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This article summarizes the results of a study examining the usefulness of technology tools for event planning. Technology aids in the venue sourcing process as well as RFP generation and organization. This type of technology is also a useful tool for forecasting budgets and tracking financial KPIs. IN addition, it serves as a great communication tool connecting planners with vendors as well as customers.

Cyber attacks open more and more often and varied since cybercriminals are becoming more cunning and their methods more challenging to detect. This article introduces some types of strategies implemented to protect companies' businesses from cyber threats and cybercriminals. Including using Anti-virus software, firewalls, password managers (very useful while some even free), VPN, patch management program which not only for operating program but also for other applications running on your system, consider the email SPAM/Malware filters and security awareness training for the employee since "humans are the weakest link." An employee who accidentally clicks on the wrong link can put in motion a chain of events that results in a cyber breach. Finally, plan a 24/7/365 network and endpoint monitoring.

This is a great article for any company that produces large events and is thinking about implementing event software. It helps to analyze both the pros and the cons of software like this as well as what it takes from your company in order for it to work. It points out that without someone who understands programming your company is going to have a very hard time running this software and getting it set up. Overall, I agree with the articles viewpoint on a companies size playing a major deciding factor. A company should only invest in this costly software if they take part in large scale or consistent events that need the software. Before jumping into a software a company can try many of the online simple tools and figure out what they need from a software.

This article highlights the benefits of the STS Cloud Hotel Sales and Catering software. STS Cloud is a comprehensive Sales and Catering system with account management and contact profiles that support sales team in selling and managing events. This software is said to be fully functioning, web based, fast, and affordable.

The article reveals how tablet devices offer many advantages to hotels, because many business processes become more and more independent of location. Allowing your employees to work more effective is the main objective for the hospitality and tourism business. A few examples: Hotels can use iPads as "floating front desks", offering guests mobile services like check-in or check-out. iPads could even be employed as support work stations to reduce demand peaks. The ability to having a floating front desk and being able to accomodate guest is beneficial." The app offers access to guest relevant functions of the property management system like booking services. It also offers access to location based services, advertising local events and facilities, and to the hotel's social networking sites" Having the application to allow guest to have 24 hour service is a convenience comparable to none.

         This article introduce us a new hotel software technology, the iPad property management system. Nowadays the table devices offer many advantages to hotel. Ipad is a good example for the table device use in hospitality industry. A German company design a PMS on iPad for hotel, its name is protel Air. Use this device, hotel can provide the mobile service like check-in and check-out to support the employee's job. Protel Air is a full-service solution and a true "Software-as-a-Service" application, that is hosted in a secure data centre environment. The only requirement of this device is the Internet; it can update and maintain the date through Internet. It also protects the data by its security system. They also design an application called protel Voyager for guests. It offers access to location based services, advertising local events and facilities, and to the hotel's social networking sites. The protel Voyager will encourage guests to report positive feedback.          I think to use new technology to help the operation of hotel is a good idea. Even it will cost some money to purchase the equipment and training the employee. It will save time for the employee especially in the peak season. My only concern is the app for guests. Guests may not use to this kind of new technology. They prefer the human service more. But it is worth to try.  

German protel hotelsoftware presented the world's first property management system for the iPad. The tablet devices give hotel a lot of benefits.  It helps the hotel reduce demand peaks, and offer guests more convenience. Protel doesn't need the support of additional hardware and installation. it can run in the internet browser. One of Protel's product is Protel Voyager, which is designed as a web app, the customers do not need to install this app, because it can runs in the mobile browser. It offers access to guest relevant unctions of the property management system like booking services. It also offers access to location based services, advertising local events and facilities, and to the hotel's social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook or You Tube.  

Cvent, a meetings technology company, has gathered feedback from meeting planners and venues and responded by adding 100 enhancements to their online product. The company is looking to better the users experience and provide easy to use technology. The company's web survey, event management, strategic meetings management, and supplier network have all been improved with new technology. I think this type of business between suppliers and buyers in the meetings/events industry will be the main form of communication in the future. 

This article begins by quickly going over new technologies that guests can interact with at leading metropolitan hotels. It then takes a turn to delve in to bringing these technologies "behind the scenes"; specifically for meeting planners. For example, the Thompson Seattle gives all their employees Itouch's equipped with Zello allowing them to quickly radio other departments and fill guests needs within minutes. What I found the most interesting was the HIlton Quebec and The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas sharing their guest text messaging interfaces with meeting planners, Event Service Managers, and Sales. Instead of Sales Managers having to chase departments around the hotel, and regularly pop into an event to make sure it was being executed correctly. The meeting planer could easily text when their event was in need. Any technology that allows us to better fulfill the needs of our guest, is worth the trial and error they may come along with.

CaterTrax is a catering software that clients can add an event, order food, and set up the event the way they want. its a great system and is very intuitive. CaterTrax partnered accessiBe. acessiBe offers users a fully automated solution for web accessibility and ADA compliance. The way the CaterTrax Assist works is that it scans the website and looks at activities on the accessibility screen to adjust the website to the users needs. this shows that even event management software is trying to make the software accessible because they want to make sure that they "cater" to everyone.

Len Gauger is the founder of Message Blocks. Since he was younger, event planning was a big part of his job. He usually managed about twenty events per year. He learned a lot from his past mistakes: the more people involved in the planning process, the more chaotic it became. He saw a market for a software that would allow organizers to coordinate all planning documents in one place online, with the capacity to collect registrations, edit conference agendas, and incorporate real-time reporting all managed via a smartphone app. This is a very good example of using technology in the event industry. Instead of waiting until the morning to get hold of event planner, it is easy to communicate with the company 24/7 online.

Maritz Travel Company which books more than 1.2 million hotel room nights annually had announced they choose the Cvent as their registration and sourcing platform. Cvent help clients implement ME&I programs that present powerful experiences for attendees, maximize cost savings and deliver measurable business results. Maritz associates are using Cvent's meeting and event management software to streamline the entire event lifecycle while helping their clients increase attendance and decrease costs and chieve more engaging and effective events, benefit from greater efficiencies across the board, and ultimately exceed the expectations of their participants and their business.

Current hospitality trends within the hospitality industry. These current trends are bringing awareness to cloud base storage, application mobility, social media marketing, and integration of amenity software. Companies are now outsourcing its IT department to minimize operating expense.

@corrie242 these six trends discussed are very important to keep efficiencies and competitive advantage, and I can confirm that at the Hotel company I work for, most of these are all in use. The social media use and monitoring has been a big shift in how we have changed the way we capture our guests' sentiment from comment cards being left or mailed to the hotel, to being able to receive immediate feedback in a very public way such as through Tripadvisor, Open Table, Facebook, Twitter, etc. We employ a digital media manager who assists in monitoring all that is said about us through these different channels so we can respond and try to stay on top of what is being commented.

This article was a very interesting read and focuses on the savings and improvements that technology can deliver by outlining six trends. The main item that peaked my interest was the trend of Cloud / Software as a Service (SaaS) or cloud computing. I have been introduced to this concept over recent discussions with a close family member. Like the article noted, the argument that was given by my relative in support of this system was that this concept is the new way to go in information technology. This option is very cost efficient and like the article mentioned it has no initial hardware costs or associated expenses like full time, in-house IT staff to maintain the system. It can also allow management of your network system to be done offsite giving hospitality operators the time to service their guests more efficiently and effectively. With technology constantly changing it is very important for hospitality operators to be aware of the emerging trends in the industry. These trends can aid in considerable growth and improvements that can be beneficial to their businesses.

Operators focus on cost, and this can prohibit the Operator from realizing the advantages and benefit of utilizing an RMS. When looking at an ROI they will often utilize Pacing data from a year over year perspective which is often, as the author puts it, asterisked. A simple explanation is the number of variables that can lead to impractical or flawed comparison such as mis-segmentation, unique events or otherwise. The author proposes instead that Operators should look at ROU, which roughly speaking takes market dynamics and most of the variables out of the equation. An ROU analysis (Revenue Uplift Opportunity) establishes a baseline measurement over a 90 day period that requires the establishment of two models (carbon copies) of the Hotel in question. The first, is a manual model that mimics the manual process of yielding and inventory management and overbooking, while the second utilizes the decision process of the installed or applied RMS. The author states that what Operator realize is the hidden maximization opportunity in both pricing and inventory controls based on manual processes reacting to demand conditions rather than anticipating. The value of this outside of the above application is how a KPI and a different manner of looking at the data can lead to valuable insight on what a real ROI can be. As an RM professional whom utilizes an advanced RMS on a regular basis it is sometimes it is difficult to see outside the box and perceive the value of the technology that is a mainstay in the Branded community. Being able to see the implications it can have for those not using or not having bought into the technology is actually a bit of a back step as it speaks to the value that this solution provides for the company.

Advanced Solutions International (ASI) is the largest, privately-owned global provider of software for member and donor-based not-for -profit organizations. According to the article, ASI announced "that iMIS Events clients can now manage their complex events from a single system ". The etouch add-on iMIS application will benefit clients with complex event planning requirements. Etouch is comprised of integrated software applications that assist businesses in all aspects of event planning. It offers a variety of tools such as "registration, budgeting, project management, scheduling, event microsite, seating, surveying, event marketing, booth purchasing, networking, and mobile applications". Non-for-profit organizations, which thrive on events to maintain interaction between members and donors, will greatly benefit from etouch.

Smartphones, Saa S Cloud Apps, virtual Events, social media,viral marketing and Ipads and tablets are the most common event panning technology. These technologies can use in hospitality/ tourism. Smartphones are most of people will use everyday and the same as professionals. It easy to manage the whole things in a short time. Social Media and Viral Marketing are also have a huge inffluence on people. Like the twitter, facebook.

High profile hotels near large events have had to respond to events such as mass shootings since the 2017 Las Vegas attack where a guest used as hotel room to carry out the shooting. Concert venues and large hotels are now using surveillance drones and predictive threat analysis to enable their staff to recognize patterns that could indicate signs of trouble. Security costs at large venues are expensive, and they are being passed on via ticket prices. Hotels need to evaluate their need for an active shooter plan and evaluate their "do not disturb" policies and train their staff to alert management when they are unable to enter a guest room, or when they recognize something out of the ordinary.

As this article mentioned, HRIS mainly assists you to keep record, report and manage your data in a web-based solution. It introduces the advantages of HRIS, and makes suggestion for installing it in your companies. It is very convenient and easy to access data. It is very flexible for you to change them. In my opinion, it is very well to install in hospitality industry because it makes everything easy. It can help HR Department to manage their daily events, strategic planning and easier data searching. The biggest benefit is to save a lot of time for HR staff.

To summarize this article discusses a great management goals to help effective hotel maintenance plan. EAM CMMS is a system that will most likely help hotels maintain operational costs as well as manage the lifecycle of assets. Having this system doesn't automatically help accomplish these goals. It is important to know how to properly use the system in order for it to be efficient. Maintenance planning for a hotel is more than just creating a schedule and hoping the staff may get to it as quickly as possible. Costs for maintenance can increase if things are not properly handled and maintained. Thus, it is important to attain hotel maintenance management goals. Some of these goals are as follows: * Meeting capital budget expectations * Establish standard operating procedures. * Eliminate overtime * Reduce energy consumption by 15%. * Reduce customer complaints (maintenance related) by 30%

The article reports Hyatt Planner Portal, a technology that will be for meeting planners designed to enhance the planning experience. The portal will allow planner to have access to view confirmed attendees, event space floor plans, view event history and generate reports. The portal will be integrated with Hyatt's Event Concierge App.

This article was very interesting and it was about how safety security is very important to the hospitality industry. This article also explained how a study shows the safety and security systems work in the hospitality industry. They also said that it is very important to update the emergency plan because you never know when something going to happen in the hotel and you always have to be ready for anything. This study just showed how an effective information system could prevent and being well prepared can definitely help prevent any emergency.

The article is a study that was conducted in regards to the security management within a hotel and how an effective security system can help in preventing accidents or emergencies from occuring. The main priority of a hotel or any establishment, besides the service provided, is having an effective emergency plan set in place to be able to respond and overcome a crisis. International hospitality being a focus over the recent years, has suffered crises, risks, and disasters causing negative impacts on tourism and the community. Hotels should "issue a check-list concerning a hotel's vulnerability to emergencies caused by natural disasters (hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis) or man-made crises (terrorist attacks, explosions, fires, spill, food poisoning)." Another part of the plan is to focus on the loss prevention aspect of a hotel by implementing information technology to secure or improve security. On technology mentioned was biometric to increase the hotel information system and also to help reduce cost and improve the way we recognize criminal activities. With the hospitality industry being one of the most vulnerable industries to crimes and disasters, it is important to recognize, improve and update the plans set into place to ensure accurate information. While it's impossible to say that these preventions are going to stop these problems from happening, it can help other learn about the proper steps to handling these situations. I personally think that as much as employers suggest different way, it's the job of the loss prevention team in every industry to construct a plan that address as many issues and conduct trainings that would help to prepare us for these occasions. Trainings are going to be the best way to properly analyze a problem and improve on the emergency plan set.