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Solomon: Is the human element getting lost?  Allen: Absolutely not! A key differentiator of casual dining is the personalized service model. Our technology innovation is not only a win for our guests, but also a win for our team members. With technology, we’re able to remove some of the mundane tasks of the server and allow them to make our guests feel special with a memorable dining experience. Furthermore, technology is completely optional and guests can choose to opt out if they wish. These tablets do not eliminate the personal service our guests receive from servers. In fact, these tablets have served as a good tool for our team members to help eliminate some transactional pain points, such as paying the bill or ordering dessert, and have helped our team members do their job more efficiently. This allows our team members to focus on the duties that make a personal impact on the dining experience, such as getting to know the table, taking entrée orders and delivering meals, among other duties.

Micah Solomon:  Can you bring me up to speed on how the Chili’s digital service came to be deployed, and how it’s going so far? Wade Allen, vice president of digital innovation and customer engagement, Chili’s Grill & Bar: We started our digital guest experience journey in Sept. 2013 as the first mover in the casual dining industry to bring tabletop technology to our restaurant tables. The goal was to remove common guest pain points around paying the bill and re-ordering drinks. We’ve seen rapid adoption with 75 percent of guests using the tablets to quickly pay their bill. Furthermore, we’ve been able to gather valuable insights through real-time feedback where 25 percent of guests use the tablets to complete the Chili’s survey at the end of their dining experience. This feedback allows us to make improvements on an individual restaurant level, as well as, provide proof points for national-scale decisions around our Fresh Tex and Fresh Mex menu favorites. Once we had the tablets in place, we took a different approach and launched a fully digital loyalty program, “My Chili’s Rewards,” in May 2015. The goal was easy access/participation for all guests. We also included unique elements around gamification to keep guests engaged. In six months, we went from no loyalty program to 4.2 million members. Furthermore, approximately 18 percent of transactions in restaurant are tied to loyalty members. We’re building on this for what we call “loyalty 2.0” with our latest partnership with the Plenti rewards program, as the newest partner to join representing the casual dining industry. This will allow guests to earn points at partner locations and redeem for their Chili’s favorites.

Solomon: What are the backup plans for when guests want human rather than kiosk service? Allen: Our model is based on personalized service to make guests feel special when dining with us. So, the personalized aspect will always be a part of what guests experience at Chili’s. The technology innovation is completely optional and guests can choose to opt out if they wish.

Attendees can use a tool like Speecheo to help them view presentations and take notes.

Digital technology is also changing the landscape of events thanks to sensor integration.

incorporate social media into event marketing. Some of the highlights include: Event or company hashtags Hosting a special "happy hour" networking event Gaining media exposure Teaser videos Creating an event-specific page on your site Sharing photos or videos of the event Social giveaways or contests for the event Video testimonials or interviews Lead follow-ups Content for your blog following the event

allowing you to create a website for your event, sell tickets, launch an email marketing campaign, and have on-site check-in and an award-winning app for visitors to use.

technology that was heavily present at this years CES was robots and drones--yes, drones.

people who can't physically attend an event--they call into Skype, for example, and have a robot roll around an event so that they can hear and see what's going on.

drones, they are being used to capture aerial photography or even to deliver drinks that have been ordered through a smartphone app.

tools like Bizzabo are consolidating all of the previous tools needed to effectively manage, plan, and run an event.

In the future, virtual reality could provide attendees an amazing experience with a lot of physical products being brought in.

With all of this access to data and technology, an events planner can now provide attendees a more personalized experience. In fact, don't be surprised if someday the large events are replaced by several smaller events that are focused on data segmentation.

Data security is also taken care of by protel. With its extended range of functionalities and based on the latest technology, this easily scalable cloud application is the perfect solution for all hotels who value flexibility, reliability and security.

With protel Voyager protel presented a mobile app for hotel guests.

According to a poll taken by the SmartBrief online service, 85% of travelers believe Wi-Fi in hotels should be free.

When the planners are in the hotel, they can request more coffee, more flipcharts, a change in temperature in the room, or whatever they need. We’re facilitating the conversation in the way planners and customers really want to talk to us.”

Another example from the participants was the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Behind the hotel’s front desk is a huge video wall, and one of the applications is a live tool that allows guests in line, or anyone in the lobby, to send Twitter messages about the hotel or other topics. Also, the hotel’s food-and-beverage outlets use to the board to promote specials or events.

Marriott offers free Wi-Fi in its select-service and extended-stay hotels and in lobbies of its full-service properties. In addition, gold and platinum level members of the chain’s loyalty program receive it for free, Roe said.

Courtyard’s GoBoard lobby information center has become a way to eliminate the frustration of guests standing in line to ask a simple question, such as directions or a restaurant recommendation.

Marriott last week launched its Travel Brilliantly marketing campaign, which Roe said will help the company “define the future of technology.”

The white paper noted a variety of ways hoteliers increase their luxury offerings through technology—everything from high-definition TVs embedded in bathroom mirrors to curated set lists of music downloads as offered by Hard Rock Hotels.

Marriott’s new Workspace on Demand service allows non-hotel guests, such as small businesses and entrepreneurs, to book meeting space at Marriott properties on half-day or full-day basis. Larger groups can book meeting space that includes audio-visual equipment and Wi-Fi.

Miso can offer Flippys to fast-food restaurant owners for an estimated $2,000 per month on a subscription basis, breaking down to about $3 per hour

A human doing the same job costs $4,000 to $10,000 or more a month, depending on a restaurant’s hours and the local minimum wage. And robots never call in sick

So far, early versions of Flippy have put in time on the line at Dodger Stadium and at locations of CaliBurger

Jordan believes Flippy is poised to become a regular part of fast-food kitchens across the country in the next year, especially in markets with higher labor and real estate costs like California

2D technology is also widely used due to its low installation cost and operational ease as it uses 2D appearance

Among the component segments, hardware accounted for the maximum revenue share in 2015, owing to high cost of 2D and 3D cameras. The facial recognition software market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 23.9% during the forecast period. Development of effective and efficient facial recognition software applications is expected to drive this market.

In the year 2015, homeland security contributed the highest revenue share, accounting for around 21% of the overall market revenue. From a growth perspective, intelligent signage is likely to be the most prominent application of facial recognition, anticipated to witness the highest CAGR of 25.1% during the forecast period.

North America offers lucrative opportunities for market growth, exhibiting a huge demand of facial recognition technology for homeland security and criminal investigation.

Some of the leading players in the facial recognition market include Cognitec Systems GmbH, NEC Corporation, FaceFirst, Inc., and 3M amongst others.

These players have adopted product development, acquisitions, agreements, and partnerships as their key strategies to strengthen their market position and expand their geographical presence. For instance, in 2015, Cognitec Systems GmbH launched and incorporated a superior version of the face recognition algorithm B9 in FaceVACS-DBScan, one of the its leading facial recognition products.

Foundation of green ICT was laid as far back as 1992 with the launching of Energy Star program in the USA.

Green ICT is a clean-environment-based technology. However, fruitful realisation of green ICT is equally dependent upon awareness in society. Society needs to practice common ethics of ‘don’t keep computer on, when not needed,’ ‘don’t use Internet as a free tool, but as a valuable tool of necessity only,’ ‘don’t unnecessarily replace devices after devices just because you can afford to’ and so on

Day-to-day processes are becoming smarter, more efficient and more streamlined, saving hotels and property management firms both time and money in the process.

#1. Smarter, personalized solutions are putting time back into the hands of hoteliers.

Successfully managing these assets demands cutting-edge adaptable solutions tailored to our industry.

allowing managers to spend less time behind a computer and more time in a hotel’s lobby interacting with guests.

#2. Automated Imaging is changing the way accountants do business.

#3. The Millennial employee is just as important as the millennial guest.

. In hotel accounting, the bells and whistles of excessive new technologies take a back seat to real solutions proven to boost bottom lines, which allows hotels to run leaner and more efficient than ever before.

Europe’s new privacy law, the General Data Protection Regulation, imposes massive fines on companies if they don’t notify privacy regulators about a data breach within 72 hours. The rule took effect in May and applies to any company with E.U. customers. U.S. lawmakers have proposed similar a 72-hour rule to replace the patchwork of state data breach laws that exist here

The company said Friday it had notified European data privacy regulators of the breach, in accordance with GDPR. Shortly after doing so, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, the watchdog that monitors Facebook’s GDPR compliance, said Facebook’s disclosure “lacks detail” and criticized the company for being “unable to clarify the nature of the breach and the risk for users at this point.”

 Equifax waited six weeks to reveal that the Social Security numbers and other sensitive information on 143 million Americans had been exposed in a data breach. Uber waited a year to reveal a hack affecting tens of millions of drivers — and just last week paid a $148 million settlement in connection with the incident. Yahoo also paid a fine earlier this year for waiting two years to tell investors that Russian hackers stole information on 500 million users. 

Wray stressed that cyberattacks and theft of intellectual property can inflict long-term damage on American companies,

No country poses a broader, more severe intelligence collection threat than China.

The Energy Department on Monday announced awards of up to $28 million to help fund 11 cybersecurity research projects to strengthen the defenses of America's critical energy infrastructure,

Karen Evans, the assistant secretary for the department's Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, said “energy cybersecurity and resilience” is one of the “most important security challenges” that the United States faces.

“The frequency, scale, and sophistication of cyber threats have increased and attacks can be much easier to launch,”

“Cyber incidents have the potential to interrupt energy services, damage highly specialized equipment and threaten human health and safety.”

The Senate Commerce Committee should hear from consumer privacy experts as lawmakers consider whether to develop data privacy legislation, a coalition of consumer and privacy groups said Monday

And while civilian agencies generally face the most lopsided age disparities, the importance departments place on building a long-term talent pipeline varies greatly

That means federal technologists at or approaching retirement age outnumbered their 20-something counterparts roughly 4.6 to 1.”

Planners will try to book events further in advance. This leaves hotels and venues in a pickle: Taking early bookings could mean missing out on higher-value events later.To avoid missing out on revenue, hotels and venues need to segment business intelligently. That way, you can avoid the pitfalls of traditional lead-scoring biases that hurt RFP management.

In 2020, brands will invest in events as a marketing channel. In fact, in a recent event marketing survey, 52% of respondents said that event marketing drove more business value than other marketing channels. (Only 8% said it drove less business.)

Planners should create ample private meeting spaces and “collision spaces.” Some events do this by providing fewer chairs than attendees. With fewer empty seats, they’re encouraging movement and interaction.

Large, minimalist spaces with easily accessible bars are the perfect recipe for a networking event. Venues like this can use the networking angle to promote event space to corporate clients.

These attendees blend the worlds of business and leisure. It’s given rise to a new, multi-generational segment that drives destination decisions. (See: our Hotel Market Segmentation Guide for more on this.)

Attendees want more control over the event agenda. In fact, 96% of the Social Tables audience believe events are expected to be more personalized than ever.

16. Sustainability will be center stage at events.

For proposals, try showcasing multiple event-specific variations. This adds value for the planner by helping them better meet their event objectives, while adding value for the hotel or venue as an upselling technique.

According to Billboard, there over 800 annual music festivals in the U.S. alone, and they attract 32 million attendees in total. 14 million of those attendees are (surprise, surprise) millennials.

At smaller levels, adding performances to the agenda can go a long way in engaging attendees. However, for larger events, creating a festival-like atmosphere requires access to a variety of spaces that are exclusive to one group.

A bigger focus on wellness could revolutionize F&B — replacing beef with the proverbial Brussels sprout.

While you don’t need to offer 11 choices for every hour, you can empower attendees to mold the event to meet their individual needs.

Sustainability initiatives are your chance to make a positive impact while painting your brand in an equally positive light.

Meetings are growing and evolving rapidly, and each is an experiment in applying new methods to find a perfect formula.

Industry Performance TrendsAttendee Experience TrendsMeeting Destination TrendsEvent Technology TrendsMeeting Design Trends

Demand will continue to outpace supply

be dynamic, you have to be flexible, and–above all–you have to be in tune with attendee desires.

Meetings are growing and evolving rapidly, and each is an experiment in applying new methods to find a perfect formula.

predicts 5-10% growth in demand. At the same time, the development pipeline is slowing.

It’s also the spontaneous conversations that come with serendipitous networking.

nticipate higher rates, and book event space as early as possible.

At the same time, face-to-face time takes a hit — making it a more treasured commodity in our modern world.

redict it’ll grow about 2.41% in North America. CWT expects an even higher hike of 3.7%.

Planners should create ample private meeting spaces and “collision spaces.” Some events do this by providing fewer chairs than attendees. With fewer empty seats, they’re encouraging movement and interaction.

Why? Well, take the speed of your current 4G LTE smartphone internet and multiply it by 1,000. (Think: putting the Millenium Falcon into hyperdrive.)

For events — especially large-scale events — sustainable initiatives are now the expectation.

Fast, reliable WiFi will soon become the norm, opening up new engagement opportunities and nontraditional venues for events.

“I think many hoteliers will be unhappy with the significant investments they are making now into cabling that will become obsolete just as soon as 5G launches.”

Apps present an opportunity for personalization and engagement at each stage of the event lifecycle.

Hotels and venues are developing sophisticated apps that enhance the in-venue experience. Whether it’s Wembley Stadium’s virtual tour guide or Marriott’s sophisticated in-app chatbot functionality, branded apps are adding value in multiple ways:

everage lobbies, rooftops, and other communal areas for networking events.

Because today, 86% of consumers expect companies to act on social and environmental issues — and they’re more than ready to vote with their dollars.

0% of event planners reported that their jobs require more experience creation than just 2-5 years ago

Content:

Destination

Technology:

90% of respondents stated that event security should still be a top priority for the industry.

That could mean avoiding coastal destinations during hurricane season or avoiding certain areas of the city to ensure safety outside of event hours.

. Event diagramming software can help in this regard by allowing venues and planners to collaborate on a single source of truth

Security is a significant value add and a key selling point in initial communications.

you’re providing any personnel, such as security, custodians, and administrators.

ess furniture, fewer seats, smaller portions, less irrelevant decor… you get the picture. A

reate a step-by-step safety checklist for execution during on-site setup, and another safety checklist for the day of the event.

Less is more when it comes to the material.

It’s a movement that stands in direct opposition to the gaudy ballrooms of old

Have evacuation plan

c, open floor plans that make minimalism a possibility.

lassic combinations of whites and greys

ewer seats means more mingling.

lutter-free to promote a clean, open feel that keeps the focus on content.

Hotels, however, may find themselves scrambling to reinvent their event spaces. It could be time to rethink these spaces — along with lobbies and other communal spaces that set the aesthetic tone for the hotel at large

Larger chains should look to boutique hotels, which create visual identities that are often more closely aligned with the appeal that nontraditional venues offer.

One example that Napoli finds interesting is how retailers are teaming with influencers to co-create exclusive collections. (Think Something Navy's success with Nordstrom). "Those kinds of partnerships allow the influencer the ability to reach out to their following," says Napoli. "Not only is the influencer co-creating with the brand or retailer, but also really leveraging Instagram tools, which are polls and submitting feedback, to determine what to create next."

new apps are starting to pop up with social commerce at the core of their business.

Each brand or store on Countr, including Bloomingdale's, Outdoor Voices, Aritizia and hundreds more, is personalized with product recommendations based on the user's social activity.

"Starting Countr came from the realization that online shopping is still really inefficient and, more importantly, shopping is fundamentally a social experience,"

In January, Eric Senn launched Storr, another app in this space that essentially turns people into retailers. "We're really excited about the potential that Storr has to revolutionize traditional retail and capitalize on the social commerce movement in a way that empowers people to make money that would normally go to traditional retailers," says Senn.

"We're moving away from channel-first commerce to people-first commerce."

"Along the way, we lost the social experience that shopping can be, which so many people have enjoyed throughout the history of commerce."

"What Twitch did was it created not only a livestream experience, but a meaningful interaction through that livestream over a shared experience."

Creating a space that's a one-stop shop where people can have a community and share images of items they may be able to purchase back and forth with friends — there's a real ROI to that. That's the revolution here."

The sudden spike in cancellations and limited interest in future travels is surely putting OTAs through an uncomfortable patch.

Considering the weak booking period that is to follow, the group has decided to reduce its cost base, curtailing projects, reduce marketing, overheads and discretionary spend, freeze new hiring, deferring salary increases and waiving off management bonuses.

With all the components now hurting, OTAs also have the unique position to revive growth in the industry.

In-Airport Initiatives: OTAs such as Indonesia’s Traveloka handed over face masks to travelers visiting the affected countries (until border lockdowns were announced). Several also shared best airport and in-flight hygiene practices with their customer base.

Operating calls come with attached overheads, and despite the scale of cancelations most OTAs are absorbing this as part of their customer service initiatives. OTAs, however (and obviously) are prioritizing their assistance based on travel dates.

a number of OTAs have rolled out self-service tools, including chatbots, to mitigate the pressure from call center operations and offer instant resolution to travelers’ needs. These (semi-) automated modules are found across OTA websites and apps, which allows travelers to either opt for OTA credit for future bookings or instant refunds (subject to the airline policy).

The goodwill earned based on their actions during the ongoing crisis will likely pay off when the world bounces back and returns to traveling.

Trip.com recently launched Travel Revival V Plan in China, the ground zero for Covid-19. Through the initiative, the OTA group aims to bring together hotels, tours, flights and attractions; and contribute over RMB 1 billion to boost measures for travel industry recovery.

“Companies are still struggling somewhat in finding a budget for this effort,” she said. “It’s not something that many businesses want to spend money on. Compliance is pretty thankless.”

Hyatt Hotels earlier this year launched a “public bug bounty” program with cybersecurity company HackerOne that allows ethical hackers to test its websites and mobile apps for vulnerabilities.

Joe Saracino, CEO of Cino, said that the hotel industry is starting to be more proactive to prevent more breaches.

Extracting Data & Trends: Provides real-time access store performance and top styles, brands and SKUs for both draft and packaged goods. Users can track the latest trends within their market, region or nationally.

Automated Ordering: Managers can place orders based on their usage and trends.

Contactless Menus: Digital, contactless menus are generated automatically for a location’s draft, wine and packaged goods list. This keeps customers and staff safe while also eliminating print costs and lost sales due to outdated menus.

Through direct integration with the POS, restaurant operators can extend their POS to create a truly secure and touchless environment. This option is available for several well-known and widely used POS systems such as Aloha, MICROS, Squirrel, Dinerware and Focus – and can be utilized without the hassle of having to re-program menu items and prices, or retrain waitstaff.  It can also help operators avoid any changes to merchant processing or pricing.  

By using a fully PCI and EMV compliant pay-at-the-table device that extends the POS to the table, restaurant guests are empowered to use their phone to facilitate the transaction. With the simple scan of a QR code, guests can immediately launch a payment process that’s both encrypted and entirely touchless. 

It also represents one of the largest investments for a restaurant operator, so it only makes sense to explore how the investment can be leveraged to provide additional value. 

Despite these conditions, the expectations placed on restaurant operators are greater than ever.  On top of the everyday commitment to prepare great food, provide stellar service, and maintain an inviting environment, restaurant operators have, in recent years, been challenged to meet higher standards for protecting customer payment information – and now to preserve public health and safety.  The responsibility is daunting, some may say overwhelming.

There have been many industries that have had to adjust to the new reality of COVID-19, but likely none have been more dramatically impacted than the restaurant industry.

Celebrating its 15th anniversary, Portland, Ore.-based Leanpath continues to hit milestones in its food waste prevention platform, which can be described as an ecosystem of hardware, software and support that allows foodservice kitchens to track and prevent food waste.