HFTP is bringing back its cut-throat pitch competition for technology startups to the world’s largest hospitality technology event
Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®), producers of Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC®), is now accepting applications to participate in the successful Entrepreneur 20X (E20X) event at HITEC Toronto. Hospitality technology startups who would like to apply for the exciting opportunity can do so by visiting the event website – past applicants and winners are welcome to come back as long as they are considered Series A or a startup. The competition will take place on Monday, June 26, 2017 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario Canada.
HITEC Toronto E20X participants will compete for a grand prize of $5,000 USD. Similar to last year, there will be two E20X awards given – the Judge's Award and the People's Startup Award. The Judge's Award recipient will be determined by the expert panel of judges and also receives the grand prize. The People's Startup Award recipient will be determined by HITEC Toronto attendees and serve as the popular, or crowd favorite, vote. HITEC Toronto attendees will be able to watch the companies compete, visit with company representatives in a designated E20X pavilion in the exhibit hall and vote for their favorite competitor via the upcoming HITEC multi-event app.
"This will be the third year HFTP has produced Entrepreneur 20X, and the Toronto competition will be the second in 2017," said HFTP CEO Frank Wolfe, CAE. "E20X has received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from both competitors and spectators, and we are excited to bring the program back at the largest HITEC event of the year – HITEC Toronto. The program features some of the most up-and-coming, innovative technology hospitality technology has to offer, and serves as an essential platform for startup companies."
HFTP's expanding E20X program features ambitious and innovative entrepreneurs presenting breakthrough business concepts to a panel of expert judges including hospitality CIOs, angel investors, serial entrepreneurs and industry insiders. The competition will be open to all HITEC Toronto registrants.
"We loved the HITEC E20X competition," said David Temple, from Hello Scout Inc., the winner of the Judge's Award at the HITEC New Orleans E20X competition on June 20, 2016. "It provided us with great exposure and let us get our story in front of lots of people that we wouldn't have otherwise been able to reach. That the judge's chose us as the winner was the icing on the cake."
Videos from last year's E20X competition at HITEC New Orleans are available on the HFTP/HITEC YouTube channel.
In addition to accepting participant applications for the HITEC Toronto E20X competition, HFTP is also accepting participant applications for the first E20X competition in 2017 at the inaugural HITEC Amsterdam on March 28 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Applications must be submitted separately via each event's respective website, accessed directly from www.hitec.org.
HFTP's HITEC Toronto is the second, and largest, of three HITEC events planned for 2017, and will take place June 26–29 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario Canada. In addition to HITEC Toronto, in 2017 HFTP is producing two additional, inaugural HITEC events: HITEC Amsterdam and HITEC Dubai. HITEC Amsterdam will serve as the first HITEC event of the year, taking place from March 28–30 at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. HITEC Amsterdam will feature pre-conference programs on March 28 followed by the full event from March 29–30 featuring two full days of education, an expo and networking party. HITEC Dubai will serve as the last HITEC event of 2017, and take place in the Fall in partnership with Naseba.
For more information about HITEC and HFTP's other global activities, contact the HFTP Meetings & Special Events Department at education@hftp.org or visit www.hftp.org and www.hftp.org/hitec.
