OCTOBER 9, 2008. Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals' (HFTP(R)) 2008 Annual Convention & Tradeshow recently held its 56th Annual Convention & Tradeshow at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn. Over 700 attendees gathered to celebrate the association's successful year with a convention full of targeted education sessions, numerous networking opportunities, access to leading suppliers at the tradeshow and awards to various individuals and chapters.

'Every year the Education Advisory Council, planners and staff go out of their way to try and make this year's Annual Convention the best one ever. And every year I think they succeed,' said Cheryl Brennan, CHAE, controller for Bloomfield Hills Country Club and co-chair of the Education Advisory Council. 'There is something for everyone, and when I watch our members rekindle old friendships, build new ones, and join in the camaraderie, I am proud to belong to HFTP.'

The education sessions were presented by experts from all segments of the hospitality industry. The three general sessions, along with the five concurrent education session tracks - club, hotel, general, technology and leadership unlimited - allowed attendees to discuss hot industry topics and learn how to continually build their careers.

The evenings of the convention provided interaction and networking among colleagues and vendors. Wednesday night's Welcome Reception and Exhibits provided the first chance to visit the exhibit hall. Thursday night's special event at the famous Wildhorse Saloon allowed attendees to put on their cowboy hats and enjoy Nashville's country music roots. The President's Evening provided an elegant Rock 'n Roll dinner and dancing to the tunes of Nashville Blue Tones.

'We were thrilled with the meticulous work that went into our sponsored event at the Wildhorse Saloon during the 2008 HFTP Annual Convention & Tradeshow. IBS received an exceptional response from the numerous attendees and we look forward to continuing to be a presence at many future HFTP events,' said Kevin Pillsbury, director of business development for Integrated Business Systems, Inc. and sponsor of the Thursday night special event.

The tradeshow featured exhibitors representing a variety of hospitality products and services. "The HFTP Annual Convention & Tradeshow has always been a good opportunity for Northstar to showcase our new products and services and directly interact with our target audience," said Martin Izzi, CEO of Northstar Technologies, Inc. "This show helped expose Northstar to targeted customers who are ready to buy."

'We are proud to have been one of the sponsors for the 2008 HFTP Annual Convention & Tradeshow in Nashville," said Gary Stickna, senior vice president of Nationwide Consulting Company. "As first time exhibitors at this show, we were very pleased with the amount of attendees, the professionalism of how the show was run and the volume of quality leads that we obtained at our booth. We look forward to the 2009 show.'

The Annual Convention was also a time for recognition of individuals and chapters. George Glazer, senior vice president of the American Hotel & Lodging Education Institute (EI), was honored with the Paragon Award for his hard work and dedication to the hospitality industry and HFTP. Patrick Walsh, CHAE, controller at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in San Diego, Calif. was honored as the CHAE of the Year for scoring the highest on the CHAE exam in the past year. HFTP also awarded the Chapter of the Year. The new format for the award provided three tiers of winners based on number of members. Winners included the Southern Alberta Chapter (1-35 members), Florida Treasure Coast Chapters (36-70 members) and Mid-Florida Chapter (71+ members).

The 2009 HFTP Annual Convention & Tradeshow is September 16-19, 2009 at the Green Valley Ranch Resort, Spa and Casino in Las Vegas, Nev.