AUSTIN, Texas—Reflecting on the 50th Anniversary of the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC), the global hospitality technology event is positioned to carry on the demand for a knowledge-sharing event into the next era. Produced by Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP), HITEC 2022 hosted just over 6,100 attendees on June 27–30 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The event showed the industry’s latest technology innovations from 331 exhibitors in a 78,000-square-foot exhibit hall and provided an education program with over 50 education sessions. Preparations for year 51 are underway with almost 70 percent of the show floor contracted for HITEC Toronto scheduled for June 26–29, 2023.
“This year’s HITEC was like none I have seen, and I have been to 32 iterations,” said HFTP CEO Frank Wolfe, CAE, FIH. “Throughout the four days in Orlando, you could feel a positive buzz throughout the event space and exhibit hall, conversations in progress all around you. There is no better indication of this success than the positive interest from exhibitors and potential exhibitors that flowed through the exhibit office onsite. Because of our priority program, we were forced to create a waiting list for newcomer companies who want to exhibit. Additionally, HFTP had a record number of new members who joined the nonprofit association onsite.”
The exhibit hall featured hundreds of companies, from small start-ups to global brands, displaying their technology solutions for the hospitality industry. Product categories included point-of-sale (POS), door locks, data security, mobile apps, digital screens and signage, payment systems, network management, and more.
“This year’s HITEC has yet again been a wonderful event for M3 to connect with current and future customers,” said Haley Wolf, marketing and public relations manager for M3. “Not only does the event allow us to drive bottom line revenue, but it also allows us to connect with the incredible people of the hospitality industry.”
“As a startup based in Austin, Texas, we specifically chose HITEC as our first tradeshow to showcase the launch of our Autonomous Inventory Management Platform,” said Don Ward, founder and CEO of Laundris Corp. “We appreciated the opportunity to discuss our solution with potential customers and forward-thinking business leaders who are considering new and emerging trends in the hospitality industry. It was great to meet new friends. And most importantly, Laundris appreciated the help of the entire HTFP team for putting together a top-notch event and experience for our team.”
A highlight of the week was Entrepreneur 20X, sponsored by PROVision Partners. The start-up pitch competition featured eight start-ups pitching hospitality technology solutions to a panel of six judges. The Judge’s Choice Award, selected by the judges, went to ROBOSIZE.ME and The People’s Choice Award, which was the popular vote, went to Beachy.
The continued success of HITEC is supported by the participation of HFTP allied association partners. Annually, Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Americas co-locates its ROC Americas event with HITEC. In addition, other partner associations participating in Orlando were the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), the International Hospitality Information Technology Association (iHITA), and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association.
