The 8th annual International Hotel Technology Forum (IHTF) 2011
The 8th annual International Hotel Technology Forum (IHTF) 2011March 30th – April 1st 2011, Vienna, Austria
The 2011 International Hotel Technology Forum (IHTF) took place at the magnificent Intercontinental Vienna from 30th March to 1st April under the theme “Developing Intelligent Hotel Technology Solutions”. Cleverdis – media partner of the event – was present to follow the action, and to launch the latest edition of our European Hotel Innovations & Technologies SMARTreport.
The introduction to IHTF was made by the Forum’s Director Claudia Wood. In presenting the event to new attendees, Claudia underlined the fact that IHTF has built a reputation for delegates and suppliers as the must-attend event: “I want to have a platform where some really tough questions and solutions can come out, where vendors and hoteliers can talk to each other.”
Cleverdis would like to thank Claudia and the entire IHTF team for our hugely rewarding experience. The forum again followed its success-proven concept of combining one-to-one meetings between top executives from leading suppliers and purchase decision-makers from hotel groups, chains and independents with a cutting-edge conference agenda and many networking opportunities with a highly enjoyable sociable programme.
Ted Horner, International Business Development Manager at E Horner & Associates, set the tone with his Welcome Address and Opening Remarks. Over the past 22 years, he has consulted for a variety of clients including developers and international operators of large resorts, boutique hotels, golf clubs, convention centres and licensed clubs covering the full range of technologies. He is a frequent keynote speaker at major international conferences and events. In 2004 he was elected to the HITEC Technology Hall of Fame for his contribution to the advancement of technology in the hospitality industry. He is also one of the founders of HTNG and is now an executive advisor.
Following the introduction, Nick Price, CIO/CTO of Mandarin Oriental – one of the true “gurus” of the industry, took over. With more than 30 years’ experience in IT and emerging technologies, Nick brings to Mandarin Oriental an in-depth understanding of current and emerging technology trends and their commercial applications. At Mandarin Oriental, Nick is responsible for a broad range of digital, or soon-to-be digital technologies and services, including traditional hotel IT, enterprise networks and infrastructure, Internet presence, PABX and telephony, hotel networks, in-room technologies and audio-visual systems. Nick has a keen interest in technology and believes the hotel industry is ready for change as its customers drive it towards an ever more customer-centric and hence technology-dependent future.
Nick Price shared his views on the past 10 years and his predictions for the next 10 years with the audience.
Samir Abi Frem, Corporate VP IT at Rotana Hotels, started the second day of IHTF conferences with a hot topic - Cloud based computing. He explored cloud opportunities within the hospitality industry. More particularly, he talked about the benefits and challenges of cloud-based computing, what’s important to know before adopting and developing any cloud strategy.
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