Hospitality industry professionals and suppliers from more than 15 countries, including Germany, France, the UAE, India, United Kingdom and Nigeria, convened Feb 18–20 at the Hilton Amsterdam Hotel for the…
Hospitality industry professionals and suppliers from more than 15 countries, including Germany, France, the UAE, India, United Kingdom and Nigeria, convened Feb 18–20 at the Hilton Amsterdam Hotel for the first Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals` (HFTP) European Hospitality Technology Educational Conference (EHTEC). The conference brought together hoteliers and suppliers to exchange ideas and concerns with each other.
I found the EHTEC conference to be quite informative, said Arijit Bhattacharjee, general manager of information systems for ITC — Welcomgroup. The session topics were well designed to meet the current challenges of the industry. Due to the fact that it was a small gathering, it was also an excellent opportunity to interact with representatives from within the industry, as well as vendors.
Conferences like this help you build an industry network, which is already 50 percent of the journey to success, said Marco Bartelsman, I.T. director for the Park Plaza Hotels Europe. I definitely look forward to the next EHTEC.
The education program was designed by a Pan-European council of hoteliers, consultants, press and educational institutions. For the opening education session, Michael Levie, CEO of Onestarisborn (OSIB), presented, What Individual Hotel Operators and CEOs Expect in Terms of I.T., Now and In The Future. Levie explored hotel technology from a hardware and software point of view. He also launched a dialogue about a future where hotel technology becomes a primary focal point for the European hotelier. In addition, Mr. Levie discussed publicly, for the first time, the launch of his new hotel concept that experts believe will have a profound impact on the hospitality industry.
Fidelio Property Management Systems (PMS) founder, Keith Gruen, presented the luncheon speech PMS: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. He discussed the recent history of PMS development and why the industry has lost its edge and how it might gain it back again.
In addition, conference delegates attended sessions on how hoteliers can maximize their relationships with technology suppliers, generate revenue on in-room technology without sacrificing the guest’s experience and manage information systems across a multi-national organization.
The European market is different, with issues such as various cultures, languages and currency that make the needs of the market unique, said Graham Bray, regional vice president of sales for TRUST.WIZCOM. by Travelport, an EHTEC sponsor. As a global provider of reservation and distribution technology, with a worldwide portfolio, but a strong European background, it is great that we finally have, with EHTEC, a forum that is focused on the challenges facing hospitality technology in Europe. We really enjoyed taking part in this conference.
For a first HFTP conference on this side of the pond to generate such a response from both vendors and hotels is impressive, said Erik Weller, COO for Hotel Concepts, an EHTEC sponsor. Good sessions, lots of interaction, well organized, and an informative, relaxed atmosphere. I expect this to grow to be the one annual European conference not-to-miss.
Networking with current and new contacts at EHTEC was beneficial, said Herman Vercouteren, account manager for Tiger Communications Plc, an EHTEC sponsor. The fact it was kept small, allows us to approach the hotelier and consultants in a more personal way and spend more time with them. We think this is a very good initiative and we are looking forward to attending the next edition.
EHTEC was a very interesting event for us, said Susanne Reimering, BBA, HM, recruitment officer for Hotelschool The Hague, a member of the Leading Hotelschools of the World and EHTEC sponsor. I have met many interesting people and made great contacts that can be beneficial to the Leading Hotel Schools of the World and to Hotelschool The Hague especially. As we educate the future hoteliers, being part of these events is essential.
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