When the doors open on EURHOTEC 2001, (the 6th European Hospitality Technology Show & Conference) at the refurbished Palais des Congrès in Paris, from 19-21 February, it will present a programme designed to make European hospitality professionals as tech-savvy as their American counterparts.
 

The EURHOTEC conference sessions will appeal to all levels of competence from novice to expert through a triple-track approach that offers everything from step-by-step advice, to crystal-ball gazing at technology’s future. The core programme, which for the first time is simultaneously available in French and English, offers basic ‘How to…’ sessions such as choosing technology, designing websites, using e-procurement; ‘technical teach-ins’ on hi-tech topics for IT experts and MIS managers, and more general ‘strategic vision’ sessions for the seasoned knowledge-seekers on the implications of the latest developments in GDS, Application Service Providers, WAP technology, and others on

For all information, visit www.eurhotec.com (enquiries, registration and stand reservation) Exhibitors: Nicola Massey 33 1 44 89 94 19 massey@ih-ra.com Visitors: Clare Hodson 33 1 44 89 94 22 ? hodson@ih-ra.com

Highlights include:

Hospitality Technology and Investment Summit (by invitation only), a unique gathering of chief information officers, chief knowledge officers, management information systems managers, chief financial officers and chief operating officers. Building on the inaugural Hospitality Leaders Summit held in London on 17th November 2000, which drew top executives from twenty major hospitality corporations, the IH&RA Summit series aims to address the strategic needs of the hospitality corporation in today’s highly dynamic and changing marketplace. Issues being addressed at the Summit include:

• Making investment integral to company strategy 
• Valuing investment in technology 
• Gathering intelligence in the technology environment 
• Making technology a sustainable competitive advantage 
• What core competencies are necessary to achieve technology advantage in the next five years

Technology solutions tracks
A series of in-depth workshops for systems managers and IT experts which will cover issues such as TCP/IP works, Virtual Private Networks, sizing servers and the hardware platform required for e-commerce functionality, understanding database mining, analysis and implementation and defining cookies, wiring.

Vendors sessions
To help make spent in the exhibition hall, the EURHOTEC 2001 ‘Vendors Sessions’ will provide you with basic information about the products on show. Led by representatives of exhibiting companies, these sessions are designed to be educational and not just a pure sales pitch. A huge success in last year’s show, attendance will be limited, on a first-come, first-served basis. Topics and presenters will be listed in the Show Catalogue distributed on site. See the EURHOTEC web site for an updated list: www.eurhotec.com 

SESSION OVERVIEW

Before you buy…understand how to invest in technology
This session sets out the prime criteria to be considered from a business standpoint when buying technology. It will challenge hoteliers to consider how technology fits into their company’s strategic vision and highlight the managerial issues need to be addressed when undertaking investments, for example, how far to invest technology to  gratify guest expectations now - knowing that the technology could be obsolete within a couple of years.

Knowledge management – delivering strategic change
To compete successfully in the new business environment, companies must get people involved in knowledge-sharing, streamlining business procedures and creating standards for internal efficiency. Leveraging Intranets and company portals is essential to maintaining competitive advantage. This session highlights the strategic issues at stake in the application of information technology.

Better business through the web
A back-to-basics sessions designed to help “Learners” get on the information superhighway by working through a checklist of the key questions to ask when building a website or enhancing a first-generation site. Peter O’Connor, Assistant Professor at IMHI, explains how to harness the marketing potential of the internet, how to build e-commerce relationships –and provide an update on new developments in interactive web technology and their potential as marketing tools.

Driving business to your website
This presentation will explain how to evaluate different electronic distribution strategies, offers advice on how to manage the many distribution channels, considers issues such adding value through rich content, and show how to reach the ‘segment of one’ by building new marketing strategies for GDS, the Internet, travel agents and tour operators.

Knowing your web customers – mission impossible?
Every business wants to know how much traffic their website is getting, how long visitors stay, where they come from, which pages they look at and how often they return.  Paddy Horan, Dublin Institute of Technology, shows how to find this information, analyses the depth of information provided by different sources and advises on which one is right for your operation. 

In-room Technology and entertainment – what should you really invest in?
How much in-room technology and entertainment do guests really need? How can you meet the needs of both business and leisure travellers? Join this interactive session where hoteliers will show how they’ve met these demands, and put suppliers on the spot by asking them to demonstrate how their services add value.

Are you ready for the EURO?
As momentum builds towards euro conversion, this session will bring together Euro project managers of international hotel chains to show how change is being managed in a complex environment. They will share the lessons learnt so far – and those that remain unresolved. Panellists will include GDS and supplier representatives to provide a full picture on preparations for the new currency.

In-room internet access – necessity or just hype?
In-room Internet access may sound like a good idea but providing it is becoming increasingly complicated: Should it be through the telephone system, via the TV, through a dedicated high-speed access connection on CAT 5 cabling, or via normal telephony cabling?  Should the hotel be rewired - who should pay, and what are the pitfalls? Is this an amenity or revenue earner? Telecoms consultant Derek Wood, and Kirsten Limbacher, Director of Voice Communications, Bass Hotels & Resorts, present the options (in layman’s terms) and highlight the key questions to ask vendors.

‘The next big thing’
Experts from travel technology companies will share their vision of the technologies shaping hospitality in the 21st century. What key trends are likely to revolutionize the industry? The panel will debate the impact that telecommunications convergence, wireless capacity, WAP and pervasive computing on your business and focus on the strategic implications of the new generation of technology.

Being e-xceptionally profitable through business-to-business strategies 
With so many companies turning to business-to-business portals to help them consolidate buying power, reduce transaction costs and optimise supplier relationships, will the hospitality industry be next to abandon traditional supply-chain management in favour of an online approach? What opportunities exist to help hotels and restaurants use the web to work smarter? Gain insight into new opportunities from the market-makers spearheading these developments from a panel led by Alyson Dombey, Partners in Marketing.

The Internet's Impact on Crucial Hotel Systems: PMS, CRM and Yield Management
This session will answer key questions on the impact of the communications revolution, particularly the Internet, on those systems which are most crucial to the revenue stream: PMS, CRM and Revenue/yield management systems. How do you webify the systems, get the PMS to talk to the web? What do you do if you have legacy systems? How does Yield tie in, and should it be on the web? Bob Bennet, Pegasus, takes the chair.

The impact of communications technology on business
Advances in voice over IP technology and wide area networking make it possible to provide hotel groups with a single network capable of meeting all of their telecoms and data communication needs. How can unified networks reduce cost and create a platform to achieve significant strategic and operational advantage? What infrastructure is needed to handle wireless telecommunications? Chris Farrar, Percepia and Christopher Brown, Wayport will be amongst those sharing how communication technology is central to the success of hotel enterprises, how it can be managed and where it is heading.

IH&RA is confident that visitors will leave EURHOTEC not just aware of the new products and services on the market, but a clearer understanding of which investments to make, and how, when and why to make them. “EURHOTEC’s great strength is the volume of ‘been-there-done-that’ experience shared by speakers and panellists eager to pass on their knowledge - much of it learned the hard way! “ says new CEO, Alain-Philippe Feutré. “Sessions are so information-rich they can be the equivalent of several hours of free advice from a consultant.”
 

Eurhotec: list of exhibitors (confirmed on 26/12/00)