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HITEC® 2010 Attended by 4,500 Hospitality Professionals;
HITEC 2011 Set for
June 20�23, 2011 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin,
Texas
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News for the Hospitality Executive |
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HITEC® 2010 Attended by 4,500 Hospitality Professionals;
HITEC 2011 Set for
June 20�23, 2011 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin,
Texas
|
AUSTIN, TEXAS (June 29, 2010) � Exploring the integration of current technology trends within the hospitality industry, the 2010 Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC®) was attended by over 4,500 hospitality professionals � a 23 percent increase from HITEC 2009. The conference addressed important issues, including social media, mobile technology, convergence, in-room entertainment and more. HITEC 2010, a service of Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®), was held June 21�24 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. It offered a one-stop shop for essential education, access to experts and hospitality technology vendors, networking with top leaders in the industry and the resources to find cost-effective ways to improve company bottom lines. "While the overall economy is still uncertain, the prominence of technology use in our day-to-day activities makes it essential to continue to stay level with technology growth, and keep it as a part of the fabric of our operations,� said Frank Wolfe, CAE, CEO of HFTP. �HITEC 2010 was the place to learn about and discuss these ideas, and there was a great energy this year as attendees took a look forward to how these tools can be used." �Hats off to HFTP for another great HITEC event in Orlando. HFTP continues, year after year, in setting up the ideal environment for hospitality vendors and hoteliers to learn and do business together, and NEC has benefited from this greatly," said Kevin Ruhman, director, Hospitality and Travel for NEC Corporation of America. "Our change in strategy on how we approached HITEC this year has yielded positive results to our bottom line. The HITEC event will remain a valuable and integral part of our approach to reaching customers in hospitality for years to come.� The HITEC exhibit hall featured hundreds of exhibitors announcing new products, showcasing their signature technologies and discussing the future of hospitality technology. A review of participating exhibitors and their products and services is available via the online HITEC Buyer's Guide and on the HITEC app. Also on the exhibit hall floor was the brand new version of the hands-on exhibit GUESTROOM 20X, illustrating the possibilities for the guestroom as it evolves with the growth of technology integration. This newest version takes lead with travelers' increased use of personal electronic devices and the Internet as a central resource for entertainment and information. �GUESTROOM 20X has proven to be a valuable tool for exploring the potential for technology to create memorable guest services,� said Wolfe. �This year the room showed how hoteliers can take advantage of Internet and wireless devices to deliver a range of services, from local directions and recommendations, to multi-media experiences.� HITEC's education program officially began with fraud expert Frank Abagnale, Jr., one of the world's most respected authorities on the subjects of forgery, embezzlement and secure documents. Abagnale provided insight into his compelling life as the notorious impostor and fraudster of the 1960s, a story told in the award-winning movie "Catch Me If You Can." Tuesday's General Session featured trend watcher Michael Tchong, who explored the latest social networking trends and discussed their importance in the hospitality technology industry. HITEC 2010 closed with Dennis Snow, who shared his extensive experience in customer service, which he built through his 20 years with the Walt Disney World Company. New to the education program this year were the Super Sessions, part of a specially-selected program designed to cover broad themes of interest in hospitality technology. Because of the general interest of the themes, the number of concurrent Super Sessions was limited and more time was devoted for each session. Recognizing innovation in the hospitality technology industry, HFTP inducted Nick Price, global CIO/CTO of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, into the International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame. Price was recognized for his innovative approach to hotel technology and his influence in bringing hospitality technology vendors together. Photographs from HITEC 2010 are available on HITEC.org. HITEC 2011 is slated for June 20�23 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. For more information about HITEC, contact the HFTP Meetings & Special Events Department at [email protected], (800) 646-4387 or +1 (512) 249-5333. HFTP, Austin, Texas, USA and Maastricht, The Netherlands, founded in 1952, is the global professional association for financial and technology personnel working in hotels, clubs and other hospitality-related businesses. HFTP provides first class educational opportunities, research, and publications to members around the globe including, the premiere hospitality technology conference HITEC--founded in 1972. HFTP also awards the only hospitality specific certifications for accounting and technology --the Certified Hospitality Accountant Executive (CHAE) and the Certified Hospitality Technology Professional (CHTP) designations. HFTP was founded in the USA as the National Association of Hotel Accountants. |
| Contact:
Katy Walterscheidt
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