Reflections on HITEC Toronto 2017

With the last of the HITEC visitors officially packed and gone from HITEC Toronto, it was time to collect my thoughts from the week, and put them to paper (or really a keyboard, screen and whatever data center LinkedIn uses to store these).

First of all, lets discuss the City of Toronto. As a fellow Canadian, I am very, very proud of the city of Toronto and the job they did hosting HITEC. Never before have a seen a host city so clean and inviting. The entire week I heard nothing but praises from my partners, clients and friends on the city and its people. In addition the UPExpress was a phenomenal, convenient and fast service! When a fellow attendee forgot something, I was able to zip out to the airport and back within an hour!

Additionally, scheduling HITEC the week before Canada Day and our country's 150th birthday was a smart move. So many folks stayed behind and enjoyed the festivities, many brought in their friends and loved ones to enjoy along with them. Canadians are all about sharing and having a great time (especially with our neighbors), so what a great opportunity to show our true hospitality than Canada Day!

Next, lets discuss the venue. The Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) was a superb location. The location was easy to get to, there was ample space and for once while setting up our booth, I was not hobbled by layers and layers of heat and humidity (as previous years). Don't get me wrong, I loved traveling to all the host cities in the past, however as a Canadian ginger, my heat tolerance is a little low so it was great not having to bring three backup shirts to change into during setup :)

The trade-show floor (photo courtesy of Twitter @HFTP) was busy and chalk full of innovative products and services. Despite some earlier rumblings of low attendance, HITEC's Canadian debut drew the largest conference attendance in its 45 year history!

Attending meetings for the majority of the week, my time on the floor was somewhat limited but based on discussions with other attendees, this year's HITEC was a great one. Of special interest to me were the Canadian exhibitors, making their debut at this conference, such as Bell Canada. With the expansion of HITEC into Canada, I believe other Canadian companies will follow suit and learn what a great market hospitality technology truly is.

The social events (aka parties) were as usual, incredible. Two events that stuck out for me, was Safety NetAccess' (SNA) very first HITEC party (which I planned so I am biased), and the second being the Samsung party featuring Wyclef Jean.

At SNA, we brought in Signal Hill, who are Eastern Canada's premiere show band. Being a long time fan (as they are based in Halifax) I knew the HITEC crowd would also love them. The band played a mix of the hits and didn't lose a beat when it came to getting the crowd going and on the floor dancing. The team at Grace O'Malley's (our venue) did an awesome job ensuring everyone was fed and had a beverage in hand. A special 'Thank you' to everyone who attended our event! If you missed it, look me up next time you are in Halifax and I will do my best to arrange a repeat performance.

The Samsung party featuring Wyclef Jean, was a sure hit as well. Wyclef had the crowd engaged and moving with the music like no Samsung party before. The Rebel venue was also great with excellent acoustics, good bar service and easy access to and from. Even HTNG's President, Mike Blake was up grooving on the stage!

The team at Safety NetAccess also went above and beyond. I am very proud of this crew and their dedication to our clients and helping to spread our company's gospel that is "Integrity First: for us, it's personal".

All in all HITEC Toronto was everything I hoped and believed it would be and more. Great job HFTP team, we are already looking forward to Houston!

I truly hope that we don't need to wait another 45 years until HITEC comes North of the Border again!

Your's in Hospitality,

Steven Bronken - VP Sales & Marketing - Safety NetAccess