Three Ways #HITEC Impacts Hospitality Careers

Written by: Claire Kenney — Official HITEC® Minneapolis 2019 Guest Blogger...HITEC offers diverse opportunities for those in the hospitality industry. Here’s what you can gain from HITEC this year… and for years to come!...#1: HITEC is a place for ongoing learning....Each year, HITEC provides a variety of educational opportunities....Tech Talks facilitate quick insights from hospitality industry experts and exhibitors. These 15-minutes presentations provide a place for small group discussion....The E20X Competition gives entrepreneurs and hospitality technology up-and-comers an opportunity to practice pitching. Participants gain valuable feedback from judges....Super sessions, technology showcase sessions, and concurrent sessions facilitate the opportunity to learn at length. Lasting anywhere from 30 minutes to 90 minutes, these sessions go in depth on topics related to hospitality....This year, I myself took advantage of some of these learning opportunities....At Empower Your Employees with Microsoft Teams, I learned more about how Microsoft Teams facilitates communication and collaboration amongst first line workers....Shifts, an option in Teams, helps such workers organize schedules. This organization factor empowers first line workers to know when to contact each other and plan ahead....According to the presentation, 90 percent of what we do is communication-based. Better communication means better collaboration....Both of these factors can improve hospitality operations. This is particularly important, Microsoft says, because higher customer satisfaction leads to 122+ percent outperformance amongst S&P 500 companies....At Taking Advantage of AI to Inform Revenue Management and Marketing Decisions, I gained insight into how AI affects my own marketing efforts....Specifically, I learned more about how AI not only develops data and output, but also how to use it. As the session’s panel revealed, AI presents the ability to learn from experience, adjust to new input, automate specific tasks, and engage intuitively. As panelist Raman Rama, CHAE, CHTP put it, AI is “essentially pattern matching.”...#2: HITEC creates opportunity for genuine networking. True to the traits attributed to hospitality, the HITEC and HFTP communities facilitate friendship. Meeting and mingling is mainstream at HITEC....At HITEC, you will regularly find those you meet ready and willing to help – and genuinely interested in your career....As a result, many long-lasting partnerships and friendships evolve from the conference. Returning as a second year participant in my company’s 15th year as a HITEC participant, I enjoyed reuniting with many I met last year....Because of genuine networking, participants are also able to easily meet needs within their organization....#3: HITEC shows us how to have fun — sometimes everyone needs a reminder! At HITEC, we value working together. We also value enjoying each other’s company. That’s why HFTP integrates receptions, the opening party, and time to have fun. The benefits of work/life balance cannot be underestimated....At HITEC 2019, I enjoyed dining with new friends and attending a concert with clients and colleagues. (Thanks for hosting the concert Samsung!)...Having fun builds camaraderie. This is a valuable asset to all relationships – colleagues, clients, partners, and friends. HITEC continues to add value to my interactions within the hospitality industry, including amongst my teammates at Evention....So fun meeting up at restaurants throughout Minneapolis with clients, colleagues, and friends after the conference each day. By fusing ongoing learning, genuine networking, and fun, HITEC provide the perfect platform for success within the hospitality industry!...

Claire Kenney is the marketing communications manager at Evention LLC in Chicago, Illinois. She is an official event guest blogger for HITEC Minneapolis 2019, taking place June 17–20 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA. Check back on HFTP Connect for more of Claire's experiences at HITEC this year.