HFTP gets acquainted with social media.

Posted on | April 20, 2010 | No Comments

Recently we were invited to introduce Social Media and WOM10 (Word of Mouth on Steroids) to the HFTP association.  To the left is Marney Zeller who took the initiative to invite us to speak.

We’ve had the opportunity to work get acquainted with Marney as we’ve shared a couple of restaurant clients with her.  And we social media evangelists always appreciate the thought-leaders who step out ahead of the crowd and closely examine the shifts going on in the business world.

HFTP is the Hospitality, Finance, and Technical Professionals.  These are people who work in and around the hospitality industry.  Anyone who has attended a hospitality industry meeting can appreciate that the hosting members go all out in the food served and service of the food.

So we leaped at the opportunity to speak to the dinner meeting for HFTP.  And we were rewarded with a tasty dinner and superb service.  Our hosts — The Convention Center — were well represented by the service staff.  Our bartender was Richard, and when next you encounter him, enjoy the good service along with a nice mix on the drinks.  Richard manned the bar throughout the evening, and he allowed no glass to suffer a drought.

Our table service was supervised by Stanya.  She was polished in the presentation of the food, and she was discreet in the clearing of the tables. A “shout out” to two people who made the evening a great experience.

For my part, I enjoyed the opportunity to make our presentation — the crowd was attentive and interactive with questions.  We covered the decline of traditional media and then examined the reasons that social media is pushing the old model.

But most importantly, we addressed that the very nature of the hospitality industry and the type of people who populate it fit well when matched with the leading characteristics of social media.  Hospitality is all about people , the experience, and the stories that surround both.  Social media thrives on personalization, authenticity, and engaging stories.  The hospitality industry is a very rich pool of potential content  that could be shared through the new internet tools offered by social media.

Thanks for Marney for inviting us to speak, thanks to the Convention Center for hosting the event, and thanks to Richard and Stanya for their professional presence.

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