UncategorizedNewsletters

The Buzz at HITEC 2016

Hitec

This year, McLaren made the long voyage to New Orleans for the Annual HITEC Conference – Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition & Conference – HFTP. With 16 hours flying time from Sydney to Dallas, an executive decision was made to enjoy a few days R&R in Miami before attacking the big week ahead. The ‘sun and surf’ of Miami provided the perfect location to catch-up with old and dear friends whilst starting some pre-HITEC discussions with those also bound for ‘Big Easy’ – New Orleans!

Upon arrival into New Orleans, the McLaren boys checked into the Le Méridien Hotel – just a short stroll to the Convention Centre. It was clear the buzz and excitement of HITEC was in the air. It’s reported that this year was one of the highest attended conferences; over six thousand hospitality technology professionals representing 65 countries got together to share, discuss and showcase the latest technological advancements and innovations.

It was straight into proceedings on Monday morning. With registration done, the Conference Schedule provided a full day of workshops and seminars. The highlight had to be the Entrepreneur 20X. This year, the completion hot with 17 innovative start-ups pitching cutting-edge ideas to a room full of attendees and a panel of 11 expert judges. After three hours of competition, the judge’s panel deliberated and selected Hello Scout, Inc. as the second E20X Judge’s Choice Award winner. The company offers a virtual travel assistant. Hello Scout, Inc. was presented with a $5,000 USD check, a trophy and a Tech Talk speaking opportunity at HITEC 2016.

Matt and Matt

The week progressed just as planned. The McLaren team was packed full of meetings, workshops, seminars and of course after-dark HITEC parties. The opening party @ Generations Hall certainly kicked things off in the right spirit. Generations Hall was originally built in the early 1820s as a sugar refinery and decorated with artwork by prominent artists, George Schmidt and Xavier deCallatay, depicting the rich history of New Orleans jazz, Generations Hall offers a glimpse an era of long ago. There was also loads of fun to be had at the massive Samsung party which included great tunes from the Gin Blossoms; an American rock band formed in 1987 in Tempe, Arizona. HITEC always provides a great opportunity for McLaren to catch-up with their valued partners such as Amadeus, Intelity, Broadsoft, DuVoice and Nomadix. There is also great opportunities for McLaren to discuss and research new technologies which can complement and assist with their own cloud based technology strategies. McLaren’s new global strategy includes fortifying and focussing on the other market leading solutions within the McLaren stable including McLaren’s own fluide platform which incorporates customised web-based management and reporting to help collate and synthesise graphical and numerical data analysis across multiple visitor based locations.

GuestTek Party

Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) has named Toronto as the host city for the 2017 Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC). HITEC offers a unique combination of top-notch hospitality technology education, led by industry peers and experts and an unparalleled trade show showcasing the latest products and services. HITEC 2017 will be held June 26 – 29, 2017.

Below are some links with more information on some of the highlighted technologies from the show:

Three Technologies to watch from HITEC 2016
Five big Hotel Trends and Takeaways from the Biggest HITEC ever
Best of HITEC 2016’s Hospitality Solutions
HFTP celebrates record breaking conference attendance at HITEC 2016

By Matthew Watson
Chief Operating Officer
McLaren Technologies