Agilysys Pledges Innovation that is 100% Hospitality
Agilysys Inspire took place February 4-7, 2020 at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando. The annual user conference offers hospitality operators an opportunity to hear from the solution provider’s senior leadership on the company’s plans in the year ahead to deliver even more on a focus that is totally hospitality specific. Attendees also are able to receive hands-on demonstrations to make sure that technology investments are being utilized effectively and completely.
The event welcomed 500+ attendees across the hotel, restaurant and gaming industries from 39 states and six countries.
In an opening address, Agilysys CEO, Ramesh Srinivasan, illustrated that 100% hospitality focus, citing areas of progress over the past year and plans for the next 12 months. Srinivasan outlined specific efforts in development of new technologies and the improvement in customer support to provide faster resolutions.
The distinguished NBA all-star, Shane Battier, delivered the Keynote Address. A six-time divisional winner of the Sportsmanship Award, Battier is also known for his exemplary character and his commitment to community service – a purposeful strategy which he openly shared with Inspire attendees.
That evening, the Agilysys team extended its warmest welcome at the poolside reception, which featured international fare stations and team-building games. The Welcome Reception was the perfect opportunity to meet new friends, catch up with long-time colleagues and enjoy handcrafted cocktails.
The forum is designed to help customers power up their technology skills through a variety of activities, speakers and breakout sessions. The Inspire User Conference offered dozens of technology sessions hosted by product technologists. It also featured customer-led sessions, including those by Vail Resorts and Pinehurst Resort & Country Club, who each shared their own version of software deployment success with tips for the standing room-only crowds.
Among top challenges in hospitality according to Hospitality Technology’s annual studies (Lodging Technology Study & Restaurant Technology Study) is the lack of skilled technology expertise. Add to this a tight labor market that often results in higher turnover, operators are challenged to make training and onboarding as comprehensive and user-friendly as possible.
Erin Sollund, the point of sales & property management system administrator at Leech Lake Gaming, had been challenged by systems training, but said, “An ‘Aha’ moment for me was when I was sitting in a workshop and the presenter mentioned how users can set up tasks to run the daily, weekly, monthly, yearly reports and tasks. Right after that workshop an Agilysys tech that was sitting next to me took me aside and walked me through the entire process and I got the overnight cook set up for my property.
“Inspire 2020 was an unforgettable conference. It provided me with the opportunity to network with a wide variety of professionals throughout the hospitality, operations, marketing and IT departments,” Sollund adds. “My favorite part of the conference was hearing the inspirational keynote speaker Shane Battier. He truly brought a great message about leadership that really did INSPIRE me!”
- The Magic of Hospitality
The 2020 Inspire closed out with an event that encapsulated the magic of hospitality. Attendees had access to an exclusive experience at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ – Daigon Alley™ at Universal Studios Florida.
Stay tuned for details about Agilysys’ next Inspire user conference.