Attendees from Nine Countries Gather at HFTP's First Asian Hospitality Conference
With over 80 attendees representing nine countries, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals' (HFTP®) first Asian conference — the Asian Hospitality Finance and Technology Conference — was recently held in Singapore. The boutique conference, co-located with FHA 2008 (Food&HotelAsia), was a specially designed education conference for hospitality finance and technology professionals in the region.
AUSTIN, TEXAS, USA | With over 80 attendees representing nine countries, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals' (HFTP®) first Asian conference — the Asian Hospitality Finance and Technology Conference — was recently held in Singapore. The boutique conference, co-located with FHA 2008 (Food&HotelAsia), was a specially designed education conference for hospitality finance and technology professionals in the region. The conference, sponsored by Easy (Ez) Revenue Management Solutions, was held 23 April through 25 April 2008 at the Singapore Expo Center.
"Tourism is dramatically growing in Asia so it is extremely important to have education conferences of this nature to support this growth," said Jeff Blakeman, vice president of operations finance for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and conference attendee. "The success of this conference only illustrates HFTP's ongoing commitment to our industry within Asia by providing a forum for hospitality finance and technology leaders to share ideas and to continue to grow within the industry."
With assistance from the HFTP Asia Chapter, HFTP organized the education conference, focusing on regional issues and hot topics important to Asian hospitality professionals. The conference consisted of a financial and a technology track, with sessions like "The Future of the CFO - Will he be Lean?" with Keith Stephenson, partner at Pricewaterhouse Coopers. As part of an arrangement with FHA 2008, attendees also participated in an exciting trade show of 3,300+ exhibitors.
"The inaugural HFTP Asia conference was a tremendous step forward for the region's hospitality industry," said Mark Kendall, real estate vertical lead for Cisco Systems USA Pte Ltd and conference attendee. "It enabled decision makers to refresh their knowledge of methodologies and see what is influencing the industry on a global level."
For more information about the conference, visit
Food&HotelAsia 2008 (FHA 2008) is the largest international food and hospitality trade event in the Asia-Pacific region. Established in 1978, the biennial FHA encompasses six specialized events all under one roof: FoodAsia, Wine&SpiritsAsia, Bakery&Pastry, HotelAsia, HospitalityStyleAsia and Hospitality Technology. Each event has its own dedicated area within the exhibition halls that cater to the needs of each specific industry sector. In 2006, FHA features over 2,330 exhibiting companies from 69 countries and 26 group pavilions. It attracted over 36,000 international trade buyers and 50 buyer delegations from 15 countries.
HFTP, Austin, Texas, USA and Maastricht, The Netherlands, founded in 1952, is the global professional association for financial and technology personnel working in hotels, clubs and other hospitality-related businesses. HFTP provides first class educational opportunities, research and publications to more than 4,800 members globally, including the premiere hospitality technology conference HITEC, founded in 1972. HFTP also awards the only hospitality specific certifications for accounting and technology — the Certified Hospitality Accountant Executive (CHAE) and the Certified Hospitality Technology Professional (CHTP) designations. HFTP was founded in the USA as the National Association of Hotel Accountants. For more information, visit