We all know that travel can be a real hassle. So, what about a trip makes it worth packing up your suitcase, saying goodbye to your family for the next few days, fighting the airport and staying in a strange city?
To sum it up succinctly: It is all about the experience. When you sign up for a professional development conference like HITEC® Minneapolis, you do so for the experience of professional growth — learning new things about your field, making valuable industry connections, taking ideas back home to your company and implementing success.
HITEC Minneapolis will take place June 17–20, 2019 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. It offers a world-class experience, bringing together the industry’s brightest minds and hottest technology from around the world to one place.
Spend four days exploring the world’s largest hospitality technology event and absorbing knowledge from expert speakers on the topics most important in your field today. And when you are done, spend some time getting to know the charming Midwestern city they call the “Mini Apple.”
Education at HITEC
The education program runs the gamut on highly charged topics for today’s hospitality professionals. You can expect HITEC’s lineup of subject matter experts to address:
- Real vs. hypothetical implications of artificial intelligence (AI)
- Vital tools to combat current and future incidences of fraud
- Development of successful brand identity
- Distribution channel management today
- Enticing the next generation of travelers
- A practical approach to ethical dilemmas in business
- How to protect your guests’ data
- Biometric solutions to streamline processes and improve customer satisfaction
- System integration with application of guest technology
- Augmented reality (AR) vs. virtual reality (VR)
- The effects of technology on human resources and employee relations
Explore the complete schedule of events, locate details on individual sessions and start building your conference agenda today.
One session that you can immediately add to your agenda that should not be missed takes place on Monday afternoon, June 17: the opening keynote presentation Beyond Tomorrow — The Human Revolution by award-winning global futurist Chris Riddell.
Riddell is an industry-recognized inspirational keynote speaker on emerging trends in our hyper connected world. He is a global pattern hunter, discovering and identifying how humans are adapting to high speed change, unlocking insights for businesses and leaders in today’s highly disrupted digital world.
Exhibits at HITEC
The exhibit hall at HITEC will showcase the latest in hospitality technology from more than 350 exhibiting industry solution providers. For three days you can explore a vast array of products that include property management systems, cloud computing, guestroom controls, high speed Internet access, business intelligence, digital signage, network security and mobile apps — all brought together from around the world into one hall.
View the floor plan for HITEC Minneapolis and start mapping out your journey on the expo floor today.
Celebrate the Women in Hospitality Technology
Join HFTP and the HFTP Foundation for the most buzzed-about event of the year celebrating women in hospitality technology. Co-located with HITEC Minneapolis, this luncheon will serve to honor trailblazing women in the industry while also supporting its future leaders, with proceeds contributing to HFTP’s General Scholarship Fund.
Learn more about the accomplished industry professionals who will share their stories and reserve your seat for this highly-anticipated event.
Meet Minneapolis
There are so many opportunities for learning, networking and professional development — What else makes professional travel worth the trip? Arguably, an enjoyable benefit is the ability to explore a new destination you may never have ventured to otherwise, like HITEC’s 2019 host city of Minneapolis.
Minneapolis is known as the “Twin Cities” along with its neighbor St. Paul, the capitol of Minnesota. The two cities are separated by the Mississippi River.
Head Outside
Minneapolis is a very diverse metropolitan area that simultaneously teems with people (as the state’s most populous city) and natural beauty. In the “state of 10,000 lakes,” the greater Minneapolis area is home to more than 20 of them. For every lake in the state, there is a cyclist in the city. Close to 10,000 cyclists hit the roads and trails every day, making Minneapolis one of the best cities for biking in the world. And with approximately 5,000 acres of park, the city is continuously ranked as having the best parks in the country.
If you are looking for fresh air, check out Minnehaha Park or meander the “Mississippi Mile,” a famous stretch of the Mississippi River through downtown Minneapolis where you will also find the Saint Anthony Falls. You could also take a stroll through the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, the largest urban sculpture garden in the country with its 11 acres featuring more than 40 permanent art installations.
Another famous walk you can take in the city is along the Minneapolis Skyway, an indoor pedestrian walkway system that spans seven miles and links many of its downtown buildings. It is the longest continuous skyway system in the world.
Go Shopping
Are you ready to head indoors? Located right outside of the Twin Cities in Bloomington, Minnesota is the Mall of America. This shopping establishment is a staggering 2.5 million square feet of shopping space and features more than 500 stores, 50 restaurants and even an indoor theme park. One of the best things about shopping in this state — No sales tax on apparel and accessories! Find out how you could spend a day at the Mall of America. It is connected by Light Rail Transit to the airport and downtown Minneapolis.
Take in the City’s Culture
If you are interested in absorbing some of the culture offered by this city, attend the Minneapolis Institute of Art, which offers free admission every day and is home to more than 80,000 works of art representing 5,000 years of world history — or visit the Walker Art Center, which enjoys a reputation as one of the top contemporary art museums in the country and offers free admission on Thursday nights.
Finally, if you are looking for laughs, end your trip on a high note at the Brave New Workshop, the oldest sketch comedy theater in the nation.
Register for HITEC Minneapolis today so you can:
Get the best possible price when you register before May 11, 2019. See you in Minneapolis this summer!
Briana Gilmore 
is the HFTP communications coordinator.
Briana can be reached at Briana.Gilmore@hftp.org or +1 (512) 220-4017.
