Yesterday, hospitality technology professionals converged at the Metro Toronto Convention Center for the start of HFTP’s 45th annual HITEC Show. The first day saw a flurry of activity as the convention’s more than 350 exhibitors set up their booths and prepared for the wave of people that will wash over the show floor this morning. The show officially opened yesterday afternoon with an awards ceremony, followed immediately by a keynote speech from Dave Berkus, an author and investor specializing in futuristic technology. He spoke to attendees about the future of the hotel industry, and how new technologies will disrupt the status quo. “We’re in the new industrial revolution. We’re seeing robotics take over manufacturing and we’re seeing a new labor economy,” he said, adding that he predicts that robots will take over about 50 percent of manufacturing jobs by 2025.
LODGING’s bonus coverage of HITEC will continue throughout this week. If you want more, check out LodgingMagazine on Instagram to see what we see!
