HFTP Announces Exclusive Entrepreneur 20X Sponsorship Agreement with HoReCa.digital at HITEC Amsterdam

Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®), producers of Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC®), is pleased to announce its exclusive Entrepreneur 20X (E20X) sponsorship agreement with HoReCa.digital, a unit of METRO Wholesale & Food Specialist Company, for HITEC Amsterdam. The successful E20X pitch competition, featuring hospitality technology startups, will take place with HITEC Amsterdam's pre-conference events in the afternoon on 28 March 2017. Following the pre-conference program is the full HITEC Amsterdam event, featuring two full days of education, an expo and networking party. HFTP's inaugural HITEC Amsterdam is the first of three HITEC events planned for 2017, and will take place 28–30 March at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

HFTP's Entrepreneur 20X program, featured at HITEC, is a pitch competition that provides hospitality technology start-ups a career-boosting opportunity with exposure to top industry mentors, investors, leaders and executives. The startups compete for a cash prize, two separate awards and much more in this thrilling competition series.

"We are grateful for our partnership with HoReCa.digital for the premier of Entrepreneur 20X in Europe this year," said HFTP CEO Frank Wolfe, CAE. "This exclusive partnership with HoReCa.digital will serve as an additional benefit to our Entrepreneur 20X participants at HITEC Amsterdam, as the company's business model speaks directly to that intended audience."

HoReCa.digital is a newly established business unit of METRO that focuses on helping independent restaurants, hotels and caterers via innovative digital tools and solutions to improve their businesses. Focused on digital opportunities in the hospitality sector, HoReCa.digital features METRO Accelerator's highly selective mentorship program for technology-first startups across the entire value chain of Hospitality and Retail. METRO Accelerator is powered by Techstars, a flagship program based in Berlin, and invests in companies who are market champions in pioneering new grounds with their unique digital solutions.

Benefits to the Hospitality program include a monetary investment, access to industry experts, mentorship from key hospitality executives and leaders, venture capitalists and experienced entrepreneurs – and much more. HFTP Global President Lyle Worthington, CHTP and HFTP Global Secretary Michael Levie, CHTP both serve as mentors for METRO Accelerator, and are described as some of the best, brightest and most innovative entrepreneurial minds out there.

"We are delighted to be the exclusive sponsor of Entrepreneur 20X at HFTP's premier HITEC Amsterdam this year," said Frédéric Schumacher, director at HoReCa.digital. "HoReCa.digital is showing its commitment to the industry by encouraging an environment where entrepreneurs and new businesses can unveil new digital solutions and create lasting economic value in their respected communities."

Co-located with HITEC Amsterdam are two additional events brought by HFTP industry allies. The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Region Europe will locate its Revenue Optimization Conference (ROC) with HITEC Amsterdam. Also co-locating is the Hotel Technology Next Generation (HTNG) Insight Summit Europe.

In addition to HITEC Amsterdam, in 2017 HFTP is producing the larger HITEC Toronto on 26–29 June and HITEC Dubai in Fall in partnership with Naseba. For more information about HITEC and HFTP's other global activities, contact the HFTP Meetings & Special Events Department at [email protected] or visit www.hftp.org and www.hftp.org/hitec.

Stay tuned to HFTP's main webpages: HFTP/HITEC; the world's first hospitality-specific search engine: PineappleSearch® – mobile app available via iTunes App Store and Google Play; HFTP's official blog: HFTP Connect; HFTP's industry-specific, informational news sites: HITEC Bytes (technology), HFTP Club Bytes (club), HFTP Finance Bytes (finance) and HFTP News (association); and HFTP's social media sites: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter (@HFTP), Instagram (HFTP_HITEC), YouTube and Flickr for the latest updates.

About HoReCa.digital

HoReCa.digital is METRO Wholesale & Food Specialist Company's newly established group focusing on helping a core customer group of METRO Cash & Carry - the independent restaurant, hotels and caterers - with innovative tools and solutions to improve their business. With offices in major METRO countries, HoReCa.digital drives innovation in hospitality through the METRO Accelerator, as well as large scale eco-system pilots in key geographies. HoReCa.digital helps confirmed and scalable innovations gain further traction by linking to METRO Cash & Carry's more than 750 stores and 3,000+ people salesforce. Different from many other corporates, the investment arm leverages established investment industry best-practices and structures to help VC/PE-experienced staff to make exit focused co-investments with the aim of helping founders to successfully fund their businesses.

The METRO GROUP Wholesale & Food Specialist Company (W&FS Co.) is an internationally leading specialist in wholesale and food retail. With its sales lines METRO Cash & Carry and Real as well as its other associated companies, METRO GROUP W&FS Co. operates in 35 countries and employs more than 150,000 people around the world. In 2015/16, METRO GROUP W&FS Co. achieved sales of around €37 billion. The company provides custom solutions to meet the regional and international needs of its wholesale and retail customers.

About HFTP

Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) is a global nonprofit hospitality association, headquartered in Austin, Texas, USA, that uniquely understands the industry's problems. HFTP has nearly 5,000 members and several thousand stakeholders across the globe. HFTP assists its members in finding solutions to industry problems more efficiently than any organization via its expert networks, research, conferences such as HITEC and certification programs. HFTP also owns the world's only hospitality specific search engine, PineappleSearch.com. HFTP is recognized as the spokes group for the finance and technology segment of the hospitality industry. For more information about HFTP, e-mail [email protected].