HTNG 2015 North American Conference

The HTNG’s 2015 North American Conference for Hospitality Technology has begun. This conference helps hospitality IT executives network, educate and personal development for hospitality technologists across the globe.

This 4 day conference is split up into two day events.

“Tech Days (Monday & Tuesday) sessions are focused, technical topics intended for smaller groups.  There are concurrent sessions from which you can pick topics of greatest interest to you.  Also, as part of Tech Days activities, the Software Forum and the Infrastructure and Device Forum will each hold a forum meeting.  Participants can view presentations about the latest technologies from 2014 during a revamped technology innovation competition. 

Strategy Days (Wednesday & Thursday) will include our general session presentations which are designed for a broader hospitality audience. The conference concludes for senior level hoteliers with the Hotel IT Leaders’ Roundtable. The Roundtable allows participating hoteliers (limited to two per company) to choose their preferred topics for an open dialogue.”

This photo is taken form the HTNG website.

HTNG has also introduced a new and improved innovation competition, building on its popular Most Innovative Hospitality Technology award. The new TechOvation Award will be more competitive, offer greater visibility, provide expanded PR opportunities and feature live audience participation.

"We are thrilled to offer a more engaging competition this year," said Douglas Rice, Executive Vice President & CEO of HTNG. "

Dave Berkus

Dave Berkus is acknowledged as one of the most active angel investors in the country, having made and actively participated in 108 angel technology investments, achieving an IRR of 97%. In regard to his role, Dave Berkus said, "The pace of technology change is increasing, and the hotel industry must continually be challenged to provide technology leadership in areas that enhance guest service, increase revenues or decrease costs. The HTNG TechOvation Award is a chance to highlight and encourage innovation that is relevant to both hotel guests and owners."

This year will feature a substantial list of speakers. Click here to see list. 

Where: Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa | San Antonio, TX

When: February 23-26

Dress Code: Business Casual

New Video: Discover the Power of Percipia

We are excited to share with you the release of our new video. The products that we sell do not just impact businesses across the world; we heavily impact the customers of our clients. We want you to Discover the Power of Percipia.

Take a look!

15th Annual Chicago Polar Plunge

On March 1st, 2015 the 15th Annual Polar Bear Plunge will commence. Last year more than 3,000 people jumped in Lake Michigan for the Polar Bear Plunge. Participants have the option to go knee high, waist high or even take the full plunge. The event has no registration fee; however participants are required to raise a minimum of $75 on their fundraiser page. Participants will receive a link which they can send around to family and friends so that they can make secure online donations. In 2014, more than $2.1 million was raised by more than 7,300 plungers.

(Credit: Brooke Collins, City Of Chicago)

(Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)

Jimmy Fallon and Mayor Emanuel  participated in the Plunge last year. Fallon promised Emanuel that he would do the event with him and kept his word. Fallon should up in a suit, while Emanuel wear a green Chicago Public Library T-shirt and shorts.

Participants will enter the water in waves (10:30am, 11:00am, 11:30am). Costumes are encouraged. All fundraisers will receive a long sleeved t-shirt and a commemorative towel when exiting the water. All are invited to our post event "Melt Down Party" (11am-2pm) which takes place inside the boat house and in adjacent large heated tents. Music, food, cash bar and more!

Tweet @Percipia1 if you are attending or observing this years event!

LinkedIn

At Percipia we believe our staff should have up-to-date LinkedIn profiles. It not only reflects them personally but reflects the company as a whole. You can see a glimpse of work atmosphere and how a company operates, just by searching personal and company profiles.

LinkedIn is a very powerful social media tool that connects the professional world together. Users are able to network with people in their field, look into company profiles, search who’s working for that company, what tasks they are doing, and search for jobs within that field. Your company is exposed to the world. Companies do not have control of what their employees post on LinkedIn or any other social media outlet, but at Percipia we help guide everyone to structure their profiles to best represent themselves and the company. We have someone on site that is able to assist all staff with the best guidance for social networking.

Michael Velasquez, CEO, has a perfect LinkedIn profile that best represents our company. He actively posts and keeps his profile up-to-date. In the professional world, it is very important to be on top of your industries news. You must be connected with the right profiles, so you can optimize your network.

Staying on top of notifications is crucial. Social media is 24/7 that means you can get a connection request, or an inbox message at any point. Users should look into responding to those messages daily. Notifications are like emails, you should respond to them asap, because you never know what the possibility could hold for that professional.

We would love for you to connect with us on our different social media outlets.  Click on our social icons on the side of the screen or search for Percipia.

Welcome Sajjad to the Team!

Please help us welcome Sajjad Amiri to our Chicago team!

It is always nerve-racking coming into a new company and trying to break the ice. Ensuring that new employees feel comfortable is crucial to building a positive transition within a company. We thought it would be fun to ask Sajjad a few questions to get to know him a little better.

Let’s get started!

Q: What is your official work title?

A: My official work title is System Support Specialist.


Q: Can you tell us more about your professional experience/ history?

A: I really enjoy learning more about computer networks, so I studied telecommunication engineering and continued my education toward master degree on wireless networks. After graduation, I've worked as network technician and cooperated with several IT companies to gain experience in many aspects of IT & networking technologies and protocols.


Q: What do you like to do outside of work?

A: I love sports especially climbing. It is challenging and fun. I used to do it professionally and I have a few championships in university sport climbing competitions. I also like to read books and watch movies and socialize with my friends.


Q: What are your greatest travel experience?

A: It was desert adventure trip in greatest desert of Iran. By day, Dashte-Kavir overwhelms with its scale, but by night the star-serried sky will leave you speechless.

Now on to the more personal questions.

Q: Favorite movie?

A: Actually, I can’t think of one specific movie as my favorite one. Blindness , Inception, Into the Wild, Triangle, Cast away, It’s a beautiful life are my favorites.


Q: Guilty pleasure music artist?

A: I don’t have one!


Q: What is something that inspires you?

A: For me, inspiration comes from solving big, meaningful problems with people I admire and love to work with, and seeing how the results of our job affects on others lives and their affairs. When the results are effective I’ll be most inspired.


Q: What would you say your professional goal would be now that you are employed at Percipia?

A: To become an expert in VoIP technologies.


Well there you have it! We are so happy to have Sajjad join the team and contribute to the success of Percipia.


You can send Sajjad some fan mail by tweeting @PercipiaNetwork

Croc's Casino & Resort

On February 12th, 2015 Croc’s Casino and Resort will have its grand opening.  The 152 hotel room/ 44 beachfront condo property is located on the beautiful blue beaches of Jaco, Costa Rica. The feature that makes Croc’s unique would be the full Las Vegas style casino.

“With the management of experts of the gaming industry in Las Vegas, our Casino will be a living experience every day, with top service and entertainment in a tropical setting with ocean views.”

Here is list of features at Croc’s Casino & Resort:

• Full casino
• 152 Beachfront Hotel Rooms
• Fitness center
• Salon
• Luxury spa
• Dance club
• 3 restaurants
• Oceanfront bars
• Retail stores

Whether you are there for vacation, business or weddings Croc’s has everything for everyone. The resort is family friendly and has a ton to offer the little ones like local adventures and water sports. Wedding packages are on their website and feature very reasonable prices for a destination wedding.

We were honored getting selected by Croc’s to install our Latitude and Parallax products at this stunning property. Click here to connect to our website to see the full list of our products.

The resort is now featuring special offers for the month of June 2015, if you are interested in visiting the new property.

Welcome Liam to the Team!

Please help us welcome Liam Doring to our Chicago team!

It is always nerve-racking coming into a new company and trying to break the ice. Ensuring that new employees feel comfortable is crucial to building a positive transition within a company. We thought it would be fun to ask Ian a few questions to get to know him a little better.

Let’s get started!

Q: What is your official work title?

A: I am a System Support Specialist.


Q: Can you tell us more about your professional experience/ history?

A: I spent a lot of time in the technical theater world, which usually involved lots of wood and metal working, as well as some electronics. I then worked repairing Segway vehicles for a rental company and finally decided to focus on linux and coding.


Q: What do you like to do outside of work?

A: I still love to see live theater and occasionally perform. I like rock climbing and I want to see Chichen Itza next.


Q: What would you say your professional goal would be now that you are employed at Percipia?

A: I am very excited to be able to travel and work with such a talented group of people! I plan on learning as much as I can from my colleagues to help secure our customers’ trust.

Now on to the more personal questions.

Q: Favorite movie?

A: My favorite movie, at the moment, is Stalker by Tarkovsky.


Q: Guilty pleasure music artist?

A: Enya, ugh, I know!


Q: What are your greatest travel experience?

A: My favorite place to visit so far has been Florence, Italy. As the hub of the renaissance, it is just filled with mind blowing art and culture. The central area still uses the medieval streets so it’s easy to be a pedestrian.


Q: What is something that inspires you?

A: I am inspired most by the potential of Moore’s law that computers will double in computing power every two years. I feel very privileged to watch humanity adopt and develop the myriad technologies around us. Prometheus, eat your heart out!



Well there you have it! We are so happy to have Liam join the team and contribute to the success of Percipia.

You can send Liam some fan mail by tweeting @PercipiaNetwork