HITEC Dubai to focus on future technologies

Sajjad  Ahmad, Gulf Today

HITEC Dubai 2019, the Middle East’s largest hospitality technology show for hotels, organised by Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) and Naseba, and endorsed by Dubai Tourism, opened on Tuesday with a focus on future.

The 2-day event, that is being held at the Festival Arena by Intercontinental at Dubai Festival City, brings together the world’s leading technology solution providers and thought leaders to showcase the top tech trends transforming the hotel industry. The delegates were welcomed on Day-1 by Thomas Atzenhofer (CPA), Deputy CEO, HFTP, and Fabien Faure, Managing Director, Naseba.

The Middle East technology buyers are currently estimated to be worth over $75 billion. Frank Wolfe CAE, CEO of HFTP, said, “The growth and scale of HITEC Dubai is testament to the buoyant hospitality industry in the Middle East. Advances in digital and artificial intelligence are transforming the business faster than ever. Our core aim is to gather hospitality and technology leaders to share their success stories and tackle common challenges. As part of the HITEC Dubai agenda we will also feature ground-breaking regional and international case studies, thought provoking panel discussions and technology demonstrations from the world’s top service providers and revolutionary thinkers.”

In his opening address, HITEC Dubai’s Advisory Council Chairperson Laurent A Voivenel, Senior Vice President, Operations and Development for the Middle East, Africa and India for Swiss-Belhotel International, highlighted the need for greater security in terms of data. Laurent stressed, “With rise of technologies like multicloud, IoT and 5G, we are on fast track to a highly connected future. While these technologies offer incredible promise to users, they also expose us to a number of potential vulnerabilities.