The international best-selling author of The Pursuit of Happyness rocked the hospitality industry when he surprised guests at the ALHI Executive Exchange in Southern California by “live beaming” onto the stage via a PORTL hologram device; He announced he plans to do appearance via holoportation from now on to bring his message of self-empowerment to a global audience, safely and sustainably
Palos Verdes, CA (September 26, 2021): At the Associated Luxury Hotels International Executive Exchange today, Chris Gardner, who was played by Will Smith in the movie The Pursuit of Happyness, “beamed in” to give his keynote address in a PORTL hologram device. Appearing in life-like, volumetric 4K, Gardner was able to interact with the audience in real time. The sought-after-speaker was beaming a short distance—from backstage at the award-winning, oceanfront Terranea Resort to its ballroom—but Gardner did it to demonstrate that PORTL can do the same thing from anywhere on Earth, saving the time, money and carbon emissions he would normally burn travelling by jet to his 200 engagements a year worldwide.
The PORTL technology is already in use in the hospitality and meetings industry where it can beam in keynote speakers, celebrities and entertainers; showcase an interactive holographic concierge; present items for auctions that are entirely digital or can’t actually be on site; become an engaging event in itself allowing visitors to become holograms themselves or appear as avatars with overlays.
Associated Luxury Hotels International connects meeting professionals with a carefully curated portfolio of four and five Diamond luxury hotels across the globe, totaling 160,000 rooms and 17M square feet of meeting space. Gardner spoke about how important the concept of ‘baby steps” are in anything a person or organization is trying to achieve while on the journey to the Dream. Gardner’s new book Permission To Dream, released earlier this year, was selected as book of the month by the Wall Street Journal upon publication.
“You know me, I love talking with people and adjusting the way they work toward their dreams,” said Chris Gardner, CEO of Happyness. “Now I can get anywhere without all the drama and drain and damage of flying -- I can just PORTL there. I can even be in a dozen cities at once if you want to book that, interacting with the crowd at every single one.”
PORTL has proven its ability to “beam” people to and from anywhere in the world for interactive experiences, including CEO, Athletes and superstar musicians. Backed by Tim Draper (known for helping Tesla and SpaceX get started), PORTL has beamed race car drivers across COVID quarantine lines (For DHL and Formula E), allowed hip hop’s Migos to appear in 4 cities at once, and even allowed a father to deliver a stirring rendition of “Happy Birthday” to his son 3000 miles away (that was P. Diddy).
“PORTL was invented to make science fiction a reality and transform the way we communicate,” said David Nussbaum, CEO and Inventor of PORTL Inc. “What a dream to have one of the most inspiring speakers in the world, Chris Gardner, embrace our holoportation technology for exactly what it was intended to do: bring people closer together globally.”
“At ALHI we strive to present the best and newest the hospitality and events industry has to offer,” said Silvia Zamora, ALHI’s Vice President, Meeting Design & Experience. “With Chris Gardner demonstrating the power of PORTL and the both the practical problems it solves and the excitement of the hologram technology, our properties are truly seeing the future here first.”
For more information about ALHI’s programs and properties contact: jduffy@alhi.com
For booking information for Chris Gardner contact: speaking@chrisgardnermedia.com
For more information on PORTL Inc. contact: Owen@thoughtgangmedia.com
About Associated Luxury Hotels International: Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) serves as a global sales organization (GSO) for its exclusive membership of the world's most distinguished independently operated or owned hotels and resorts, cruise ships and DMCs within the meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition (MICE) marketplace. With a dedicated GSO team of nearly 80 professionals located among 26 offices across North America and Europe; ALHI delivers personalized service and connectivity to a select membership of over 250 luxury properties located worldwide. More info: www.alhi.com
About PORTL Inc.: PORTL Inc. is the maker of hologram devices and the software and cloud services to support holoportation. Founded in 2018 by inventor and CEO David Nussbaum,its award-winning products are now in use all over the world, beaming executives, tech and science experts, and sports and music celebrities to events, displaying NFTs and other objects, and becoming a vital new tool for luxury brands and the hospitality industry. PORTL's headquarters are in Los Angeles, CA and it has satellite and distributor showrooms in New York, Las Vegas, and Dubai. PORTL seeks to bring people together across every kind of divide. For more information go to PORTLhologram.com.