More than 1,300 people were in attendance at the first ever Hospitality Technology Expo (HTE) in London last week, many of whom were buyers full of market optimism.
Held at Earls Court 2, HTE was the first of event of its kind in Europe. Exhibitors from all areas of hospitality were able to meet new prospects, catch up with existing clients, exchange business cards and strike deals.
Some of the most advanced products and services on the market were showcased at the event. To affirm the event’s success, several of the exhibitors have already re-booked stands for 2014.
UK and Ireland sales director of Infor Hospitality, one of the event’s founding partners, Calum McIndoe said: “The event has been great for us. It’s been full of the right people and the fact that it’s just two days long means that many of those people are attending both days, rather than just one or the other. The conference programme has made a big difference over other shows and I really like the way that it’s been structured around the VIPs.”
Paul Finch, vice president of hospitality at Micros, another of the event’s founding partners, added: “Our stand was incredibly busy over the course of the two day event and we’ve been extremely pleased with the volume of traffic. For us, events are often an opportunity to meet with existing customers as well as to make new contacts, but the feedback I’ve had from the team here is that, for us, this event has been one of the busiest we’ve ever seen. We’re thrilled with the inaugural edition and are already looking ahead to next year.”
Learning sessions, practical case studies and interactive events, such as masterclasses and industry round tables, were also a feature of the first HTE.
HTE event manager Claudia Harris concluded: “After all our hard work and preparation it’s hard to believe that the curtain has fallen on our first ever edition. We’re absolutely thrilled with the feedback we’ve received and there is honestly no better confirmation of a successful and productive event than the willingness of exhibitors to sign up a full 12 months in advance for our next edition, Hospitality Technology Europe 2014.”
