I am thrilled to share that it was another great WF CHRIE Conference this year, with 130+ conference attendees!

After two years of virtual conferences, this was our first in-person conference. The 2023 West Federation Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (WFCHRIE) Conference was sponsored by the William F. Harrah College of Hospitality at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The WFCHRIE was very honored and excited to host the 2023 WFCHRIE Conference. This was the 21st conference that WFCHRIE was organizing. This regional conference offered a diverse array of opportunities, for both WFCHRIE members and non-members, as it focused on a broad range of topics related to education, industry, and research in hospitality and tourism.

We would like to thank each author for submitting their research papers to the 2023 WFCHRIE Conference. As the 2023 WFCHRIE Conference was a double-blind peer-reviewed conference, we would like to thank each and every reviewer who ensured that the paper review process was of high quality and smooth.

• The 2023 WFCHRIE Conference received more than 90 proposals for the conference from 170+ authors.
• Eighty-three of these presentations are accepted to be presented at the 2023 WFCHRIE Conference.

We would like to thank our sponsors for making this conference possible. Without their support, this conference would have not been possible. We would like to thank:

• William F. Harrah College of Hospitality at the University of Nevada Las Vegas for hosting our conference, and the Hospitality & Tourism Alliance at the California State University for sponsoring the Community College Welcome Session and Ice Cream Social Activity (Diamond Sponsors)
• Hospitality, Recreation, and Tourism Department at the California State University East Bay for sponsoring the awards, School of Hotel and Restaurant Management - W. A. Franke College of Business at the Northern Arizona University for sponsoring the Innovative Award for the Most Impactful Research Proposal (Research in Progress) (Platinum Sponsors)
• College of Merchandising, Hospitality, and Tourism at the University of North Texas, Knowledge Matters, CoStar Group - SHARE Center, and the School of Travel Industry Management - Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaiʻi’s Mānoa (Platinum Sponsors)
• Hospitality and Retail Management - College of Human Sciences at the Texas Tech University (Gold Sponsor)
• The Collins College of Hospitality Management at the Cal Poly Pomona (Silver Sponsor)
• California State University, Sacramento for sponsoring the Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award

We also would like to extend our gratitude to our keynote speakers and panelists:

• Dr. Shane C. Blum, Dr. Fevzi Okumus, Dr. Sandra Sun-Ah Ponting, and Dr. Cass Shum (Moderator) for participating in Professional Development Session 1: From Job Application to Interview Academic Job Seeking 101
• Dr. Saehya Ann, Mr. Carl H. Winston, and Ms. Corinne Youngholm for participating in Professional Development Session 2: Welcome Session for Community Colleges
• Dr. Matt Ryan delivering a keynote speech in General Session: The Future Challenges and Needs of the Hospitality Industry
• Ms. Patti Fisher, Mr. Carmen M. Rubino, Jr., and Mr. Britt Mathwich, (Moderator) for participating in Education Session: Industry Trends and Hospitality Programs: Are We Providing What Is Needed?
• Mr. Lucio Arancibia, Mr. Mark Sandoval, and Dr. Angelo A. Camillo (Moderator) for participating in the Industry Session: The Effect of Technology on Food Preparation and Service
• Mr. Duane Vinson for delivering an Industry Presentation: The New CoStar SHARE Center.

We hosted the 3^rd Research Hackathon with great success. It was our first time working with the three ICHRIE Journals, JHTR, JHTE, and JHTC. I would like to thank all editors who joined the Research Hackathon and provided feedback to the participants. We look forward to having more opportunities to work with ICHRIE journals in the future! I would like to thank Dr. Jie Sun, Dr. Erika Sung and Dr. Amrik Singh for leading the 3^rd Research Hackathon.

Moreover, I sincerely express my appreciation to all board members:

Big thanks go to Dr. Cass Shum and her wonderful student volunteers. I also like to thank the ICHRIE office for their support.

Congratulations to all of the presenters and award winners:

The conference is over, but our WF CHRIE will never stop. We are excited to come back to you with new activities and news very soon!

Thank you all!

Yours in Hospitality,

Muhittin Cavusoglu, Ph.D., CHE, CHAE, CHTP, CHIA

President, West Federation CHRIE