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The Midwest Lodging Investors Summit is a leading conference for lodging industry owners, developers, operators, lenders, consultants and brand company executives. Now in its fifth year, MLIS draws between 300 and 400 hotel industry executives to Chicago in July to listen, learn, share and socialize. MLIS returns to the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place July 16-18.

The MLIS agenda combines general sessions, breakout discussions and keynote speakers covering a wide variety of topics related to hotel development, ownership and management, both in the Midwest and throughout the U.S.

Laurence Geller, the CEO of Strategic Hotels & Resorts and the event’s first keynote speaker, will return to the stage to kick off the event. One of the industry’s most outspoken leaders, Geller will offer his perspective on the industry’s successes and failures since the first MLIS in 2008.

General session topics include the CEOs’ view from the top, repositioning strategies and the state of hotel financing. Breakout sessions will offer more a specialized focus, including a unique segment report discussing the opportunities and challenges in urban, suburban and interstate markets.
Click here for the full agenda.

MLIS also has plenty of networking opportunities, including breakfast, coffee breaks and lavish evening receptions.

Joins us in Chicago to honor Bruce White with the Lodging Hospitality’s Game Changer Award

Bruce White isn’t afraid to take a risk. Just last year, White’s company, White Lodging Services, opened the world’s largest property, the JW Marriott, a 1,005-room property in Indianapolis. The chairman and CEO of the Merrillville, IN-based ownership and management company founded in 1985 oversees a portfolio of 157 hotels in 19 states.

The Game Changer award is presented annually at MLIS to honor someone who has made a significant impact on lodging in the Midwest and on the industry as a whole. Steve Marcus of Marcus Hotels & Resorts was the inaugural winner in 2011.

Click here to read more about Bruce White.

The 2012 Midwest Lodging Investors Summit is
Produced by Lodging Hospitality in Affiliation with HVS:

Lodging Hospitality serves the domestic U.S. lodging industry, which includes hotels, motels, motor inns, and resorts. LH covers site selection, operations, design and decor, financing, building, personnel, maintenance, computerization, merchandising and renovation. Editorial is targeted to executives and managers of properties with more than 50 rooms - the segment most often targeted by vendors. This editorial is produced by a staff with more years of experience in the hospitality press than other industry publications.

HVS Hotel Management is the division of HVS that performs all of the firm’s operations and related work in the United States. This work includes actual Hotel Management, Asset Management, Management Company Selection and Contract Negotiation, Brand Selection and Contract Negotiation, being a Court Appointed Receiver, Expert Witness Services, Pre-Opening Services, Hotel Performance Analysis, Investment Analysis, and related Consulting. We can provide our clients with one contact point for coordination of multiple services from other divisions of HVS in our 30 International offices such as appraisal/valuation, capital markets for new equity, design, renovation, repositioning coordination, and executive recruitment for the right team to execute the plan.

Monday July 16
4:30pm - 8:00pm	Registration Open
5:30pm - 7:30pm	Opening Reception
Tuesday July 17
7:00am - 7:00pm	Registration
7:30am - 8:30am	Continental Breakfast
8:30am - 8:35am	Welcome
	Gary Dietz, publisher, Lodging Hospitality
8:35am - 9:05am	MLIS: A Five-Year Retrospective
	A look back at the significant changes in the lodging industry since the first Midwest Lodging Investors Summit by the first year’s keynote speaker Introduction: Don Landry, president, Top Ten Consulting Speaker: Laurence Geller, president & CEO, Strategic Hotels & Resorts
9:05am - 9:15am	A Five-Year Review of Hotel Distribution
	No aspect of the hotel business has evolved more quickly in recent years than has distribution. The OTAs, social media and other new technologies change the way guests book hotel rooms. Here’s a look back and a glimpse into the future. Speaker: Traci Mercer, vice president-market management, Expedia
9:15am - 10:30am	General Session: A View From the Top
	Moderator: Jeff Higley, vice president, STR, HotelNewsNow David Kong, president & CEO, Best Western International Roger Bloss, president & CEO, Vantage Hospitality Group Mark LaPort, president & CEO, Concord Hospitality Wayne Goldberg, president & CEO, La Quinta Inns & Suites Following an update on the health of the U.S. lodging industry, executives from leading hotel companies—brands, management companies, ownership groups—will look to the future to spot opportunities for growth.
10:30am-11:00am	NETWORKING BREAK
11:00am - 11:50am	Breakout Sessions
	The Shifting Landscape in Hotel Management Contracts Moderator:Stephen Barth, professor, University of Houston; founder, HospitalityLawyer.com Recent court cases have further muddied the waters in the shifting relationship between hotel owners and their management companies. A panel of legal experts, hotel owners and experienced managers discuss the nuances of a good marriage between owner and operator.
	Up On The Roof: Analyzing What Amenities Work and What Don’t Moderator:Kim Bardoul, consultant, The Highland Group Robert Habeeb, CHA, president & COO, First Hospitality Group John Atwood, executive vice president, Innovative Spa Management Hotel developers use a variety of facilities, services and amenities to differentiate their properties from the competition. Determining what works and what doesn’t is a mix of art and science. A panel of Chicago hotel operators discusses their secrets to success for such things as rooftop bars and/or pools and celebrity chef-driven restaurants.
	Social Media, The Next Step Moderator: Chris Jackson, vice president, G Commerce Solutions Gordon Liametz, founder & CEO, Revenue Performance Mark Lomanno, executive board member, NewBrandAnalytics Marketing strategies and channel management aren’t as easy as they used to be. Experts discuss the ongoing evolution of social media and how hotels and revenue managers can use it to drive business and profits.
12:00pm - 1:30pm	Lunch - Cashing In On the Coming Wave of International Visitors
	The U.S. stature as a tourism destination has fallen in recent years, but now a new public-private partnership formed to market the U.S. brand aims to turn that trend around. A conversation with two hospitality industry leaders will illuminate these efforts and help attendees discover how it can have a positive impact on their own businesses. Host: Don Landry, president, Top Ten Hospitality Advisors Jim Evans, CEO, Brand USA Nancy Johnson, executive vice president-development, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group & chair, American Hotel & Lodging Association
1:30pm - 1:45pm	The Market Report
	An overview of pipeline and transaction trends in urban, suburban and interstate hotel markets.
2:00pm-2:40pm	Market Report Segment Tracks
	In three separate mini-breakouts, brokers, brand executive and consultants explore the opportunities and challenges ahead in three major hotel industry market segments 1. Urban Markets Leader: Eric Belfrage, vice president, CBRE Hotels Michael Cahill, CEO & founder, HREC Craig Mance, Senior Vice President Development, NA Hilton Worldwide 2. Suburban Markets Leader: David Sangree, president, Hotel & Leisure Advisors Chuck Pinkowski, founder, Pinkowski & Co. 3. Interstate Markets Leader: Teresa Matsui Sanders, founder, DogWonderful.com Greg Hanis, president, Hospitality Marketers International Ravi Patel, executive vice president, Hawkeye Hotels
2:50pm - 3:30pm	Market Report Segment Tracks
	Mini-breakouts on each segment repeat.
3:30pm - 4:00pm	Networking Break
4:00pm - 5:15pm	General Session: Repositioning to Succeed
	Moderator: Biff Hawkey, senior vice president-development, Hostmark Steve Van, president & CEO, Prism Hotels & Resorts Bill Reynolds, Jr., senior managing director, MHR Capital Whether your property is struggling or you’re a new owner, repositioning an asset can be one of the most difficult and complicated, yet rewarding decisions you can make. Experts offer strategies and advice on how and why reflagging (or de-flagging) a property can be the smart choice. Topics covered include the ins and outs of management and franchise contracts, PIPs, credit availability, soft branding and independent alternatives to traditional franchise options.
5:30pm - 8:00pm	Evening Reception
Wednesday July 18
7:00am - 10:00am	Registration
7:30am - 8:30am	Continental Breakfast
8:30am - 8:45am	Welcome Back
	Don Landry, president, Top Ten Consulting Gary Dietz, publisher, Lodging Hospitality Kirby Payne, president, HVS Hotel Management
8:45am - 9:30am	MLIS Game Changer Award
	Honoree: Bruce White, chairman & CEO, White Lodging Services Presenter and host for a discussion with Bruce: Dr. Ron Cichy, director and professor, The School of Hospitality Business, Michigan State University Bruce White, chairman and CEO of White Lodging Services, is one of the hotel industry’s most dynamic and entrepreneurial leaders. Even during the industry’s recent downturn, White continued to develop new properties, including the world’s largest JW Marriott, a 1,005-room property in downtown Indianapolis that’s the final touch in a multi-property development by White in the city’s rejuvenated convention center district. White’s portfolio includes 158 hotels in 20 states in the Midwest, Northeast and as far west as Arizona. White operates within seven major hotel brand families.
9:40am - 10:30am	Breakout Sessions
	Creative Operating Opportunities Moderator: Kirby Payne, president, HVS Hotel Management Leaving a conference with one great idea can make the trip and time worthwhile. Operational experts provide tips to help drive efficiencies and revenues at the property level, while also discussing ways to create a work environment that helps stimulate employee interaction and innovation.
	Transactions Temperature Moderator: AJ Singh, Michigan State University Peter Willis, chief investment officer, Chatham Lodging Trust Hot, cold or lukewarm? Brokers, buyers and sellers discuss the state of the transaction market and where the opportunities lie. CMBS and other loan maturities continue to cause distress, and savvy investors are taking advantage.
10:30am-11:00am	NETWORKING BREAK
11:00am - 12:159m	General Session: Who’s Got Money?
	Moderator: John O’Neill, director, School of Hospitality Management, Penn State University Jonathan Benowitz, managing director, investment origination, RockBridge Capital Reginald Heard, president & CEO, Bankers One Capital Chris Williams, vice president, originations-hospitality, GE Capital Americas Money to buy or build lodging assets is hard to find, but it’s available. A panel of lenders and borrowers explains what it takes to get financing in this environment. Topics covered will include alternative financing vehicles, such as EB-5, historic and other tax credits and more.
12:15pm	Conference Concludes

Thank you for your interestin the MLIS

Joins us in Chicago to honor Bruce White with the Lodging Hospitality’s Game Changer Award

Monday July 16

Tuesday July 17

Wednesday July 18

Thank you for your interest
in the MLIS