Connecting the Room - Michelle Finn - Defining Hospitality

In this episode, Dan Ryan sits down with Michelle Finn, longtime industry fixture and the driving force behind Alis Design Plus, to trace the evolution of hospitality trade events from HD Expo's chaotic 1990s launch (earthquakes, riots and all) to today's design and investment ecosystem. Michelle unpacks her "dinner party" philosophy of hosting, the power of relationships over transactions, and how she scaled that intimacy from a dozen guests to thousands of attendees without losing the human touch. The conversation moves through mentorship, the rise of owner involvement in design, the new Alis Cala expansion into the Caribbean, and even a few fun detours into what a Vogue or Garden and Guns hotel might look like. About the Guest: Michelle Finn heads The BHN Group's hotel design and construction events, including the launch of Alis Design Plus. Previously, she led the management and development of Hospitality Design Expo, HD Boutique, HD Summit, HD Awards, Hospitality Design, Boutique Design NY, Boutique Design West, the BD Forum Series, Boutique Design and Senior Lifestyle Design Match events, the Gold Key Awards, and more. A dedicated, long standing member of NEWH, she has earned numerous awards for innovation spanning trade fair development, publishing, leadership, and service, and is firmly established as a notable presence in Chicago's hospitality landscape. Chapters:00:00 Defining Hospitality Intro00:35 Meet Michelle Finn01:47 What Hospitality Means03:38 Hosting Lessons Early On06:00 Launching HD Expo Origins08:48 Riots Earthquakes and Vegas Pivot13:42 Winning Leadership Buy In22:41 Why ALIS Design Plus Exists25:21 Growth Plans and Industry Shifts33:38 Analog Event Magic34:36 Word of Mouth Wins35:08 Hospitality Shifts36:19 Product Categories Boom37:47 Launching Alice Cala39:59 Measuring Referrals43:56 Hosting Like a Pro48:11 Newcomer Event Playbook52:22 Future Plans and Farewell Quote of the Show:"Identify a need, see something that doesn't exist. That's pretty much what we did." - Michelle Finn Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on. Links:Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1 Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/ Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alis-design-plus Guests Website: https://www.alisdesignplus.com/ Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/ 🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/  Ways to Tune In: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPXApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1sAmazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/