NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. - Officials of the California Lodging Investment Conference [CLIC], the only hospitality conference focused on the California hotel market, released its updated slate of speakers, sponsor and exhibitor lists. Scheduled for March 1st and 2nd at the Westin South Coast Plaza, the two-day event is expected to draw a few hundred attendees by design. [CLIC] is smaller boutique conference intended to maximize personal development and networking, with representatives from the Red Roof, Choice, Wyndham, G6, Sonesta, Best Western, IHG, Hyatt & Marriott brands, as well as numerous hotel brokers, lenders, owners, management companies and other third-party hotel professionals.
“As we approach our sixth annual gathering, our list of speakers, sponsors and exhibitors continues to grow with ever more impressive names,” said Craig Sullivan, founder and president, [CLIC]. “We slightly augmented the program to include new panels and fresh faces to keep things lively. With this updated line-up, we further cement our position as the premier hospitality conference for California hotels, owners, operators and associated parties.”
The event commences with an opening night networking mixer, open for the first time to all registered attendees. The conference begins in earnest on the 2nd with opening remarks by Sullivan followed by a state-of-the-industry outlook by Bruce Ford, Lodging Econometrics. Three panels make up the bulk of the remainder of the day, focusing on hotel labor, F&B and transactions. The session concludes with a hotel development round table and the awarding of the 2023 Development Deal of the Year.
The current panel line-up includes:
- Hotel Labor, moderated by Steve Van, Prism Hotels & Resorts, with panelists Scott Armin, A.J. Gallagher & Company; Jim Butler, JMBM; Kirsten Smiley, HVS; Bijal Patel, CH&LA; and Kyle Allison, GM, Reading Hospitality Management, Managing Partner HospitalityMD and Pat Mitchell Hogan Hospitality
- Hotel Refuel: Up your F&B Game, moderated by Glenn Haussman – No Vacancy News, with panelists Mark Crisci – Azul Hospitality Group; Jorge Luhan - Consultant & Restaurateur; Nima Fazeli – Consultant Hotel Development and F&B; and Tom Bergerson - Partner AO.
- Hotel Transactions Panel, moderated by Emmy Hise of CoStar, with panelists Keegan Bisch – Stonehill; Joseph Fan – Brighton Hospitality; Peter Steigleder – Fidelity Mortgage Lenders; Guy Maisnik – JMBM; Alan Reay – Atlas Hospitality; Jenny Redlin, Partner ESI; and Ryan Huntsman, Chicago Title NCS - CA.