Market Strategist Thomas Winninger will open this year`s Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC) General Session, Tuesday morning, June 20, at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minn.

Addressing topics like consumer mobility, the greening of the hotel, and other recent trends impacting the industry, Winninger will challenge hospitality technology professionals to use their skills to make profound changes in the industry. Winninger will replace Gannet News Service`s Leonard Fischer, who is unable to attend due to work conflicts.

Winninger, a seasoned hospitality market strategist, has worked for a vast majority of the major hotel brands and is known as America`s Leading Market Strategist. Winninger is the founder of Winninger Institute for Market Strategy, a research institute creating market strategies for America`s premium companies.

He is known for his unique ability to work within industries to create strategies that gain market advantage. His market strategies have been featured on CNBC`s First Business, in BoardRoom Reports, Venture and Success magazines and published in over 300 other trade journals, magazines and newspapers. He is author of the best-selling books MarketQuake, Price Wars, Full Price and Sell Easy. His new book BULLSEYE Thinking Smart! shares what market leaders are doing to consistently hit the mark.

Winninger`s companies received the Blue Chip Enterprise Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for market resilience. He was a nominee for America`s Entrepreneur of the Year Award and holds the coveted CPAE (Council of Peers Award of Excellence) designation for his lecture skills. Winninger is also the 1995 recipient of the prestigious Cavett Award, the highest award given by the National Speakers Association to only one member per year.

Following Winninger, professional speaker Connie Podesta MS, CSP, LPC, will address the challenges of interacting with difficult people, whether at home or in the office. Podesta has 25 years of business experience as a Licensed Professional Counselor, author, actress, comedienne, playwright and radio/TV talk show host.

Produced by HFTP, HITEC will be held June 19-22. It features an exhibition with over 700 booths displaying the latest hospitality technology products and services geared to the hospitality industry. Debuting this year is GUESTROOM 2010, a 90 x 40 foot pavilion featuring some of the latest and near-future technologies for the modern hotel room. HITEC also offers an exceptional education conference with presentations from experts representing all segments of the industry. Over 5,000 attendees are expected at HITEC.