The Penn State School of Hospitality Management in the College of Health and Human Development and the Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society (PSHRS) have named Reggie Aggarwal, founder and CEO of Cvent, as the 2025 Hospitality Executive of the Year.

Aggarwal will be honored at the 2025 PSHRS Industry Awards and Reception, which will take place at 4:30 p.m. on April 8, 2025, at the Nittany Lion Inn among alumni, faculty, industry partners and students.

"This recognition is a tremendous honor," Aggarwal said. "The hospitality industry is the backbone of creating memorable experiences and successful events, and Penn State’s esteemed program has consistently been a cornerstone in nurturing new talent and fresh perspectives. Bringing people together is at the heart of what we do at Cvent, and we’re proud to contribute to an industry rooted in service and genuine human connection. Thank you to the Penn State School of Hospitality Management and PSHRS for recognizing our incredible team and the impact they’ve made over the last 25 years.”

Aggarwal founded Cvent in 1999 with the goal of making meeting planning easier for his peers in the business community. Cvent has since become a global-leading provider of meetings, events and hospitality management technology. Today, Cvent’s platform powers millions of virtual, in-person and hybrid events for thousands of organizations, including half of the Fortune 500.

“Our hospitality management majors at Penn State, and especially our students pursuing the entrepreneurship and innovation minor, are inspired by Reggie’s ability to see an opportunity, create a solution to an industry problem, and steward that solution into a global, thriving company,” said Donna Quadri-Felitti, Marvin Ashner Endowed Director of the Penn State School of Hospitality Management. “He is not only a megastar to those students, but an example our faculty use across our curriculum about the value of tech-enabled, stakeholder-focused hospitality enterprises led by visionaries like Reggie.”

Under Aggarwal’s leadership, Cvent has grown to more than 4,800 employees and 22,000 customers worldwide. In June 2023, Cvent was acquired for $4.6 billion and became a private company under Blackstone, one of the world’s largest private equity firms.

Once featured as a rising star by Forbes Magazine, Aggarwal also has been named the No. 1 SaaS CEO by The SaaS Report, Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year, and one of the 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs by Goldman Sachs. Aggarwal was named the most admired CEO by the Washington Business Journal, inducted into the Washington Business Hall of Fame in 2022, and inducted into the Business Travel Hall of Fame in 2019, among other accolades.

In addition, Aggarwal has been featured in The Wall Street Journal and Business Week for his meeting and event industry expertise.

“PSHRS continues to be energized by the high level and prowess of hospitality industry icons that gravitate to our coveted School of Hospitality Management,” said Tom Neely, president of PSHRS and president and CEO of Thomas E. Strauss. “Reggie, as an entrepreneur, is a most excellent example of our industry’s acceptance of new ideas that facilitate new opportunities that truly move to help our industry be better. For over 60 years, we have been honoring those who have elevated our industry to new heights, and Reggie will be a wonderful addition to this pantheon of professionals considered to be some of the greatest in hospitality management.”

Aggarwal graduated with a bachelor of science degree from the University of Virginia, a juris doctor degree from Washington and Lee University Law School, and an LLM (post-law degree) from Georgetown University Law School. He also received an honorary doctorate from Southeastern University for his contribution to the community.

About the Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society

The Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society was founded to strengthen all hospitality professions and enhance the reputation of the Hospitality Management program (HM). PSHRS is an Alumni Group of the Penn State Alumni Association and the College of Health and Human Development Alumni Society.

PSHRS provides a means for achieving closer fellowship among alumni, faculty and students. PSHRS serves those who are currently attending Penn State in HM or who are graduates of the program, as well as those who work within the HM industries and have attended Penn State or are "friends" of the program.

About the School of Hospitality Management

Established in 1937, Penn State’s School of Hospitality Management is one of the nation’s earliest and most respected schools of hospitality management. Its top-ranked undergraduate and doctoral programs prepare global leaders with a rigorous, diverse curriculum focused on engaged scholarship, featuring partnerships with Penn State's Hospitality Services, Housing and Food Services, and top global hospitality brands. It’s also home to the oldest Penn State alumni program group, the Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society. New to the school’s portfolio is an innovative and focused Master of Professional Studies in Hospitality Management graduate degree program.

For 88 years, the Penn State School of Hospitality Management has provided outstanding leadership for a global and dynamic hospitality industry, offering innovative programs, research and service to the profession alongside world-class faculty, staff and students. The school inspires all students to pursue excellence in scholarship, exhibit a strong work ethic, and become successful and ethical hospitality leaders.

For more information about the school or the PSHRS Industry Awards and Reception, contact Ben Jellison, director of industry and alumni relations, at [email protected] or 814-865-6728.

Ben Jellison
Director of Industry and Alumni Relations
814-865-6728
Penn State School of Hospitality Management