Sertifi Takes on HITEC 2018

Sertifi headed down to Houston for the hospitality technology conference of the year.

The Sertifi team had the pleasure of attending the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC) in Houston, which just recently wrapped up. Our team has been attending the HITEC conference for several years now, but this year was especially exciting for us because we had a much bigger presence than in year’s past.

HITEC is widely regarded as the largest hospitality technology conference for industry professionals and thought-leaders, and it’s one that our team loves attending each year. The event is produced by Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP).

Never been to HITEC or just missed out in going this year? No problem. Now that we’ve had some time to recover and catch up on emails, we put together a recap of what our team was up to while we were in Houston.

Let’s get to it, shall we?

Day 1:

Following a night of jamming out to music by rapper and hip-hop artist Flo Rida at the House of Blues, the Sertifi team was ready for the first official day of HITEC. It was a lively day of meeting with attendees to discuss our Frictionless Business solutions that speed the time it takes to capture signed agreements and secure guest payments, sans physical paper contracts and credit card authorization forms. This year, our booth theme was “Hospitality Heroes and Sidekicks,” and as the hospitality industry’s sidekick for fighting friction in business with eSignatures and online PCI-compliant payments, we were ecstatic to have a 30’ X 30’ space on the exhibit floor and share the many benefits our solutions bring sales and catering, front desk, group reservations, and other groups within a hospitality organization.

Also, that day our Co-Founder, John Stojka, did a tutorial session on “A Better Digital Way: ACH Payments Reduce Costs & Enhance Security” and talked about how the payments ecosystem has changed thanks to smart phones and consumers wanting an easier and more convenient way to pay for goods and services. The other element transforming the way people pay is eCommerce. That has completely redefined the way consumers shop and pay.

One of the alternative payment options hotel properties can offer is ACH, aka electronic check. While ACH has been around for some time now, it tends to be an overlooked payment method. One of the key highlights from the session is the cost-savings associated with using ACH vs. credit card. There’s a significant ROI that comes with using ACH so it’s a payment method worth adding to your existing options. As with most things, people enjoy having options and the ability to choose what’s most convenient for them.

That evening, we had the pleasure of hosting a party at Topgolf in Houston – Katy, who is also one of our near and dear customers. Partygoers had the opportunity to unwind after a busy first day of HITEC, play a few rounds of golf, hang out with our team, and enjoy some drinks like the signature cocktail, the Amadeus Ace, courtesy of Amadeus.

Day 2:

Fueled by copious amounts of coffee, our team was ready to tackle day 2 of HITEC. This day was especially exciting for us because we launched our first-ever podcast called Frictionless Business. This was something we’ve been wanting to do for a while, and HITEC was the perfect place to debut.

While we were there, we had the opportunity to record three episodes on the following topics:

  • Employee Satisfaction
  • GDPR
  • Ease of Mobility with Technology

Stay tuned because we will be sharing those on iTunes in the upcoming weeks. We plan to do more episodes in the future. Got a topic you’d like us to talk about or want your chance in the spotlight? Send us an email. We’d love to hear from you.

Day 3:

And just like that, another HITEC was coming to an end! We took advantage of our final day at the conference to meet with other exhibitors, catch up with some familiar faces who regularly attend HITEC, and chat with the HFTP team who put in all the hard work planning the event. It was a great chance to reconnect with industry professionals and experts and to let the past few days soak in. If you’ve ever exhibited at an event, then you know how quickly they fly by!

It took a lot of time, energy, and help to put it all together. So, we owe a huge thanks to everyone who made it possible.

  • Emily Coughlin, our Experiential Marketing Specialist, and Jessica Hughey, our Marketing Director, for putting together such a fantastic show
  • To all those who represented the Sertifi team in Houston
  • Brendan Gay for being our energetic and talented podcast host
  • Amadeus, our partner, for sponsoring a drink at our HITEC afterparty and being a fantastic booth neighbor
  • Our podcast guests: Jose Soto-Mendigorin, Corporate Manager – Sales Systems, Reporting and & Analytics from Sage Hospitality, David Christiansen, CIO and CTO, and Daniel Johnson, Partner and Co-Founder, both from Venza, and John-Michael Jenkins, Director of Product Marketing from Amadeus
  • To two of our Hospitality Heroes, Gustaaf Schrils, SVP and CIO, and David Todd, Chief Information Officer, who were featured in our booth and the White Lodging video
  • And of course, the HFTP team who made #HITECtx possible

We’re thrilled to have another HITEC in the books, and we’ve already marked our calendar for next year. We hope to see you at HITEC Minnesota June 17 –20, 2019.