Next month, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) is bringing back its Club Summit after a one-year hiatus. Relatively new to HFTP’s slate of events (est. 2018), this conference has quickly become a key program for the association’s club segment offerings. The Summit delivers a vital opportunity for high-level club professionals and industry experts to directly address the topics that are most compelling and important to this specialized segment of hospitality. Coming up this May 24-25 at the Bahia Mar Fort Lauderdale Beach – a Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; HFTP is seeing great interest in the event as attendance is nearing capacity.
“This past year we have all missed the personal engagement unique to networking; and combining this with the extraordinary circumstances clubs faced this year, the Summit fits as a solution to meet the current needs of our stakeholders — which the strong registration demonstrates,” said Linnet Baskett, HFTP Director of Club Engagement and Regionals. “The event will be an opportunity to hear from fellow professionals with a variety of experience on how they have weathered the pandemic and where they are headed.”
The education program will offer a combination of current topics and ongoing concerns in club finance and technology operations. Recovering from the pandemic, sessions include coverage of unique tax legislation and government-led financial assistance programs, as well as HR considerations. Also on the slate are presentations on cybersecurity and IT strategic planning; real-world best practices straight from expert club professionals; and a look at the potential / risk for future smart technologies and cloud solutions. Concluding the two-day program is an open forum for all attendees to ask questions and share ideas.
Pairing with the education program are table-top exhibits featuring representatives from several club solution provider companies. This offers attendees an opportunity to explore services and products available to them in relation to what they learn about in the education sessions. The exhibits will be open during the networking breaks, providing a relaxed setting to visit with company representatives.
Making the decision to return to face-to-face professional development requires a great deal of thought and planning, especially after the turmoil brought on by the global pandemic this past year. HFTP understands the importance of planning ahead for your health and safety. The association has implemented several measures to properly protect attendees and provide a safe space for learning and networking engagement. These protocols (which are fully outlined in this document) include use of face coverings in public, maintaining social distancing where possible, refraining from direct contact with other attendees, encouraging hand-washing and use of hand sanitizer, and self-screening for Covid-19 symptoms.
The venue has also introduced its own safety measures through the Hilton® EventReady™ with CleanStay program that introduced a new standard of hotel cleanliness and disinfection.
HFTP is also producing three HITEC events in 2021. First is HITEC Europe Sessions, a five-week series of virtual education, every Wednesday from May 26 –June 23. The program centers on themes of hospitality technology, business resilience and operating in a post-pandemic world, and will offer breakout rooms in English, French, Spanish and German. In addition, HITEC Dubai is co-locating with The Hotel Show Dubai on May 31–June 2 at the Dubai World Trade Center in Dubai, UAE. HITEC North America will be held in-person in Dallas, Texas USA from September 27–30, and will be the largest event from the HITEC brand. Co-located with HITEC in Dallas, will be the HFTP Annual Convention, running over the same dates.
