Hospitality Financial and Technology professionals (HFTP), producer of the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC), has added four keynote speakers to this year’s education program: Dave Berkus, super angel, author and entrepreneur; Alex Tapscott, CEO at Northwest Passage Ventures; Kevin Rosen, Esq. CIPP/US, partner at Shutts & Bowen, LLP; and Robert Villanueva, Executive Vice President at Q6 Cyber.
Opening Keynote and Party. On Monday, June 26, 2017, Dave Berkus will take the HITEC Toronto stage from 4.30Ñ5.30pm to discuss technology and its impact on the job market. Mr Berkus is one of the nation’s most prolific angel investors with over 137 early stage technology investments. He is the creator of BERKONOMICS.COM Ð weekly insights for entrepreneurs and investors. Mr Berkus is an author and in-demand speaker at national and international events sharing stories and wisdom related to entrepreneurs, building boards of directors, trends in technology and valuing young corporate enterprises. Mr Berkus is also an inductee to the HFTP International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame.
Following the Opening Keynote, HFTP will host the “A Night in Toronto” Opening Party from 6.30Ð9.00pm at the Muzik Event Center. Attendees will enjoy delicious snacks, drinks and music as they mingle and get ready for the busy week ahead. Additionally, the Opening Party will feature an emulator touch screen DJ, giant light bright, digital graffiti wall and surfboard simulator. Opening Party entry information is detailed on the HITEC Toronto website.
Tuesday Keynote. On Tuesday, June 27, 2017, Alex Tapscott will present from 8.30Ñ10.00am to inform HITEC attendees about the blockchain revolution. Mr Tapscott is a founding member at IMF’s High Level Advisory Group on Fintech, as well as the co-author of the critically acclaimed best-seller “Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology Behind Bitcoin is Changing Money Business and the World.” Mr Tapscott is focused on the impact of emerging technologies on business, society and government, and is a passionate advocate for innovation, entrepreneurship and civic engagement.
Closing Keynote. On Thursday, June 29, 2017, Kevin Rosen, Esq. CIPP/US and Robert Villanueva will present from 2.15Ñ3.15pm on cybercrime. Mr Rosen is a member of the Financial Services Practice Group and the Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Taskforce at his current West Palm Beach office. He focuses his practice on cybersecurity, privacy, data security, securities regulation and financial regulation. Mr Villanueva currently leads the Cyber Threat Intelligence Division of Q6 Cyber after spending 25-years working for the United States Secret Service, where he specialized in transnational cybercrimes, access device fraud, network intrusions and identity theft data breaches affecting the private sector.
This year’s larger North American event HITEC Toronto will take place from June 26-29 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario Canada. HITEC Dubai, the third and final HITEC of 2017, will take place from November 14-15 at the Conrad Dubai in Dubai, UAE in partnership with Naseba. In 2018, HFTP will bring back HITEC Amsterdam on April 11-14 in addition to HITEC Houston on June 26-29.
