2014 Marks Another Successful Year for HFTP
Over 600 Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) members and other hospitality industry professionals from 10 countries recently gathered for HFTP's 62nd Annual Convention & Tradeshow. The convention was held October 22 – 25 at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans in New Orleans, La. Attendees celebrated the association's successful year with a convention full of topic focused education sessions, multiple networking opportunities and access to leading industry suppliers at the trade show.
The education sessions presented a spectrum of crucial concepts and trends from top industry experts and practitioners. The three keynote sessions covered personal success strategies, skills to adapt to change and tips on improving corporate culture. The concurrent education sessions allowed attendees to discuss hot industry topics like smart financial oversight, hospitality technology, workplace ethics, career success and a repeat of popular sessions from the previous year's conference.
New this year, badge scanner technology helped attendees keep track of the educational hours earned throughout the week for continuing professional education (CPE) credits. In addition, colleagues of attendees and those who could not attend had the opportunity to share in two events during the week. The Annual Business Meeting and President's Evening ceremony were both made available for viewing via a live stream feed.
"The HFTP Education Advisory Council works hard to design a program that is valuable to the attendees, and it was a pleasure to serve and work alongside my fellow council members," said Chris Koepper, CFO of the Cliffs Club Partners and chair of the Education Advisory Council. "We hope everyone was able to gain useful knowledge from the education and the new features brought to the convention this year."
With a Welcome Reception and Exhibits on opening night and the elegant President's Evening, attendees had the opportunity to network and socialize throughout the convention with colleagues and vendors. Meanwhile, the tradeshow featured a broad spectrum of exhibitors representing a variety of hospitality products and services for the finance and technology professional.
For HFTP the Annual Convention is a time for recognition of individuals and chapters who represent the success of the association. Evelyn Adams, controller for the Bocaire Country Club, was awarded the Paragon Award for her support of HFTP. Eileen Sarris, CHAE, CFO of the Field Club in Sarasota, Fla., was honored as the CHAE of the Year for scoring the highest on the CHAE exam in the past year. HFTP also awarded the Chapters of the Year. The winners, awarded in three tiers based on the chapters' membership number, included the New Mexico Chapter (1-35 members), Charlotte Blue Ridge Chapter (36-70 members) and Fairfield Westchester Chapter (71+ members). The Student Chapter of the Year Award was given to the University of Houston Cougar Chapter.
The 2014-2015 new leaders of the association were installed as part of the week's events. Daniel N. Conti, Jr., CAM, CHAE, assumed his role as the HFTP Global President and the newest members of the HFTP Global Executive Committee were installed as well as the Board of Directors.
The 2015 HFTP Annual Convention & Tradeshow will be October 21 – 24 at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue in Bellevue, Wash. For more information, contact the HFTP Meetings & Special Events Department at [email protected], (800) 646-4387 or +1 (512) 249-5333
About HFTP
Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®), established in 1952, is a hospitality nonprofit association headquartered in Austin, Texas USA with offices in the EU and Middle East. HFTP is recognized as the spokes group for the finance and technology segments of the hospitality industry with an international network of members and stakeholders. HFTP uniquely understands the industry's pressing issues, and assists its stakeholders in finding solutions to their challenges more efficiently than any organization. HFTP offers expert networks, educational resources, career development programs, research, leadership opportunities and conferences and events. HFTP produces international events throughout the year, including the world's largest hospitality technology tradeshow and conference brand: HITEC. In addition, it oversees the hospitality-specific Pineapplesearch.com® and the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry (USALI). For more information about HFTP, visit www.hftp.org. For the latest news, visit the HFTP News page at news.hftp.org and the HFTP Connect blog at blog.hftp.org.
Sara Shafer
Public Relations Manager
+1 (512) 249-5333
HFTP
