| Paris, 4 December 1998 - Database marketing vs. data
protection laws, contingency planning for Y2K and the explosion of e-commerce
are just some of the hot hi-tech issues to be addressed at EURHOTEC '99,
the annual European hospitality technology exhibition and conference which
convenes at the Austria Center, Vienna from 24-26 February 1999.
The fourth edition of the one-stop technology show, organised and managed
by the In �Database Marketing � What It Is and How To Do It�, a panel of experts will review database marketing, warehousing and mining applications, focusing on successful case studies from inside and outside the hospitality industry. Speakers are Bob Gilbert, executive VP and CEO of the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI), Cindy Green, senior VP at Pegasus IQ and managing director, Driving Revenue, USA, Scott Anderson, executive VP of marketing at Cendant Corporation, Ritesh Patel, president of Conduit Communications in the UK and Hans Lindh, director lodging industry, American Express Establishment Services. Before harnessing the potential of data storage and mining technology, certain legal obstacles remain to be cleared by European hoteliers and restaurateurs. In �Personal Privacy � A New Legal Challenge�, Finn Schulz, IT director for Radisson SAS Hotels Worldwide and Janne Glaesel of Danish law firm Bech-Bruun and Trolle will advise delegates how to collect and keep customer information while staying within the bounds of new European data protection laws. As growth in electronic commerce intensifies competition and offers a major competitive edge for those companies that exploit it, Jonathan Eales, IT manager at the Whitbread Hotel Company in the UK and Geoff Ball of American Express UK, will examine �The Impact of E-Commerce�, addressing the opportunities and challenges of developing an e-commerce strategy. Businesses worldwide are engaged in a race against time to beat �The Millennium Bug�. Terry Critchley, head of Bass Plc�s Y2K project, will highlight the importance of testing the preparedness of operations for the Year 2000, providing details of the contingency planning and damage control measures some companies have already put in place. A session entitled �Beyond 2000 � the Second Wave� will look at tech trends beyond Y2K compatibility and Euro compliance, and ask what technology suppliers can do to address the needs of independent hotels in the next century. With Andries de Vaal, partner at Deloitte Consulting in the UK as moderator, panelists will include Alex Kyriakidis, partner in charge at Andersen Consulting UK, Andreas Vögl, managing director of Horwath International, Austria and Sam Anahory, director of Deloitte Consulting, UK. Other sessions include:
Up to 80 major hospitality technology vendors will be showcasing their products at the EURHOTEC exhibition, providing delegates with a hands-on opportunity to see the latest in tech-based solutions, including information processing, yield managment, call accounting, energy control, F&B management, check-in/check-out, hand-held technologies, safety and security, property management and guest services. For information on attending or exhibiting at EURHOTEC, contact Veronika Pillet, IH&RA, tel: (33 1) 44 89 94 00, fax: (33 1) 40 36 73 30, e-mail: [email protected], web site: http://www.ih-ra.com. |
International
Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA), will provide a platform
for prominent hospitality technology users and vendors to share their expertise
with an anticipated 1,500 delegates at 25 high-powered educational sessions.
The conference programme, which aims to highlight technology's potential
as a competitive weapon, will prime delegates on the big hi-tech debates
set to dominate in the next decade.