As our team prepares to attend Hotel Technology Next Generation's (HTNG) North American Conference next week in Atlanta, we are excited to have one of our very own as the keynote to really highlight Cisco's leadership in the hospitality industry. Cisco's Bob Friday, CTO, Wireless Networking Group, will be joined by our partner John Bollen, MGM resorts VP of IT to discuss key trends in the industry and specifically at MGM. They will discuss guest needs and demands, how to turn the mobile opportunity into revenue, and the vision of the industry and where it is going.

The keynote will hit on all the imperatives that Cisco Hospitality is driving citing Cisco's recent Wi-Fi installation at MGM Resorts as a key example. Together, the pair will discuss how certain trends are impacting both Cisco and MGM solutions developments, investments and more. With Bob Friday's experience in mobility, he will also address what he is seeing in other industries and how it can be applied to hospitality.

There is no better time than now to have these two executives discuss the guest experience as it relates to mobility. Cisco's recently released the Connected Mobile Experiences solution which provides multiple benefits to hoteliers, including new and enhanced guest experiences, unique revenue opportunities and optimized operations. Cisco's Connected Mobile Experiences solution offers guests access to personalized, property-specific location-based communication and services on smart devices delivered over a converged Wi-Fi network. Built upon Cisco Unified Access infrastructure, Connected Mobile Experiences is a platform for business innovation that includes the Cisco Mobile Services Engine and Cisco Wireless Access Points to detect presence; transparently connect to Wi-Fi; launch loyalty app; capture contextual information such as opt-in profile, indoor location, and dwell time; and; deliver relevant mobile services.

The keynote will take place on Tuesday, February 26 at 9:15 a.m. EST. If you are planning on attending, we hope to see you there. You can register for HTNG here. If you are unable to attend we will have the keynote in its entirety available on demand post-show. We'll be sure to update you on those details when they are available.

For more information on HTNG North American, read their full press release here: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/mgm-resorts-internationals-wi-fi-110000247.html.