American Hotel and Lodging Association RIT Student Chapter hosted an event—Murder, Mystery, and Dinner- Can you Figure Out Who’s the Killer?—April 11, 2025, in Saunders College Susan R. Holliday Center. The evening included a Murder Mystery Game, dinner, and a silent auction. Proceeds support student members attending conferences such as the Hotel Investment Summit, the Hospitality Show, and the National Restaurant Show, where they can network with professionals and stay up to date with industry trends.
The Murder Mystery Dinner Fundraiser is a collaborative project created by students in HSPT 350 (Event and Project Management-Instructor Jerrie Hsieh, Ph.D., professor and director, MS in hospitality and business management ) and HSPT 485 (Restaurant and Event Management-Instructor Ted Ganster, M.S., lecturer, department of hospitality and service innovation). According to Professor Hsieh, “The primary goal of this event is to offer students a practical, hands-on opportunity to refine their event planning and management skills through experiential learning.”
Three teams from the HSPT 315 class and one team from HSPT 485 submitted event proposals, and a panel of judges, which included faculty and senior event planners from RIT, selected the winning proposal: The Murder Mystery Dinner. Students set up and decorated the venue, recruited and trained actors, designed and produced the mocktail reception menu, solicited silent auction donations, and promoted the event.
Aeriana Brentlinger ‘25 (marketing) reflects on her experience at the dinner: “I played a variety of roles in the event, including preparing the murder mystery game, managing actor correspondence, and ultimately playing an acting role during the event as well. From an acting perspective, the event was a blast! Getting to be on the floor with the guests, mingling and sharing information with them in character, and helping them feel immersed in the event was so exciting. It was wonderful when the guests really got into the atmosphere and the story, and seeing them put pieces of the puzzle together was so much fun. The best part of being in and amongst the crowd was getting to experience their reactions live—including their gasps at the sight of the murder victim’s bloody wound! Talking with the other actors, I definitely got the sense that they felt the same. For me, it was such a unique thing to be split between behind-the-scenes work and front-of-the-line action. It was a very rewarding experience to see the fruits of our hard work pay off, and I would happily do it again!”
