Finding The Right Solutions – Face to Face

IHTF is a face- to-face meetings event for the hotel technology industry. All delegates are given the exclusive opportunity to engage in pre-arranged, private business meetings with selected organisations of their choice. All IHTF members are individually matched according to their business needs and immediate and future priorities.

We work with CIOs, IT directors from the global hotel groups. Hoteliers attend for the programme; they come to see what is changing in the industry, and the new products being released. Technology companies also attend for the programme & to meet with the decision-makers in the industry. 2012 IHTF has been even stronger with 67 hoteliers attending from 13 different countries, and 52 technology companies were represented within the industry here at the event.

What’s new in 2012?

Thanks to Ted Horner and Ashley Hermitage our programme manager, along with our advisory board, the conference programme was really strong this year and everyone was keen to attend the panel discussions. We have also added the Future Tech arena room this year for companies to showcase their products. The Philips CoCreation team hosted a workshop on the future of SMART TV and Elizabeth Randall, Managing Director of STR Global, who presented changes in the hospitality landscape.

What were the main demands from hoteliers for the speed-dating business meetings?

The main objective is to ensure that these meetings are put together by relevance. So hoteliers for example only meet with the technology companies that they have an interest in meeting. We are very keen to make sure that there is synergy before the event so that people don’t waste each other’s time and are satisfied after the meetings with the hope of further meetings and business in the future. The networking time at IHTF is also very important with new relationships being formed over coffee.

What are you going to do next year?

IHTF will be from the 17th – 19th of April 2013 and it is our tenth anniversary. We are looking at holding this at a golf resort in Portugal. Normally IHTF starts on a Wednesday evening but we are planning some extra celebrations with a golf afternoon or something just as special for the non-golfers during the day of the 17th and then in the evening of the first night, we will hold our Gala Dinner.