Forum Chairman, Professor Kaye Chon, PhD, CHE, Chair Professor & Head, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University via e-mail at: hmkchon@polyu.edu.hk.? Authors of accepted proposals will be asked to submit completed papers by 31 July 2006 to be professionally published in CD with ISBN number prior to the Forum.? For more information, download the call for papers at:
http://www.ih-ra.com/events/congress/argentina/hr_form.pdf

The Forum is themed? Education and Industry Partnerships in the Hospitality Industry?? and will address the need for increased cooperation and partnership between educators and the industry-at-large in order to build human resource capacity and at the same time promote the sustainable development of the hospitality industry.? This one day Forum is intended to foster an open dialogue and exchange of ideas between practitioners and academia on critical success factors for human resources development, training and education in the global hospitality industry.?
In selecting the proposed topics for inclusion in the final program, preference will be given to proposals relating to any one of the following themes:
?Current industry developments and implications for education and Human Resources Development
?Good practices in education and training in the hospitality and tourism field
?Advancements in Sustainable Tourism Practices
?Promoting education and industry collaborations and interface
?Innovations in teaching and learning
?Curriculum and educational program design in hospitality schools
?Work integrated education and student internships in hospitality
?Innovations in administration of educational programs in tourism
?Other topics related to training, education and Human Resources Development in hospitality and tourism

Who Should Attend the Forum?
?Hospitality educators, academics and teachers at all levels of education
?Hotel, Restaurant and Hospitality industry executives and employers
?Researchers and consultants
?Administrators of hospitality/tourism education and training institutions
?Government officials in tourism administration
?Destination managers
?Hospitality business trainers and recruiters
?And others with interest in HRD/education/training in the hospitality and tourism industry

This Forum will be the opening act to the IH&RA 43rd Annual Congress, Hospitality Takes Centre Stage, to be held 26-29 October 2006 at the Sheraton Buenos Aires Hotel & Convention Centre and Park Tower in Buenos Aires, Argentina.