HITEC 2016: Future Tech is Here Again
With the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC) set for June 20 through the 23rd, it seems like as good a time as any to start getting even more excited than usual about experiencing the latest technological offerings for the industry. This year promises to be as enlightening as past events, with a full slate of speakers scheduled to address attendees, and a dazzling array of events that are sure to have the entire industry buzzing for months to come.
As always, the conference is produced by the Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) – the hospitality association that continues to live up to its commitment to locate the most efficient technological solutions for its thousands of members and stakeholders. Through its HITEC events, HTFP tries to bring together both educational elements and trade show features to create a conference like no other. Past events have provided no shortage of surprises, so this year’s event is likely to be just as enlightening.
This year’s attendees will be journeying to beautiful New Orleans, Louisiana, where they’ll be treated to a four-day thrill ride of exposure to many of the hottest existing technologies and others that they may have only dreamed about. As usual, we’ve already received some advanced indications about what we can expect to see at the event, as various presenters have been teasing us with tidbits of news for some time now.
Take ADB, for example. Just this week, the iTV solutions firm announced that it had privately commissioned a study to determine exactly what hotel guests and hoteliers actually want when it comes to the guestroom viewing experience. The study involved a survey of two thousand guests, asking them a wide range of questions about which viewing features actually mattered to them, as well as questions about the downloading of hotel apps and what they expect the future will hold for in-room entertainment. Ease of use and a removal on television capability limits topped the list of concerns. The company plans to reveal a new interactive television platform at this year’s conference, designed with those survey results in mind.
Of course, companies like Microsoft will be on hand as well, ready to show off the newest software solutions from. This year, the software giant plans to showcase the FreedomPay Commerce Platform at its booth. Zebra Technologies plans to be there as well, demonstrating its WLAN access point technology, mobile devices, and other hospitality solutions designed to improve connectivity and effectiveness.
Naturally, we will be there as well, and look forward to engaging with as many of you as we can during this all-too brief gathering. Like you, we are excited to have yet another opportunity to join together in a celebration of our industry and its various technological solutions, and to share ideas about how we can all work together to improve hospitality solutions and enhance every guest’s experience. Contact us if you’d like to find out more about our specific plans for HITEC 2016, or to find out more about how Ebenezer America can benefit your company.
