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EHL Summer Program in Switzerland

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Food & Hospitality Diplomacy

EHL Campus Lausanne

A one-week immersive journey on how influence, diplomacy and negotiation operate across global arenas, from hospitality and gastronomy to international institutions. Learn how influence is designed and exercised in real-world settings.

“Diplomacy often begins before words are spoken, in how people are welcomed, seen, and made to feel.”


Participants gain direct exposure to environments where influence and diplomacy are exercised, with access to institutions such as the WEF, the UN, and leading hospitality venues, offering a rare opportunity to experience diplomacy firsthand.

 

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This one-week program includes immersive learning, field visits and applied design work. Participants engage with:

  • Diplomacy as a human-centred practice shaped through hospitality and gastronomy
  • Real-world environments where influence is exercised across institutions
  • Applied work focused on how settings, rituals and interaction shape outcomes
  • Lausanne + Geneva immersion with direct exposure to settings where diplomacy unfolds in practice
  • A team capstone: design a diplomatic experience and hosting concept

What You Will Gain

Influence in
Complex Systems

Understand how power operates through institutions, settings and human interaction.

Diplomacy, Dialogue & Negociation

Build practical skills in active listening, framing, reframing, persuasion, and interests-based negotiation, while understanding how context, space and rituals shape outcomes.

Relational
Leadership

Learn to design moments of welcome that build trust and shape perception across cultures.

Key Facts

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Location

Lausanne
Switzerland
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Duration

5 Days

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Start Dates

From June 29
To July 3
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Assessments

Team capstone
Participation
Reflective contributions

Who Should Join?

This program is designed for bachelor and master students who want to understand how influence and diplomacy operate in global environments and how it is exercised through hospitality, gastronomy, and human interaction across cultures and institutions.

Ideal for:

  • Students interested in hospitality, gastronomy, leadership, international relations, negotiation, culture and experience design, who want to understand how influence works in global environments.
  • Learners looking to develop practical skills in diplomacy, negotiation, communication and influence across cultures, institutions and industries.

 

Why Should you Start this Program?

  • Positions hospitality and gastronomy as instruments of diplomacy, not service
  • Connects global institutions, sport and cultural settings through the lens of power and soft power
  • Combines real-world exposure with applied learning in how diplomacy and persuasion operate in practice
  • Focuses on experiential and relational skills often overlooked in traditional diplomacy education
  • Bridges luxury, institutional and social hospitality contexts
  • A tangible applied outcome: design of a diplomatic experience as a tool of influence

 

Program Structure

  •  Opening circle & programme framing; reflection on identity, hospitality and inclusion/exclusion; food memory icebreaker; welcome apéro/dinner to establish trust and psychological safety.
  • Morning: understanding how influence and diplomacy operate through soft power and trust.
  • Lab: design a “moment of welcome” for high-stakes and cross-cultural contexts.
  • Afternoon: Beau-Rivage Palace  visit: explore how influence is shaped. through space, rituals and atmosphere at the highest level of hospitality.
  • Afternoon: Olympic Museum, visit: understand how values, symbolism and global events are used to shape identity, trust and influence.
  • Morning: World Economic Forum visit: understand how convening shapes agendas, influence and global dialogue.
  • Morning: United Nations visit: observe how multilateral negotiation and alignment operate in practice.
  • Afternoon: Embassy visit: explore how cultural diplomacy builds relationships and trust across contexts.
  • Evening: Refettorio Geneva visit: experience how hospitality and gastronomy can signal dignity, inclusion and social impact.
  • Real-World Lessons in Relationships, Culture and Global Influence.
  • Capstone lab, design and present a diplomatic experience including menu, narrative, hosting concept and stakeholder context.

How Will You Be Evaluated ?

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Assessment is based on a team capstone project developed throughout the week, focused on designing a diplomatic experience as a tool of influence, including stakeholder context, cultural and relational dynamics, menu and narrative design, and intended diplomatic outcome.

This is complemented by active participation in labs and discussions and reflective contributions during debrief sessions.

Guest Lecturers

 Throughout the week, participants will have the unique opportunity to meet ambassadors, renowned chefs, and expert negotiators, creating meaningful connections while learning directly from the best. 
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Damaris Papoutsakis
UEFA

 Protocol, Global Events & Sports Diplomacy 

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Kelly Ommundsen

 Head of Digital Inclusion and a Member of the Executive Committee for the World Economic Forum  

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Saadia Zahidi

Economist and senior managing director at the World Economic Forum and co-author of the WEF's Future of Jobs 

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Walter El Nagar

Founder of Refettorio Geneva 

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Cédric Bourassin

EHL Lecturer - Practical Arts at EHL - Expert in Gastronomic Cuisine & Culinary R&D

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Cyrille Lecossois

EHL Senior Lecturer - Practical Arts at EHL - Expert in Catering and Culinary Arts

Admissions & Fees

Admission Criteria:

  • Academic background: minimum 1-year post-high school studies.

  • Minimum 18 years old

  • Proficiency in English: strong B2 level or, preferably, C1 level CEFR

Fees:

  • Tuition Fees: CHF 2,500

Includes:

  • Courses, teaching material, personal coaching, field trips and additional training
  • Access to all Campus facilities
  • Lunch and coffee during program hours

Register Online

Please apply for the course by filling in the form. Our Admissions Team will review your application and contact you for the next steps.