Because the world’s largest, longest-running hospitality know-how exposition and convention, HITEC North America has all the time been a sexy vacation spot for hospitality buyers and know-how firms alike. Annually, the convention brings collectively a whole lot of the most recent hospitality know-how services and products onto one large present flooring, proving to be an indispensable alternative for a lot of of these trying to underwrite innovation within the business.
In 2024, the producers of HITEC acknowledged a must create much more worth for this contingent of attendees: by launching a brand-new, co-located occasion known as HITEC Expertise Funding Convention (HITEC-IC). Happening on the tail finish of #HITEC Week, June 27-28, the inaugural HITEC-IC includes a comprehensively investment-focused training program, curated excursions of the HITEC Exhibit Corridor, and networking alternatives to particularly join the funding group with representatives from the businesses behind the know-how.
It is very important not solely know which applied sciences are driving innovation within the hospitality business, but additionally learn how to consider the chance and worth of those applied sciences in financial phrases. Subsequently, the training program has been fastidiously developed to current a variety of precious views and experience together with the resort technologist, monetary advisors, the entrepreneur now listed on NASDAQ, and the advocate group AAHOA who champions the resort business nationally.
Planning the convention’s academic part is occasion chair Prakash Shukla, who serves as an advisor on the HFTP International Govt Committee. Shukla’s skilled expertise overlaps extensively between the funding sector and hospitality know-how. He presently is managing associate at Wayfare Ventures, an angel capital funding agency supporting the commercialization of improvements in journey, know-how and associated providers. His background entails funding, normal administration, finance, know-how and entrepreneurship, with earlier roles as associate at non-public fairness agency HandsOn International Administration (HGM), SVP/CIO of TAJ Group of Motels, and an early investor within the firms Speech & Software program Applied sciences, TravelGuru and Transerv. Shukla was inducted into the HFTP Worldwide Hospitality Expertise Corridor of Fame in 2016.
Kicking off the HITEC-IC 2024 training program is Ground Bleeker, Group CTP for Accor. In his session “Tipping Level in Hospitality: Rising Investments and Maturing Applied sciences,” Bleeker will present a forward-looking perspective on the technological developments shaping the hospitality business together with sustainability and AI. Attendees will come to know the strategic benefits of investing in superior hospitality tech together with enhanced operational effectivity, value financial savings and improved visitor satisfaction to drive sustainable progress and future readiness.
A spotlight of this system is a candid, insightful case research of Agilysys. Led by its CEO/President Ramesh Srinivasan, “The Agilysys (Nasdaq: AGYS) Turnaround Story – 2017 to 2024” will discover the enterprise software program firm’s transformation from low-level stagnation to a virtually tenfold progress in market capitalization in just below seven years (with a two-year international pandemic in between). The corporate will share what was carried out properly and what may have been carried out higher, the teachings realized, and the strategy that needs to be used to drive income progress, enhance profitability and obtain outcomes.
A panel of AAHOA’s management together with President/CEO Laura Lee Blake, Vice Chairman Kamalesh Patel and Chairman Miraj Patel may even discover the business’s newest technological developments in visitor expertise, operational effectivity and sustainable practices, plus present sensible, actionable options tailor-made for resort homeowners. Of their session “Revolutionizing Hospitality: Reducing-edge Tech Improvements for Resort Homeowners on the Grassroots Stage,” attendees will acquire insights into how grassroots-level improvements can drive progress, improve buyer satisfaction and provides your resort a aggressive edge. Attendees may even profit from listening to in regards to the affect these applied sciences have in real-world purposes from resort homeowners who oversee operations on the ground-level.
One other panel will discover know-how investments from the asset proprietor’s perspective, to know what drives their choices, and the way they create worth from their investments now and sooner or later. Be part of panelists (Michael Clean, Principal at Woodmont Lodging, Jeffrey Friedlander, SVP at Clarion Companions, and Melissa Silvers, Principal at SCS Advisors) and moderator David Chestler (President at ProVision Companions) to discover how know-how impacts investments within the hospitality business whereas balancing operations, visitor engagement and budgets. What are asset managers actually on the lookout for when managing their initiatives and portfolios? How can manufacturers differentiate themselves? And the way can distributors attraction to asset homeowners and operators?
The training program will additional join tech innovation with underlying financial rules that drive funding choices. First, discover the worldwide state of the financial system with Jim Meek, Managing Director Wealth Administration-Institutional Consulting Director at Graystone Consulting, a enterprise of Morgan Stanley. And in one other session entitled “Economics, Dangers and Asset Pricing,” attendees will probably be shared precious insights into the macroeconomic variables, potential dangers and present tendencies driving progress and contraction within the hospitality business. The chief for this session, Samir Shah, CIO at MBS Mantra, LLC will join economics, cash provide, rates of interest and leverage to pricing and efficiency in industrial actual property and hospitality asset investments, whereas additionally evaluating the dangers they create.
Capping off the primary full day of this system will probably be a two-hour sequence of roundtable discussions hosted by notable business heavyweights together with: Sherry Marek, CEO at Aiken Avenue; Shannon McCallum, VP of Resort Operations at Resorts World Las Vegas; Ian Millar, Senior Lecturer at EHL Hospitality Enterprise Faculty; Wealthy Siegel, President/Writer at Hospitality Improve/Resort On-line; Ira Vouk, Founder at Hospitality 2.0 Consulting; and Lyle Worthington, CEO at Worthington Tech.
The second and remaining day of HITEC-IC will function a noteworthy dialogue led by Wealthy Siegel and HFTP CEO Frank Wolfe on the subject of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in hospitality, specializing in the exploration of real-world case research methodology with the viewers.
Study extra in regards to the training program anticipated on the inaugural HITEC-IC, in addition to the assorted networking alternatives, by visiting the full schedule on-line. Registration for HITEC-IC is now open. Please word that separate registration for this occasion is required from HITEC. Full occasion particulars can be found at www.hitec.org/special-events/hitec-ic.