Budapest, January 2018 – Creativity, Disruption and Innovation are the themes of the second annual HOTCO Hotel Investment Conference that starts on the 29th January in Budapest. The conference, which is being held at the Kempinski Hotel Corvinus, is the only hotel investment conference that focusses on the Central and Eastern European countries.

The event, which is organized by Horwath HTL, the global leader in hospitality consulting, is designed to service the Central and Eastern European markets. The conference has proven to be a key event for hotel owners, investors, operators and suppliers, with last year’s event attracting over 300 attendees from 32 countries, 45% of whom were senior managements and owners from the investment community.

This year’s event focusses on the key industry issues of creativity, disruption and innovation and the program reflects these topics. Sessions will include Google speaking about the future of travel, blockchain led distribution, alternative sources and methods of funding, artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data, all topics that are key in the industry at the moment.

Marius Gomola, founder of the event and Managing Director of Horwath HTL, Hungary, said “We chose this theme for this year’s conference because of the overwhelming desire from the industry to understand the tremendous changes that are underway. Technology in all areas of the business happens whether we want it to or not, and if we don’t understand the implications, the risks are huge. Traditionally, this has effected technology first, but we are seeing the growth of alterative products and companies in all areas of the business, financing and development included.”