Yang Yifan, Class of 2020, Second Place!
From December 7th to 8th, the 2023 First National College Student Vocational Skills Innovation Competition and The Sixth National College Student Sommelier Competition Finals and the Industry-Education Integration Symposium were successfully concluded at the Beijing Hospitality Institute. The event was jointly organized by the French CAFA Wine & Spirits Academy and the Beijing Hospitality Institute, with the strong support of the Human Resources Branch of the China Tourism Hotel Association. Yang Yifan, a student from the Class of 2020 at the Beijing Hospitality Institute, won the second place and the Best Popularity Award in the individual competition, and Ma Yi, a teacher from the Catering Service Teaching and Research Section, won the Excellent Instructor Award. The teachers and students of the Beijing Hospitality Institute provided all-round service for the event.
Registration for the competition opened in September and ended in early October. In more than half a month, the organizing committee received more than 1,000 entries from contestants and universities. After a week of list statistics and confirmation, more than 1,000 students from more than 100 universities passed the registration confirmation and participated in the competition. The participating universities covered most provinces and cities in China.
In the finals held on December 8th, 42 contestants from 18 universities across the country demonstrated their skills and talents in the field of sommelier professional skills and brand marketing in the individual and team competitions. In order to ensure the fairness, justice and professionalism of the competition, the organizing committee of the competition invited well-known experts and scholars from the industry to form a jury to strictly review the performance of the contestants. They are Mr. Xu Tao, Executive Director of Canaan Winery Group, Mr. Huang Weiwei, Director of the Public Opinion Center of China Food Safety News Agency, Ms. Wang Miao, Director of the Business Development Center of China Food Fermentation Industry Research Institute, Mr. Qiao Jianke, China Regional Co-Chief of the Portuguese Messias Wine Group and the Portuguese Fonte Winery, Mr. Fan Jing, Vice President of the Chinese Campus of the French CAFA Wine & Spirits Academy, Mr. Cai Hongsheng, Judge of the National Selection Competition for the World Skills Competition, Ms. Wang Nan, Consultant of Jinyue Catering Group, and Mr. Zhang Wei, French National Sommelier Consultant and CIVB Official Certified Lecturer.
The competition consisted of two categories: individual and team.The individual competition mainly tested the contestants' sommelier skills and operations. The contestants not only needed to complete the decanting operation within the specified time, but also needed to complete the wine decanting and serving service for the guests.The team competition consisted of three people in a group to plan a corporate brand marketing plan. The contestants chose the corresponding companies by drawing lots, and made product analysis reports and market analysis reports for the companies and products. Through in-depth understanding of the companies, combined with the market positioning of the companies or products, they made marketing plans suitable for the companies.
After fierce competition, the judges finally selected the winners of the individual and team competitions, the top ten in the country, the most potential award, the best popularity award, and the outstanding instructor award. In the selection of these awards, the judges unanimously agreed that this competition not only showed the contestants' superb skills in wine service and their youthful vitality and innovative spirit in brand planning, but also let everyone see the support and guidance of the colleges and teachers for the students.
In order to ensure the smooth progress of all the processes of the competition, the teachers and students of Beijing Hospitality Institute also made full preparations, especially the students of the first-year practical courses. Before the competition, they prepared the utensils needed for the contestants; during the competition, they were always ready to provide high-quality services; after the competition, they acted quickly to ensure the smooth holding of the next agenda.
BHI Students Shine at National Sommelier Competition
The recent National College Student Vocational Skills Innovation Competition, held at Beijing Hospitality Institute, proved a resounding success. The event not only fostered closer collaboration between universities and industry players across China, but also showcased the exceptional skills and innovative marketing potential of our nation's student body.
This competition served as a fantastic platform for students to demonstrate their talents and engage in valuable knowledge exchange. As a leading institution within the hospitality sector, Beijing Hospitality Institute is renowned for its emphasis on practical application alongside theoretical knowledge. We're dedicated to nurturing our students' professional skills and cultivating well-rounded industry professionals. Yang Yifan, a student from our Class of 2020, exemplifies the success of BHI's unique approach to education. Yang's outstanding achievement in this highly competitive environment is a testament to the college's commitment to fostering excellence.
Looking ahead, BHI remains steadfast in its pursuit of innovative educational methods. We strive to be a trailblazer in applied undergraduate hotel education, continuously equipping our graduates with the skills and expertise to become valuable assets to the industry.
