"For Data Plus, this was easily the best HITEC show in the last five years!" said Bruce Bensetler, president of Data Plus, Inc. a 2005 HITEC Exhibitor.
  
"I expect to close many sales from the quality leads we've received at this year's HITEC in Los Angeles," said Dan Wasser, senior vice president of Visual One Systems. 

Exhibitors use HITEC as a place for product launches, with many HITEC 2005 vendors announcing new products and alliances. The HITEC exhibit hall featured the most current in hospitality products and services for audio/visual, energy management and conservation, Internet, information processing, security, fire safety and telecommunications. Companies offered wireless services, in-room movies, reservation systems, self check-in and check-out devices, call center services, guest room telephones and much more. Many of the exhibitors were very happy with the traffic in the hall, the quality of the attendees, as well as the overall show.

"This year's attendees were a meaningful audience for us to debut our new lodging product, mLodge," said Drew Kreyling, chief marketing officer for Merchant Link. "We will likely exhibit at next year's HITEC based on the success we had this year."

"This is one of the better conferences we've attended," said Nikolaos Roussis, senior vice president of Acom Hospitality. "We've had quite a bit of exposure in the customer segments we are interested in expanding to."

"HITEC has been great for us this year," said Michele Fanning, marketing and communication manager for Wayport. "We've been pleased with the traffic and the quality of the attendees. The combination of our sponsorship of the Cybernet Center and our presence on the floor has given us great exposure."

Already 75 percent of the exhibit hall is sold out for next year's show at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minn. USA on June 19-22. 

This year's education conference offered sessions on the hot issues in hospitality technology.

Tuesday morning featured the HITEC Awards ceremony, where three technology leaders were honored. First, the CHTP of the Year, Richard Benoit, CHTP, was given a plaque to commemorate his achievement. Benoit earned the honor by scoring the highest score for the Certified Hospitality Technology Professional (CHTP) exam within a set period. 

Next, two technology pioneers, both developers of first-generation management systems, were selected for induction into the HFTP International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame. David Burroughs, a property management system pioneer, and W. Thomas Castleberry, an early developer of central reservation and distribution systems, were chosen for their three decades of dedication to the industry. 

In his thank-you note, Burroughs noted that the hospitality technology industry is a career path that doesn't lead to much free time. Burroughs said that the reason he has stayed in the hospitality industry for 37 years is, "This industry attracts people who like people, which makes for a nice work atmosphere with individuals that you enjoy working with."

On Tuesday morning, Scott Adams, the creator of the best-selling cartoon Dilbert, gave a funny and inspiring presentation, describing his strange journey from corporate cubicles to the comic pages. Adams retold his path to becoming a best-selling cartoonist, as well as showed cartoons that have not been published and gave inspiring insight on how to find success. Dilbert is published in over 2,000 newspapers, in 65 countries. Scott Adams has 32 books in print - over 10 million sold - including two number-one New York Times best-sellers.

Wrapping up the education conference was a panel session, "CIO Roundtable." The moderator was Dr. Lalia Rach, associate dean and HVS International chair at New York University Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management. Panelists included Dave Barbieri, vice president/CIO for West Coast Hotels; Nicholas Price, CIO/CTO for Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Ltd. and a member of the 2004-2005 HITEC Advisory Council and Tim Stanley, senior vice president and CIO for Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. 

For those who were not able to attend HITEC 2005, visit www.hitec.org to review information on HITEC 2005 exhibitors. Also on the web site are interviews that were conducted directly in the exhibit hall. Kevin Heilbronner, host of the interviews, spoke with industry experts, HITEC speakers, various exhibitors and HFTP Board members. If you didn't make it this year, start making plans to attend next year's HITEC in Minneapolis, Minn. USA at the Minneapolis Convention Center on June 19-22, 2006. 

About HFTP:
Based in Austin, Texas, HFTP is the professional association for financial and technology personnel working in hotels, resorts, clubs, casinos, restaurants and other hospitality-related businesses. The association provides continuing education and networking opportunities to more than 4,300 members around the world, and produces the premiere hospitality technology shows HITEC and ONHTEC. HFTP also administers the examination and awards the certification for the Certified Hospitality Accountant Executive (CHAE) and the Certified Hospitality Technology Professional (CHTP) designations. HFTP was founded in 1952 as the National Association of Hotel Accountants.

HFTP®, HITEC® and ONHTEC® are registered service marks of Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals.

Eliza R. Selig
HFTP Communications Manager
1 (800) 646-4387
001 (512) 249-5333 x23
Fax: 001 (512) 249-1533
www.hftp.org
www.hitec.org