NEW YORK—Technology is a hot topic in the hospitality industry. Here are some tech sessions that will keep guests current about the offerings out there, as well as introduce them to some new ideas.
Sunday, November 11
10:30-11:00 a.m.
Keep Calm & Embrace Technology—The State of Industry in the Sea of Technology: In this session, learn how the latest technology is helping industry professionals tailor their businesses to their consumers’ needs and desires. Speaker: Sarah Kennedy Ellis, VP, marketing & digital experience, Sabre
11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Are you ready for the new changes to data protection and handling? Understanding the changing landscape of data protection: With privacy legislation in North America continuing to become more stringent and the upcoming implementation of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in May 2018, you need to start preparing now for the changes these laws will bring to how you manage, store and dispose of confidential information. Moderator: Michelle Bergstein, DAHLIA+; panelist: Ann Nickolas, Shred-It
12:45-1:30 p.m.
TECHPitch Competition: In this competition, HX technology exhibitors have five minutes to present their products. The winner will be chosen by hospitality judges and announced the next day.
2:00-2:30 p.m.
Realities of the Future: Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality: What do these different types of realities mean for the hospitality industry? Many hotels have already been introducing a new element into guest experiences as well as operations using virtual reality. This session will address how virtual, augmented, and mixed realities will become a bigger part of the hospitality and travel industry. Speaker: Dave Lorenzini, COO, youAR.io
3:00-3:45 p.m.
Robotics on the Rise! Trending Tech Talk: Robotics in the Hospitality Industry: Robots and artificial intelligence are gaining momentum, and are being used to personalize the traveler’s experience. Find out how they are revolutionizing our industry. Moderator: Valerie Ferguson, director, experience planning and integration, hotels & resorts, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts; panelists: Robert Buehler, senior DOS, Savioke; Micah Green, president & CEO, maidbot; and Steve Ransone, VP of rooms operations, White Lodging Hospitality
4:15-4:45 p.m.
Artificial Intelligence Beyond the Invisible Technology: We’re seeing applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in our everyday lives, as well as in hotels. From centralized data management to interlinking hotel systems, learn how AI is being applied. Moderator: Cami Zimmer, Driven Growth; panelist: Rich Tuckwell, VP sales & marketing, Avvio
Monday, November 12
10:30-11:00 a.m.
Lessons from Real Life Data Breaches: What You Need to Know to Keep Guest Data Safe: The rise of mega data breaches is on hotel guests’ minds when they’re booking. Will their credit card and personal information be protected and kept safe by the hotel? Groundbreaking data and best practices that show how hotels are complying with data security and where they’re falling short will be shared. Speaker: Sean Simpson, VP, Canada, public affairs, IPSOS
11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Influencer Marketing and Scaling Your Social Media Reach: Research shows that Influencer Marketing for the hotel industry yields double revenue than the spend. Hospitality can benefit from an influencer marketing strategy, and utilizing brands have increased their budgets for working with bloggers & content creators to share their experience with their followers. Learn how to engage influencers to amplify your offering. Speaker: Connie Chi, founder & CEO, Chi Group
12:30-12:45 p.m.
TECHPitch Winners: Presenters: Phil Robinson, HX , and Michelle Bergstein-Fontanez, DAHLIA+
1:00-1:45 p.m.
Talk Computer Security to Me: How Cybersecurity Influences Everything You Do: While data has helped businesses better serve their consumers, from time to time that very data poses a major threat to consumer security. Cybersecurity is at the center of the consumer relationship in the hospitality industry. One must feel safe before they can lay back and relax. Join this session to learn how protecting your guests’ information with top-notch cybersecurity is the best way to create lifetime customer loyalty. Speakers TBD
2:15-2:45 p.m.
Change the Way You Operate with Audiovisual Technology: Audiovisual (AV) technology plays a substantial role within the guest hotel experience, as well as a hotel’s internal operations. Learn how you can leverage AV technology to upgrade your hotel experience. Moderator: David Labuskes, CEO, AVIXA; panelist: Dave Kepron, VP, Marriott International
3:15-4:00 p.m.
Siri Says ‘Good Morning’: The Growth of Chatbots & Guest Conversational Interfaces: Learn how technologies such as voice recognition assistants, chatbots and conversational user interfaces will impact the hospitality industry in this session, and the way you communicate with your guests and teams. Moderator: Cami Zimmer, Driven Growth; panelists: Alice Cai, Poncho, and Alexander Shashou, Alice App
4:30-5:00 p.m.
Top Apps That You Can’t Live Without: You hear about new apps every day. So which ones do you download? Which work and which don’t, and how could they work for your needs? Learn about apps that can rock your world. Discover the apps, and show how to use them. Speaker: Michelle Bergstein-Fontanez, DAHLIA+
