Guestroom 2010, Built-up Demand and Popular Education Sessions Cited as Major Factors
Due to great interest in the 2006 Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC), the exposition floor has been expanded by a 6 percent increase from the 2005 show. Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP), the producers of HITEC, has also negotiated an expansion to the HITEC hotel room block to meet a previously unseen demand for rooms.
A major reason for the increased interest in HITEC 2006 is the debut of GUESTROOM 2010, a 90 x 40 foot pavilion featuring some of the latest and near-future technologies for the modern hotel room. Other reasons include the Built-up demand for technology purchases and the reputation of this year's education sessions.
"Since the GUESTROOM 2010 initiative was announced, we have received many inquiries about the pavilion," said Frank Wolfe, CAE, HFTP executive vice president and CEO. "The responses have been positive, with many vendors, media and industry professionals anticipating the opportunity to see a tactile demonstration of the future hotel room. It will be unique because a wide variety of the latest to near-future technology, from sheets to energy management systems, will be presented together in one area. Requests for press coverage are arriving from international television, printed media and electronic media with a combined reach of more than 5 million individuals. Among these are organizations like TV ASIA, Asian Hospitality Magazine, Lodging Magazine, Travel Daily News, Hotel Online, Hospitality Upgrade, RESORT+RECREATION, and many more"
HITEC 2006, the world's largest hospitality technology exposition and conference, will be held June 19-22 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. HITEC features companies displaying the latest hospitality technology products and services geared to the hospitality industry.
HITEC also offers an exceptional education conference with presentations from experts representing all segments of the industry. The Opening General Session will feature two keynote speakers, Leonard Fischer, multimedia editor for Gannett News Service and professional speaker Connie Podesta, MS, CSP, LPC. In his presentation, Fischer, who edits and designs interactive special reports for Gannett's 90+ web sites and USATODAY.com, will focus on consumer mobility trends and how they affect the hospitality industry. Podesta will address the challenges of dealing with difficult people at work.
Attendee registration is offered through the HITEC web site (www.HITEC.org), which will be available through June 2. Registrations made through the web site will get an immediate acknowledgement via e-mail. In addition to registration, visitors to the web site can read HITEC exhibitor news, make hotel reservations and plan their time for all four days of HITEC.
Online room reservations for the official HITEC hotels can conveniently be made through the web site, including reservations for the Hilton Minneapolis, Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, Marriott Minneapolis City Center, Millennium Hotel Minneapolis and the Radisson Plaza Hotel Minneapolis. Attendees that pay for a Full Conference registration AND stay in the official block by reserving their hotel room through the HITEC Housing Bureau are eligible to receive a $100 rebate, redeemable for cash, in July.
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