By Alan Young, Hospitality Industry Advisor, College Professor, and Co-Founder of Puzzle Partner
Brian Tracy once said, “Continuous learning is the minimum requirement for success in any field.” This sentiment applies to our personal and professional lives; a sense of curiosity and an appetite for education help us keep our minds young and our insights sharp. The best leaders in any field are those who not only keep an open mind to learning opportunities but actively seek them out while constantly challenging their own beliefs, observations, and biases to better fortify their perspectives and validate their expertise. Learning and innovation go hand in hand, and, with this in mind, it should come as no surprise that HITEC takes great care to prioritize learning through the educational sessions offered to attendees each year.
The 2023 edition of HITEC Toronto will be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) South Building, Toronto, starting on 26th June. Produced by HFTP, HITEC represents the world’s largest hospitality conference. With thousands of hospitality professionals and technology vendors from around the world in attendance, HITEC provides exhibitors with the opportunity to showcase their products and services to a uniquely qualified and influential crowd. At the same time, hospitality professionals in attendance are presented with the opportunity to connect with tech vendors and colleagues while learning from industry leaders via expert panels and within mindfully curated educational sessions.
There are, of course, many reasons to attend HITEC. Whether it’s the desire to reconvene in person on the world’s largest hospitality technology show floor, network with industry peers, get a glimpse at the latest and greatest in tech, or simply celebrate the recent growth of our industry. But the educational sessions at HITEC are undoubtedly a highlight of the event. They are built on the back of the HFTP’s core principles: education, social networking, and giving back. Some of this year’s highly anticipated sessions include:
– The Workforce Focus Has Shifted: Recruitment, Retention, and Work Life Balance: Traditional leadership strategies are no longer effective in the changing work culture, and companies are increasingly turning to technology to support this shift. Industry leaders will share their thoughts on how technology can be used to help recruit and retain quality employees by building a person-first work culture.
– ESG: From Movement to Essential Strategy: A thought-provoking education session exploring the concept of ESG, an abbreviation for environmental, social, and governance, and how this approach helps guide hospitality organizations’ sustainability practices.
– The Data Science Toolkit: Go Beyond RevPar to Boost Profit: In this session, attendees will discover the potential dangers of relying solely on a traditional KPI like RevPAR as a profitability indicator, and will be shown the advantages of leveraging business intelligence tools that provide greater transparency into underlying data.
– Today’s Traveler: Your Guide to Current Expectations: Keeping up with travelers’ expectations for their stay is a frequently shifting landscape in the hospitality business. This panel of hoteliers (led by Travel Channel’s Hotel Impossible host Anthony Melchiorre) invites attendees to learn about the new travel patterns and lodging preferences that have emerged in the post-pandemic landscape. This interactive discussion will use research insights to illustrate examples of consumer behavior and identify trends.
– How Will You Be Paying? An Exploration of New Payment Options: This session will cover new payment types such as crypto, pay by link, pre-paid, mobile wallets, and QR code pay, which have taken a place next to traditional currency and credit options.
– Revolutionizing Technology: Investing in Infrastructure is the Key to Unlocking Progress: This session will overview considerations of ensuring hardware and software upgrades include adequate infrastructure for the overall technology environment that is important to the Operator and Owner. Additionally, attendees will be presented with the importance of planning and evaluating all systems, along with support components to handle the latest and future technology advancements.
These educational sessions are thoughtfully curated based on pertinent industry demands and challenges and aim to provide attendees with direct access to leading industry expertise and insights. Moreover, each education session is an opportunity for attendees to better connect with their peers, explore the latest technologies and strategies employed by hospitality experts, and engage in lively discussion surrounding the current state of the hospitality industry. As HITEC Toronto approaches, attendees eager to drive their personal and professional growth are encouraged to make a note of the education sessions they wish to attend, in addition to vendor showcases and demonstrations, networking events, and celebrations.
HITEC 2023 is shaping up to be an unforgettable event, and I look forward to seeing you all in June!
