'1001 Nights' Features Persian Theme for Hospitality Management's Annual SMASH Event

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"1001 Nights: A SMASH Production" is set for April 19. Tickets are available now.

Diners will be "swept away into a world of enchantment" and "delve into the mystique and magic of Persian culture and cuisine" as students host guests for "1001 Nights" SMASH themed event.

SMASH is the annual event put on by hospitality management students in the U of A's Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Science's School of Human Environmental Sciences.

The event, including this year's meal and entertainment inspired by 1001 Nights, is planned and executed by hospitality and event management students, including the theme and decorations, registration, sponsorships and all meal planning, prep, cooking and serving.

SMASH — short for Students Mastering the Art of Southern Hospitality — is a dining and networking fundraiser for the hospitality management program.

"1001 Nights: A SMASH Production" will be from 6-9 p.m. Friday, April 19, at the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences.

Two hospitality classes are using the semester to coordinate and execute the event. A SMASH class is managing the planning and organization under the direction associate professor Kelly Way, assistant professor Nick Johnson and student relations coordinator Suzanne Rhoads.

Meanwhile, a cooking lab class, Cultures and Cuisines of the World, is in charge of the meal, under the direction of instructor Lobat Bayyari.

The cooking class is the same one preparing and serving meals in Pineapple Café, a lunch service held in the Maudine Sanders Commons in the Human Environmental Sciences Building.

"Empowering students to lead fundraisers isn't just about raising funds, it's about cultivating leaders who understand the value of service, teamwork and making a positive impact in their communities," said Way, who is also assistant director of the School of Human Environmental Sciences. "Hospitality education is not just about serving guests. It's about nurturing future leaders who understand the art of empathy, the science of service and the transformative power of creating unforgettable experiences. That is why we created this event for our students, faculty and our guests to create and provide a state of the art, unforgettable experience for all."

Tickets to SMASH are available for $100 each and can be purchased here. Tickets for School of Human Environmental Sciences faculty, staff and alumni are $75; a parents/grandparents package for two is $150; and a SMASH couples ticket (Sahara package) is $200.

Sponsorships for seat and table options include various VIP packages: Sahara (two guests, $200), Caspian Sea (four guests, $550), Aria (six guests, $1,500), Silk Road (eight guests, $3,000) and Persepolis (10 guests, $5,000).

All packages include tickets for guests to the reception and the SMASH event, and a thank you award. The Persepolis, Silk Road, Aria and Caspian Sea packages include various levels of company logo recognition.

Tickets and sponsorships are available now. Tickets will not be available at the door the day of the event.

Proceeds benefit the hospitality management program through scholarships, resources, equipment and funds for educational travel.

For more information, visit the SMASH site or email SMASH24@uark.edu.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.