Hospitality Technology Show – HITEC – Boasts 12-percent Showfloor Growth in Los Angeles
HITEC 2014, a hospitality technology show, officially has kicked off, running June 23–26 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, and the show already is off to a great start.
“We have grown again from last year, both in number of exhibitors and show square footage, at nearly a 12 percent increase from 2013,” said Steven Stout, CAE, director of Meetings and Special Events, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals, which runs the show.
He added, “The exhibitor demand was so great for this year we added ‘Supporter Benefits’ packages for those exhibitors we could not accommodate on the show floor, so our attendees can still learn more about their products and services.”
There are several must-sees at the show this year. First off, are the Super Sessions and Boot Camps going on throughout the HITEC conference. A big push this year is regarding security, which includes credit card, technology and safety security.
Attendees can benefit from the educational sessions supporting the topic of building a better tech hotel as well.
The other hot-button topic is big data and how to use big data for customer service and reputation building in the hospitality industry. This topic also is flowing into the Tech Tour, with many exhibitors requesting participation. Tech Talks are back, with many new speakers, so be sure to take out those 15 minutes for a quick learning session.
The mobile experience is of course a focus, and now is branching into how a hotel handles mobility connection with multiple devices. For example, a family of four could easily have eight different devices that need to connect to the Wi-Fi at the same time.
The HITEC mobile experience provided by I-Sites is replacing the standard event app and connects to the free Wi-Fi throughout the show (sponsored by Cisco), thus making it device neutral. This mobile experience provides comprehensive functionality, including info on restaurants nearby, transportation, flight links, hotel links and more.
The Digital Den has charging stations and a fantastic Twitter wall, and just beyond it you will find a station for a Google Glass demo. If you are interesting in learning more about how Google Glass will affect the hotel customer experience, this is a demo not to miss.
With the show just getting started, Stout reported that there are already several exhibitors on a waiting list for exhibit space at the 2015 show in Austin, Texas.
“With technology and customer expectations, changing so rapidly, HITEC is helping attendees stay ahead of the trend with a conference that educates and influences how hotels embrace their technological future,” he added.
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