Written By: Artak Gevorgian
Day three of the Annual Convention (Friday, October 27) started with an inspirational keynote session held by Steve McClatchy called Decide: Work Smarter, Reduce Your Stress and Lead by Example. It was followed by HFTP’s Annual Business Meeting which informed members on HFTP activities and accomplishments from the past year, including financials, operations and more. The day continued with education sessions and ended with the HFTP Annual Tribute to Success (formerly known as the President’s Evening).
I will try to keep some of the intrigue and not walk through the details of the above-mentioned keynote session or annual tribute, but leave those for next year’s first-time attendees to dive in, discover and take away the core values of HFTP — its business, systematic solutions and culture — along with the benefits derived from the entire event’s duration.
The #1 recommendation to future first-time HFTP Annual Convention attendees is this: start your journey by answering the question, do I have an action plan? A well-defined action plan of your own is essential for creating a successful experience at HFTP’s Annual Convention.
Treat your action plan as a mission statement. It should deliver a concise and vibrant declaration of why you want to be there, i.e. your primary purpose and goal. Make it crisp and easy to memorize. This will make your action plan effective and will help you generate ideas and topics for discussion while networking at the Annual Convention. An action plan will serve as a guide to make it easy to express and communicate your vision and interests in a way that have impact and are effective. It helps sharpen your focus on the key processes that drive your plans and how they align with the interests of other participants.
I can see that some concerns may exist before contributing time and effort to the event, and you may ask yourself if attending the Annual Convention has the tangible benefits, services, atmosphere and convenient location to be worth attending. Objective information is key in this case to overcome the doubts and take the step towards committing to attend.
But, how does a recognized nonprofit association and spokes group convert casual members, students, exhibitors or sponsors into loyal, returning attendees and ensure the convention becomes a prominent, successful event? After attending the 2017 HFTP Annual Convention (#HFTP65), I believe sustainable success is achieved through capability in three key areas: business, systematic solutions and culture, where HFTP consistently delivers.
By saying business and systematic solutions, I mean HFTP delivers those via its expert networks, research certification programs, information resources, and conferences and events like Annual Convention, HITEC, Financial Executives Exchange and many others. It also delivers via the world’s only hospitality-specific search engine, PineappleSearch.com; and by its suite of hospitality news sites: HITEC Bytes, Club Bytes, Finance Bytes and HFTP News.
By saying culture, I mean the association’s culture. I had a chance to explore and experience HFTP’s culture at the Annual Convention, where HFTP members are its most essential asset, since it takes happy members to create happy patrons. The HFTP member experience drives the HFTP Annual Convention “guest” experience, and HFTP’s “guest” experience drives loyalty, word of mouth and growth.
The second recommendation is: attend the HFTP Annual Convention and improve your membership skills by plunging into the quality professional environment associated with HFTP, and building a culture of excellence and accountability as a dedicated hospitality finance and technology professional.
Day Three Takeaways- Ready to Go @Annual Convention @Omni Orlando Resort @ChampionsGate #HFTP65
Artak Gevorgian, CHAE is the director of finance at the Jordan Valley Marriott Dead Sea Resort & Spa in Sweimeh, Jordan. Artak is a guest blogger for the 2017 HFTP Annual Convention (#HFTP65), held October 25-27 at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate in Florida.
