St. Paul, Minn., June 03, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
Industry association HEDNA gathered 270 distribution and payment executives in Madrid, Spain last week to host their global conference discussing the hottest topics and trends in hospitality.
This event continues a streak of six consecutive HEDNA North American and European Conferences with record attendance. Feedback from attendees confirms great support for the event, with participants specifically commenting on strong speaker content and highly relevant panels.
Key topics showcased in Madrid included the impact of alternative lodging on hotel demand paralleled by the significant growth in supply of homes and apartments throughout Europe. A HEDNA first, the imminent launch of Strong Customer Authentication in Europe was featured in a live-streamed panel discussion where subject matter experts discussed implications, best practices and workarounds for payment transactions. Google’s plans to showcase and power the hotel reservations was discussed on multiple occasions providing hoteliers insights on how to best leverage this emerging technology. Closing the conference was an update on Oyo and their plans to leverage technology to become the largest hotel chain.
“Bringing the cross-industry representation and high-caliber of distribution professionals together in one place for three days results in unparalleled learning, collaboration and networking,” remarked HEDNA President Sarah Fults of MGM Resorts International. “As the landscape of distribution changes, HEDNA continues to recognize the disruptors in hospitality. Oaky was recognized as the Innov8 award winner for their platform that allows for predictive and personalized upselling leading to increased revenue per guest.
HEDNA is excited to continue the conversation sharing the amazing content from the conference with its members to reflect and exchange on new ideas, best practices and emerging trends. Visit the HEDNA YouTube Page, Blog as well as our LinkedIn page, for updates and additional content around HEDNA Madrid.
HEDNA strategically invests each year in HEDNA U (university). Designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the industry, HEDNA U 200 courses made their European debut on Education Monday with brand new material adjusted to focus on understanding and optimizing the guest travel journey.
Working Groups are the lifeblood of HEDNA and have published best practices, thought leadership and white papers to address industry issues and trends. The Guest Centric Payments, Mobile, Third Party Commissions and Open Payment Alliance Working Groups gathered throughout the day to develop work plans to address priority opportunities. Distribution and Payments Innovation Labs met again after the initial meeting in January bringing together professionals to talk about the hottest trends in hospitality.
Plans for continued networking events throughout 2019 are now in place, with local events taking place in the US and abroad. Details can be found through the HEDNA website. Future HEDNA conferences include HEDNA Los Angeles 2020 January 27-29, 2020 and HEDNA Amsterdam May 18-20, 2020.
About Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association (HEDNA)
HEDNA (Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association) is a not-for-profit trade association whose worldwide membership includes executives and managers from the most influential companies in the hospitality industry. Founded in 1991, HEDNA’s mission is to be the leading global forum for advancing hospitality distribution through collaboration and knowledge sharing. Its vision calls for HEDNA to be known for creating an environment that fosters strategic collaboration toward business development in the global hospitality industry. For more, visit www.HEDNA.org.