HFTP Announces Startups, Judge’s Panel and Mentors for Entrepreneur 20X at HITEC Houston

E20X Houston will feature six expert judges, nine mentors and 16 startups

Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®), producers of Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC®), is pleased to announce the selected hospitality technology startups, expert judges panel and industry mentors that will participate in Entrepreneur 20X (E20X) at HITEC Houston. Sponsored by Amadeus, the E20X pitch competition will take place in room 342 on Monday, June 18, 2018 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. inside the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas USA; all registered HITEC attendees are welcome to attend.

E20X innovators will pitch their business concepts to a room of HITEC attendees and a panel of six judges. The E20X judge's panel will determine the "E20X Judge's Choice Award" winner who will receive $5,000 USD and will receive extensive promotion by HFTP. HITEC attendees will determine the "E20X People's Choice Award" winner by voting for their favorite startup through the event mobile app; attendees may visit startups following the competition in the HITEC Houston exhibit hall at the Innovation Lab. E20X mentors will meet face-to-face with the entrepreneur pitchers hours before the E20X competition takes place sharing their experience, answering questions and making invaluable connections.

The 2018 E20X Houston pitching companies include: Beekeeper; Stratifyd; TrayAway; Shenzhen Showboom Technology Co., Ltd.; Zendelity; Bookcliff Software, LLC; Sencity Corp; Jibestream; Conichi; LuggAgent; Proxce, Inc.; Reply.ai; PopulStay Pte. Ltd.; When Labs; ZiFiSense; HeyMojo, Inc.

The 2018 E20X Houston expert judges' panel includes:

• Carson Booth, CHTP, CEO, SnapShot GmbH
• Diane Estner, President, DANNI Enterprises
• Mark Fancourt, Travel and Hospitality Technology CXO
• Prakash Shukla, Managing Partner, Wayfare Vc
• Scot Campbell, CHTP, CTO, North America Concerts – Live Nation
• Vanessa Ogle, CEO and Founder, Enseo®

The 2018 E20X Houston onsite mentoring team includes:

• Bernard Ellis, CHTP, CRME, President and Founder, Lodgital Insights LLC
• Donna Hale, CEO and Owner, FEH Consulting, LLC
• Henri Roelings, Founder and CEO, Hsyndicate
• Kathleen Erickson, Director – Guest Facing Technologies, Hilton Worldwide
• Michael Cohen, Managing Partner, TechPartner
• Rich Siegel, President and Publisher, Hospitality Upgrade
• Ron Tarro, Managing Member, SalientVoice Ventures, LLC
• Shannon McCallum, Vice President – Hotel Operations, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
• Sophie Pommois, Project Director Global Distribution, Global Hotel Alliance

For more information about E20X, email [email protected]. In addition to HITEC Houston, HFTP has several other events upcoming in 2018. The HFTP Annual Convention is October 24-26 at the Omni Louisville Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky USA. HITEC Dubai will take place December 5-6 at the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai, UAE. For more information about HFTP's international events, visit www.hftp.org and www.hitec.org or contact the HFTP Meetings & Special Events Department at [email protected].

About HFTP

Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®), established in 1952, is a hospitality nonprofit association headquartered in Austin, Texas USA with offices in Hong Kong, United Kingdom, The Netherlands and Dubai. HFTP is recognized as the spokes group for the finance and technology segments of the hospitality industry with an international network of members and stakeholders. HFTP uniquely understands the industry's pressing issues, and assists its stakeholders in finding solutions to their challenges more efficiently than any organization. HFTP offers expert networks, educational resources, career development programs, research, leadership opportunities and conferences and events. HFTP produces international events throughout the year, including the world's largest hospitality technology tradeshow and conference brand: HITEC. The association also owns the world's only hospitality-specific search engine: PineappleSearch.com®. For more information about HFTP, visit www.hftp.org.For the latest news, visit the HFTP News page at news.hftp.org and the HFTP Connect blog at blog.hftp.org.

Follow HFTP on social media: Facebook (@HFTPGlobal); LinkedIn; Twitter (@HFTP); Instagram (@HFTP_HITEC). Stay tuned to HFTP's industry-specific, informational news sites: HFTP News, HITEC Bytes, HFTP Club Bytes, HFTP Finance Bytes, HFTP GDPR Bytes and HFTP FB Bytes. HFTP event photos are available on Flickr, and HFTP event videos are available on YouTube.

About HITEC

Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition & Conference (HITEC®) is the world's largest and oldest hospitality technology exposition and conference brand. HITEC offers a unique combination of top-notch education, and brings together the brightest minds and hottest technologies from across the globe to one place. The unparalleled event offers attendees essential education, access to top hospitality technology industry experts and the resources to find cost-effective ways to improve company bottom lines. Combined with the intimate opportunities to connect with fellow professionals, HITEC has everything to enhance your career.
Historically hosted annually in a different city throughout the United States, HFTP expanded HITEC in 2017 with two additional events outside the annual North American event: one in Europe and the other in Dubai. For more information about HITEC, visit www.hitec.org.

Follow HITEC on social media: Facebook (@HITECconference); LinkedIn; Twitter (@HFTP); Instagram (@HFTP_HITEC). Find updates on the HFTP News page, and exhibitor news on the HITEC Bytes site. HITEC event photos are available on Flickr, and HFTP event videos are available on YouTube.

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