{"id":308,"date":"2014-08-11T22:09:20","date_gmt":"2014-08-11T22:09:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/hospitality\/?page_id=308"},"modified":"2026-09-30T20:02:01","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T20:02:01","slug":"professional-associations","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cht.austincc.edu\/hospitality\/professional-associations\/","title":{"rendered":"Professional Associations"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"color: #1f2933\">\n<h4><strong>Why Should I Join A Professional Association?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Joining a professional association is a great way to get your career started off on the right foot. Participation is a great way to network with professionals currently working in your field of interest, giving you a boost on your competition. And when you list membership in professional associations on your resume, you demonstrate you are dedicated to keeping your skills up to date and that you are actively following the trends in your industry.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Interested In Attending An Association Event?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Often professional associations will offer discounted student pricing or non-member rates so you can try out an association to make sure it is a good fit or to attend a meeting or event on a topic that really interests you.\u00a0 Follow our <a href=\"https:\/\/cht.austincc.edu\/hospitality\/student-calendars\/\">department calendar for students<\/a> to stay up to date with upcoming networking events.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Student Membership Information:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Below are some of the many reputable professional associations that offer student memberships. Click on the name of an association to find out more information, including membership criteria and dues.<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: grid;grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill,minmax(260px,1fr));gap: 24px;margin: 20px 0 40px;padding: 0\">\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;background: #ffffff;border: 1px solid #d9dde3;border-radius: 16px;overflow: hidden\">\n<div style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;justify-content: center;min-height: 140px;padding: 20px;background: #ffffff;border-bottom: 1px solid #d9dde3\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block;width: auto;height: auto;max-width: 100%;max-height: 96px;object-fit: contain;margin: 0\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cht.austincc.edu\/hospitality\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/download-1.png?resize=135%2C74&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"AHLA Logo\" width=\"135\" height=\"74\" \/><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex: 1;padding: 20px 20px 24px\">\n<h3 style=\"margin: 0 0 8px;font-size: 1.15rem;line-height: 1.3;font-weight: 600;color: #1f2933\">Austin Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA)<\/h3>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-wrap: wrap;gap: 8px;margin-top: auto;padding-top: 12px\"><a style=\"display: inline-block;padding: 8px 18px;border-radius: 999px;background: #ffffff !important;color: #5b1f85 !important;border: 2px solid #5b1f85;font-size: 0.9rem;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.3;text-decoration: none !important\" href=\"https:\/\/www.austin-lodging.org\/\">Visit website<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;background: #ffffff;border: 1px solid #d9dde3;border-radius: 16px;overflow: hidden\">\n<div style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;justify-content: center;min-height: 140px;padding: 20px;background: #ffffff;border-bottom: 1px solid #d9dde3\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block;width: auto;height: auto;max-width: 100%;max-height: 96px;object-fit: contain;margin: 0\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cht.austincc.edu\/hospitality\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/images-5.png?resize=156%2C48&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"HFTP Logo\" width=\"156\" height=\"48\" \/><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex: 1;padding: 20px 20px 24px\">\n<h3 style=\"margin: 0 0 8px;font-size: 1.15rem;line-height: 1.3;font-weight: 600;color: #1f2933\">Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP)<\/h3>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-wrap: wrap;gap: 8px;margin-top: auto;padding-top: 12px\"><a style=\"display: inline-block;padding: 8px 18px;border-radius: 999px;background: #ffffff !important;color: #5b1f85 !important;border: 2px solid #5b1f85;font-size: 0.9rem;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.3;text-decoration: none !important\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hftp.org\/\">Visit website<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;background: #ffffff;border: 1px solid #d9dde3;border-radius: 16px;overflow: hidden\">\n<div style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;justify-content: center;min-height: 140px;padding: 20px;background: #ffffff;border-bottom: 1px solid #d9dde3\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block;width: auto;height: auto;max-width: 100%;max-height: 96px;object-fit: contain;margin: 0\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cht.austincc.edu\/hospitality\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/images-4.jpg?resize=145%2C56&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"HSMAI Logo\" width=\"145\" height=\"56\" \/><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex: 1;padding: 20px 20px 24px\">\n<h3 style=\"margin: 0 0 8px;font-size: 1.15rem;line-height: 1.3;font-weight: 600;color: #1f2933\">Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI)<\/h3>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-wrap: wrap;gap: 8px;margin-top: auto;padding-top: 12px\"><a style=\"display: inline-block;padding: 8px 18px;border-radius: 999px;background: #ffffff !important;color: #5b1f85 !important;border: 2px solid #5b1f85;font-size: 0.9rem;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.3;text-decoration: none !important\" href=\"https:\/\/global.hsmai.org\/\">Visit website<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;background: #ffffff;border: 1px solid #d9dde3;border-radius: 16px;overflow: hidden\">\n<div style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;justify-content: center;min-height: 140px;padding: 20px;background: #ffffff;border-bottom: 1px solid #d9dde3\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block;width: auto;height: auto;max-width: 100%;max-height: 96px;object-fit: contain;margin: 0\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cht.austincc.edu\/hospitality\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/images-2.jpg?resize=148%2C56&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"IAEE Logo\" width=\"148\" height=\"56\" \/><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex: 1;padding: 20px 20px 24px\">\n<h3 style=\"margin: 0 0 8px;font-size: 1.15rem;line-height: 1.3;font-weight: 600;color: #1f2933\">International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE)<\/h3>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-wrap: wrap;gap: 8px;margin-top: auto;padding-top: 12px\"><a style=\"display: inline-block;padding: 8px 18px;border-radius: 999px;background: #ffffff !important;color: #5b1f85 !important;border: 2px solid #5b1f85;font-size: 0.9rem;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.3;text-decoration: none !important\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iaee.com\/\">Visit website<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;background: #ffffff;border: 1px solid #d9dde3;border-radius: 16px;overflow: hidden\">\n<div style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;justify-content: center;min-height: 140px;padding: 20px;background: #ffffff;border-bottom: 1px solid #d9dde3\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block;width: auto;height: auto;max-width: 100%;max-height: 96px;object-fit: contain;margin: 0\" src=\"https:\/\/cht.austincc.edu\/hospitality\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/ILEA_Austin_Brand-purple-1-e1790793396767.avif\" alt=\"ILEA Logo\" width=\"128\" height=\"98\" \/><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex: 1;padding: 20px 20px 24px\">\n<h3 style=\"margin: 0 0 8px;font-size: 1.15rem;line-height: 1.3;font-weight: 600;color: #1f2933\">International Live Events Association (ILEA)<\/h3>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-wrap: wrap;gap: 8px;margin-top: auto;padding-top: 12px\"><a style=\"display: inline-block;padding: 8px 18px;border-radius: 999px;background: #ffffff !important;color: #5b1f85 !important;border: 2px solid #5b1f85;font-size: 0.9rem;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.3;text-decoration: none !important\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ileahub.com\/\">Visit website<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;background: #ffffff;border: 1px solid #d9dde3;border-radius: 16px;overflow: hidden\">\n<div style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;justify-content: center;min-height: 140px;padding: 20px;background: #ffffff;border-bottom: 1px solid #d9dde3\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block;width: auto;height: auto;max-width: 100%;max-height: 96px;object-fit: contain;margin: 0\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cht.austincc.edu\/hospitality\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/images-1-1.png?resize=162%2C132&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"MPI Logo\" width=\"162\" height=\"132\" \/><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex: 1;padding: 20px 20px 24px\">\n<h3 style=\"margin: 0 0 8px;font-size: 1.15rem;line-height: 1.3;font-weight: 600;color: #1f2933\">Meeting Professionals International (MPI)<\/h3>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-wrap: wrap;gap: 8px;margin-top: auto;padding-top: 12px\"><a style=\"display: inline-block;padding: 8px 18px;border-radius: 999px;background: #ffffff !important;color: #5b1f85 !important;border: 2px solid #5b1f85;font-size: 0.9rem;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.3;text-decoration: none !important\" href=\"http:\/\/www.mpiweb.org\/\">Visit website<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;background: #ffffff;border: 1px solid #d9dde3;border-radius: 16px;overflow: hidden\">\n<div style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;justify-content: center;min-height: 140px;padding: 20px;background: #ffffff;border-bottom: 1px solid #d9dde3\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block;width: auto;height: auto;max-width: 100%;max-height: 96px;object-fit: contain;margin: 0\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cht.austincc.edu\/hospitality\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/images-3.jpg?resize=121%2C121&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"NACE Logo\" width=\"121\" height=\"121\" \/><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex: 1;padding: 20px 20px 24px\">\n<h3 style=\"margin: 0 0 8px;font-size: 1.15rem;line-height: 1.3;font-weight: 600;color: #1f2933\">National Association of Catering and Events (NACE)<\/h3>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-wrap: wrap;gap: 8px;margin-top: auto;padding-top: 12px\"><a style=\"display: inline-block;padding: 8px 18px;border-radius: 999px;background: #ffffff !important;color: #5b1f85 !important;border: 2px solid #5b1f85;font-size: 0.9rem;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.3;text-decoration: none !important\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nace.net\/\">Visit website<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;background: #ffffff;border: 1px solid #d9dde3;border-radius: 16px;overflow: hidden\">\n<div style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;justify-content: center;min-height: 140px;padding: 20px;background: #ffffff;border-bottom: 1px solid #d9dde3\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block;width: auto;height: auto;max-width: 100%;max-height: 96px;object-fit: contain;margin: 0\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cht.austincc.edu\/hospitality\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/images-2.png?resize=142%2C68&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"NEWH Logo\" width=\"142\" height=\"68\" \/><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex: 1;padding: 20px 20px 24px\">\n<h3 style=\"margin: 0 0 8px;font-size: 1.15rem;line-height: 1.3;font-weight: 600;color: #1f2933\">NEWH \u2013 The Global Hospitality Network (NEWH)<\/h3>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-wrap: wrap;gap: 8px;margin-top: auto;padding-top: 12px\"><a style=\"display: inline-block;padding: 8px 18px;border-radius: 999px;background: #ffffff !important;color: #5b1f85 !important;border: 2px solid #5b1f85;font-size: 0.9rem;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.3;text-decoration: none !important\" href=\"https:\/\/newh.org\/chapters\/austin\/\">Visit website<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;background: #ffffff;border: 1px solid #d9dde3;border-radius: 16px;overflow: hidden\">\n<div style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;justify-content: center;min-height: 140px;padding: 20px;background: #ffffff;border-bottom: 1px solid #d9dde3\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block;width: auto;height: auto;max-width: 100%;max-height: 96px;object-fit: contain;margin: 0\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cht.austincc.edu\/hospitality\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/images-3.png?resize=138%2C77&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"PCMA Logo\" width=\"138\" height=\"77\" \/><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex: 1;padding: 20px 20px 24px\">\n<h3 style=\"margin: 0 0 8px;font-size: 1.15rem;line-height: 1.3;font-weight: 600;color: #1f2933\">Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA)<\/h3>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-wrap: wrap;gap: 8px;margin-top: auto;padding-top: 12px\"><a style=\"display: inline-block;padding: 8px 18px;border-radius: 999px;background: #ffffff !important;color: #5b1f85 !important;border: 2px solid #5b1f85;font-size: 0.9rem;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.3;text-decoration: none !important\" href=\"http:\/\/www.pcma.org\/\">Visit website<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;background: #ffffff;border: 1px solid #d9dde3;border-radius: 16px;overflow: hidden\">\n<div style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;justify-content: center;min-height: 140px;padding: 20px;background: #ffffff;border-bottom: 1px solid #d9dde3\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block;width: auto;height: auto;max-width: 100%;max-height: 96px;object-fit: contain;margin: 0\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cht.austincc.edu\/hospitality\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/images-4.png?resize=107%2C103&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"TRA Logo\" width=\"107\" height=\"103\" \/><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex: 1;padding: 20px 20px 24px\">\n<h3 style=\"margin: 0 0 8px;font-size: 1.15rem;line-height: 1.3;font-weight: 600;color: #1f2933\">Texas Restaurant Association (TRA)<\/h3>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-wrap: wrap;gap: 8px;margin-top: auto;padding-top: 12px\"><a style=\"display: inline-block;padding: 8px 18px;border-radius: 999px;background: #ffffff !important;color: #5b1f85 !important;border: 2px solid #5b1f85;font-size: 0.9rem;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.3;text-decoration: none !important\" href=\"https:\/\/www.txrestaurant.org\/\">Visit website<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why Should I Join A Professional Association? Joining a professional association is a great way to get your career started off on the right foot. Participation is a great way to network with professionals currently working in your field of interest, giving you a boost on your competition. And when you list membership in professional [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-308","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"layouts":false,"hero_content":false,"sidekick":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cht.austincc.edu\/hospitality\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cht.austincc.edu\/hospitality\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cht.austincc.edu\/hospitality\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cht.austincc.edu\/hospitality\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cht.austincc.edu\/hospitality\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=308"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/cht.austincc.edu\/hospitality\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/308\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2545,"href":"https:\/\/cht.austincc.edu\/hospitality\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/308\/revisions\/2545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cht.austincc.edu\/hospitality\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}