FGCU’s 31st annual Wanderlust

Florida Gulf Coast University’s Resort & Hospitality Management Program will host its 31st annual Wanderlust event on April 4, 2020. This year’s event, “A Travel Through the Decades,” will take place at the iconic Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club, the location where the very first Wanderlust was held.

Wanderlust is a travel and dining extravaganza presented by Southwest Florida’s finest resorts, hospitality partners and other businesses that enjoy the benefits of area tourism. During the event, attendees enjoy gourmet cuisine along with silent and live auctions that offer opportunities to bid on a variety of travel packages and experiences. Proceeds from the event benefit students in the Resort & Hospitality Management Program in the form of financial assistance, scholarships, and resources that help them graduate at the forefront of the hospitality industry.

Money raised from past Wanderlust events helped fund the construction of Herbert J. Sugden Hall at FGCU, a 37,000-square-foot academic building that houses the School of Resort & Hospitality Management. The innovative facility includes a wine and food demonstration laboratory, ballroom, meeting rooms, and food production and restaurant laboratory.

“Since its inception, Wanderlust has grown tenfold and raised the profile of Southwest Florida, while also bringing business and community leaders together to raise significant funds benefiting the resort and hospitality program and tourism industry,” said John Ayres, founder of Coral Hospitality and chairman of the Wanderlust committee. “The generous support of community members and business leaders has helped positively shape our hospitality industry workforce.”

The location of the 2020 Wanderlust event proves especially meaningful for the local hospitality industry, as it was recently announced that a new five-star resort will be taking the place of the historic Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club.

“What a fitting way to cap off one of the hotel’s final seasons, honor the legacy of the Watkins family – one of our founding industry leaders and the owner of the beachfront resort for more than 70 years – and bring together philanthropic supporters, business executives, and hotel and tourism executives for a memorable evening to raise funds that will have long-lasting economic impact on our region,” said Dr. Chris Westley, dean of the Lutgert college of Business at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Reservations for Wanderlust are $250 per person or $3,500 for a corporate-sponsored table of 10. Premium sponsorships, which include center-stage promotional opportunities, are also available. For more information or to make a reservation for Wanderlust 2020 call 239-277-6295 or e-mail wanderlust@gsma.pro. For more information, visit www.fgcuwanderlust.com.