Written By: Timothy G. Nauss, CHAE
We are officially in the year 2018. Now is the ideal time to reflect on the successes of the old year, and prepare to make this new year the best one ever. Just as we set goals for ourselves to make us healthier, happier and more successful, HFTP as an organization sets goals each year to better meet the needs of our members and the hospitality industry.
As president of HFTP, I am very enthusiastic about all of the possibilities for continued growth and productivity in 2018.
Going Global with HITEC®
In 2017, HFTP put a strong focus on expanding internationally. In a considerable effort to build on the success of HITEC in North America (the largest hospitality technology conference in the world), new HITEC extensions were introduced in Europe and the Middle East last year.
HFTP experienced tremendous success with all three HITEC events hosted in 2017 around the world. HITEC made its Canadian debut last year, drawing the largest attendance in its 45-year history — with more than 6,500 hospitality technology professionals from over 65 countries gathering together in Toronto, Ontario Canada. We plan to keep this momentum going in 2018.
Registration will soon open for the 2018 HITEC Houston, which will take place June 18-21, 2018 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas USA. We hope you will attend and take advantage of its exceptional educational and networking opportunities.
The unveiling of both HITEC Amsterdam and HITEC Dubai in 2017 exceeded all goals and expectations. We are confident that these conferences will be even more successful in 2018. In fact, the HFTP staff is currently working hard to find a larger venue to accommodate the expected growth in attendance in Dubai, taking place later this year (dates and other details will be released soon—so stay tuned).
Registration is already open for 2018 HITEC Amsterdam, scheduled for April 11-13, 2018 at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
NEW in 2018: The HFTP Club Summit
The HFTP Club Summit is a brand-new conference for club professionals that will feature two days of advanced-level education addressing club-specific industry strategy, trends and engagement. It is scheduled to take place March 19-20, 2018 at the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana USA. Attendees can also earn up to 12 hours of continued education.
Registration is now open. If you are a club professional, I encourage you to take a few moments and check out the event’s itinerary and session information.
Keeping our Members Current with HFTP News Sites
HFTP makes it a priority to remain a foremost source of news and knowledge for the hospitality industry. HFTP News, HITEC Bytes, HFTP Finance Bytes and HFTP Club Bytes are all connections for our members to the most current information and news impacting the hospitality finance and technology industry. Our goal for 2018 is to generate even more quality content and add new site features to better inform and engage our members.
Expanding our Portfolio of Valuable Resources with New Standardized Job Descriptions
The HFTP Americas Research Center exists to provide the hospitality industry with the highest quality resources and research. In 2017, the research center collaborated with HFTP advisory councils to develop a series of sample job descriptions for club and hotel accounting and information technology positions.
HFTP has now made these resources available to the hospitality industry via PineappleSearch®.
- Club Accounting Job Descriptions
- Hotel Accounting Job Descriptions
- Hotel Information Technology (IT) Job Descriptions
Great Minds Think Alike: Join Like-Minded Professionals on Community@HFTP
You don’t have to look far to find thousands of your colleagues all in one place. Community@HFTP is an online forum where HFTP members can share experiences, challenges, successes and best practices. You can also ask questions, find answers and exchange resources. In the new year, our goal is to continue to provide the best possible online experience for our members to make helpful connections across the globe.
These are some of our main priorities as we step forward optimistically into 2018. We hope that we are able to help you grow as a professional in the hospitality industry by providing the best in education, networking and news.
Timothy Nauss, CHAE is the 2017-2018 president of the HFTP Global Board. Currently serving as chief financial officer of Studio City Macau, Nauss possesses senior management experience in key international & domestic markets, at property, regional and corporate levels overseeing multi-property assets.
