Later this month, the center of the hotel technology world will be in Orlando as the 38th HITEC convenes in the Orange County Convention Center. Dates for the conference and trade show are June 21-24. HITEC, sponsored and produced by Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals, the event is a one-stop shop for cutting-edge education, access to experts and hotel technology vendors and peer-to-peer networking.

Heart of HITEC are the hundreds of vendor exhibits that will showcase the latest in hotel and hospitality technology, everything from guestroom technology and energy management to property management and safety and security and more. The show floor will be open 15 hours during the conference: Tuesday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In addition, exhibitors will be conducting private appointments with attendees in the two-hour periods before the show opens on both Wednesday and Thursday.

A popular feature of the exhibit floor is Guestroom 20X, a complete guest suite outfitted with the most advanced technologies submitted by scores of companies. Sponsored by Microsoft, the exhibit includes some systems available today and many that could be on the market in the near future.

Many vendors will also be conducting tutorials in a special area of the exhibit hall. The short tutorials, six of which will be held on both Tuesday and Wednesday, can help attendees grasp basic information about various classes of technology.

Following a day of educational sessions and certification review and testing, the event officially kicks off on Monday at 4 p.m. with keynote speaker Frank Abagnale, former con man turned authority on white-collar crime. His life of crime was the inspiration for the book and movie “Catch Me If You Can.”

The HITEC welcome reception follows at 6 p.m. in the Rosen Centre Hotel near the convention center.

A second general session will be held Tuesday morning as trendwatcher Michael Tchong previews the warp-speed changes in technology, culture and the hospitality business. Another general session, titled Lessons From the Mouse, closes the conference on Thursday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Author and long-time Disney employee Dennis Snow will share the unmatched customer service culture he helped build at the company.

One hallmark of HITEC is its rich educational program, and this year is no different. During the four days of the conference, 35 educational sessions, including six so-called super sessions, will cover every possible technology topic for the hotel and club industries.

The super sessions are longer (90 minutes versus 60) than the typical panel discussion and cover broad themes of hotel technology, including identity theft, SaaS, system integration, guest-centric service models and more.

Here is a daily rundown of key educational sessions:

Monday, June 21
• In-Room Entertainment and Information (9-10 a.m.), an examination of the pros and cons of using a variety of multi-media in a guestroom. The discussion will also look at issues related to implementation and cost.

• NextGen PBX: Hosted Digital Dial-Tone, Myth or Reality (9-10 a.m.), a case study approach to the new PBX landscape and its impact on individual hotels.

• System Selection/Technology Fundamentals (10:15-11:45 a.m.), a super session in which three technology consultants present the key steps in system selection and achieving a favorable outcome with vendors.

• Broadband HSIA Trends (1-2 p.m.), a look at the current and future trends in high-speed Internet access and how they dictate that the future focus will be on bandwidth.

Tuesday, June 22
• The Green Hotel-Good for Business (4-5:30 p.m.), a discussion of the opportunities and challenges to implementing earth-friendly IT initiatives. Presentations will include case histories of green hotel companies, current and pending government legislation affecting green and how to qualify for federal tax credits.

• Hospitality Distribution Challenges (4-5:30 p.m.), an open discussion between intermediaries and hoteliers on the challenges facing electronic distribution today and what are the best ways to approach them.

Wednesday, June 23
• Mobile Distribution-Much More Than Billboards and Neon Vacancy Signs (8-9 a.m.), a primer on understanding and using the highly targeted marketing opportunities presented by mobile technology.

• One Guest, One Profile, Many Opportunities (8-9 a.m.), a discussion on the best ways to execute an enterprise-class customer relationship management system in a hospitality environment while managing guests’ personal data and meeting global customer data protection regulations.

• What You Need to Know About the New Trends in Meetings Technology (9:15-10:15 a.m.), a review of the significant trends in meeting rooms and other venues, including social media, mobile and location-based technologies.

• Social Media: WTH R THEY TWEETING ABT!? (2:45-4:15 p.m.), a can’t-miss super session that will present the full details on social media and its impact on the hospitality industry, as well as the larger business community.

• How to Future-Proof Customer-Facing Technology in the Guestroom (2:45-4:15 p.m.), a look at the key challenges, from boutiques to large-scale properties, when rolling out new guestroom technology.

Thursday, June 24
•Hotel Security Beyond PCI (9-10:30 a.m.), a super session overview of current data security governance, threats, policies and products.

• Identify Theft: Prevent, Detect, Secure (2:15-3:15 p.m.), an examination of how to best protect guests’ identifies and respond appropriately if there is a question about identify theft.

• Making Money With Technology (2:15-3:15 p.m.), a look at ways to use technology infrastructure to generate revenues. Possible sources of profit include VoIP, new TV advertising ideas, reaching guests through their mobile devices and more.

Check the HITEC website for more information or to register for the show.