NEW YORK, NY – Attendees looking for practical technology solutions at HX: The Hotel Experience Powered by AAHOA can get an earful at the fifth annual HX TECHpitch. Scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 10, from 1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. at the Javits Center HX Stage, this year’s pitch has a renewed focus on reimagining hospitality, looking for tech innovations that stand out.
“It’s an opportunity for attendees to hear a showcase of stories about why these technologies have come into the industry,” says event organizer Dahlia El Gazzar, founder, Dahlia+Agency. “What challenges are they solving? We’re not talking just about innovation—a word that’s overused—it’s a way of showing how technology is solving real problems and/or enhancing or catapulting hotel brands and guest experiences.”
An all-women judging panel condensed 20 entries down to five concepts that will be shared in five-minute shark-tank-style presentations. The five finalists are:
- Modio (www.modio.audio/);
- Plum (www.hotels.plum.wine);
- Enerqi (www.enerqi.co);
- Relay (relaygo.com/hospitality) ; and
- Ballbox (getballbox.com)
Winners will be revealed and honored on stage from 3:00 p.m. – 3:20 p.m. “With the five finalists, it is not just about innovation, but also about practicality,” adds El Gazzar. “It’s also about relevancy of the technology. The judges chose the ones that they wanted to hear more about.”
Judges for the fifth annual TECHpitch competition are: Chanel Evans Grant, co-owner, TLC Hospitality Group, LLC; Deanna Ting, senior platforms editor, Digiday; Nicole Peck, executive vice president, BizBash; Heather Carnes (pictured), director of Marketing, AAHOA; and Nishant (Neal) Patel, AAHOA secretary (2019-20).
Last year’s TECHpitch winner was BEEKEEPER, a team communication platform that empowers employee connection, facilitates workplace engagement, and increases productivity through unified communications. Beekeeper streamlines operations and enables mobile collaboration with HR tools such as secure messaging and shift management.
In addition to earning the coveted award, the winner of this year’s TECHpitch will receive a complimentary Tech Kiosk at the 2020 HX: The Hotel Experience Powered by AAHOA.