Hospitality and Financial Industry Executives Discussed the Latest Trends, Economic Influences and Projections at the 46th Annual NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference.
This week at the 46th annual NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference (NYU IHIIC), operated by Questex, a leading information services and event company, in partnership with the NYU School of Professional Studies (NYU SPS) and its Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, top industry executives, from CEOs of hotel brands to various investment and real estate executives, discussed the latest trends, economic influences and projections.
The NYU IHIIC hosted more than 2,100 delegates, 20% of which were equity investors, representing more than $70B in hotel assets under management.
Sixty percent of investor attendees attended the conference for the first time, demonstrating the increasing appeal of hospitality as an investment class.
The NYU IHIIC has been the touchstone for hotel investment and development in the Americas for over 40 years.
Yearly, the conference program delivers unparalleled thought leadership through keynotes, general sessions, workshops, and networking events.
Over 180 top industry executives delivered unparalleled thought leadership through keynotes, general sessions and workshops.
This year’s event theme “Driving Alpha” showcased opportunities for those with expertise of the hotel/hospitality sector to drive profitability through operational innovation.
The opening keynote address was delivered by Ellen Zentner, Managing Director and Chief US Economist at Morgan Stanley, who set the tone with an overview of the ever-evolving macroeconomic landscape and its impact on the hospitality industry and the capital markets.
Other prominent leaders who presented at NYU IHIIC include: Geoff Ballotti, President and Chief Executive Officer, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Brian Kelly, The Points Guy, Gloria Guevara Manzo, Chief Special Advisor, Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia (and former Secretary for Tourism of Mexico and former President and CEO of the WTTC).
Blackstone’s President and Chief Operating Officer, Jon Gray, received the inaugural Jonathan Tisch Active Citizenship Award.
The award celebrates the positive impact and achievements of a leader in the hospitality industry. Gray also participated in a Fireside Chat with Tisch, covering the state of the industry and his philanthropy.
“The CEOs Check In: Industry Titans on Driving the Hospitality Market” session brought together the leaders of the world’s major hospitality companies to share their insights on the shifts in the hospitality, travel, and real estate markets.
Anthony Capuano, President and Chief Executive Officer, Marriott International; Christopher J. Nassetta, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hilton; Elie Maalouf, Chief Executive Officer, IHG Hotels & Resorts; Mark S. Hoplamazian, President and Chief Executive Officer; Hyatt Hotels Corporation; and Sébastien M. Bazin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
Accor will share the macro-trends that will have the most significant impact on the market, the events that will reshape the industry, and the strategies for surpassing goals. The session was hosted by Sara Eisen, Anchor, Closing Bell, CNBC.
“For more than four decades, the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference has been the go-to event for industry business leaders,” said Alexi Khajavi, Group President Hospitality, Wellness and Travel, Questex.
“In its first year under Questex management control, we have helped the conference grow while also delivering unparalleled content.
The robust discussions and insights shared by industry leaders highlight the resilience of our sector and also paved the way for innovative strategies and renewed growth.
I am particularly impressed by the forward-thinking approaches that emerged from the sessions. I expect they will set a strong foundation for future success.”
Nicolas Graf, Jonathan M. Tisch Chaired Professor and Associate Dean of the NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, said, “This year’s event carried on the tradition of engaging discussions and debates, emblematic of our industry’s dynamism and its innovative thinking and actions.
We look forward to seeing how the thought-provoking ideas and themes discussed here play out in the coming months and learning more about their impact when we gather again for the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference in June 2025.”
A share of proceeds from the event will help fund student scholarships at the NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality and further support the program’s mission of educating and preparing future leaders and innovators for careers in global hospitality management, travel, and tourism.
NYU IHIIC 2025 takes place June 1-3, 2025 at the Marriott Marquis in New York.
About the NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality: The NYU School of Professional Studies Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, now celebrating nearly 30 years of academic excellence, is a leading center for the study of hospitality, travel, and tourism.
Founded in 1995, the Tisch Center was established in response to the growing need for hospitality and tourism undergraduate and graduate education.
Its cutting-edge curricula attract bright, motivated students who seek to become leaders in their fields The Tisch Center recently launched the Hospitality Innovation Hub (HI Hub), which will foster entrepreneurship and creative solutions for the industries it serves.
About Questex: Questex helps people live better and longer. Questex brings people together in the markets that help people live better: travel, hospitality and wellness; the industries that help people live longer: life science and healthcare; and the technologies that enable and fuel these new experiences.
We live in the experience economy – connecting our ecosystem through live events, surrounded by data insights and digital communities. We deliver experience and real results. It happens here.
Three roundtable and special presentations were in the hospitality sector and tourism we attended, if you or your company is interested further go to each of the countries websites to learn about some of these projects.
Invest Saudi: where the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Mahmoud Abdul Hadi, and his team spoke at the conference and shared their vision, for investors to come to Saudi Arabia, to build hotels, and engage in different business ventures, the minister and his team shared their vision of the Crown Prince Bin Salman’s Neom Project, a futuristic, technologically advanced city and economic zone aimed at diversifying Saudi Arabia’s economy away from oil dependence. to learn more about this 1 Trillion-dollar project, click here the NEOM Project. , other projects discussed were to learn more and to be part of these projects, click here for more information.
SMIT Morocco, Ministry of Tourism for Morocco: Younes Hajoui, Asset Management head and Salim Mikram, Independent Advisor of ISTICH Consulting, spoke about great opportunities in Morocco, Morocco will become the second African country to host a FIFA football world cup after South Africa in 2010. The football’s world governing body announced on Wednesday (Oct. 04) that the north African kingdom together with Portugal and Spain will be joint hosts for the 2030 World Cup. Mr Hajoui, went on to say, they are building the world’s largest soccer stadium in the world, and many people are buying hotels, in the area, and will benefit hugely with millions of people in attendance. He also went on to say, they have great airports in the area, great rail service and other great infrastructure in place to handle the masses of people. To learn more or to invest in SMIT Morocco, click here.
Turismo De Portugal: 2 People Spoke about great opportunities, one of the speakers was Jose Tiago Silva, Partner of Explorer Investments, Mr Silva spoke how his company has close to 1 billion dollars of investment in Portugal in the Hospitality, sectors.
He also went on to say, there is many great opportunities’ in the hospitality sectors and the government is very friendly and offering many incentives for investors to invest in the hospitality sectors. To learn more click here.
It was a well-attended event, one of the elite hospitality conferences of the world, bring who is who? see more conferences like this in our World Liberty TV, Business Channels by clicking here.
BY: Adal Hussain, Chief Editor, Queens Pride Parade 37th Ave Jackson Heights Queens NY , June 2nd 2024
The parade was founded by Daniel Dromm and co-chaired by Maritza Martinez to raise the visibility of the LGBTQ community in Queens and memorialize Jackson Heights resident Julio Rivera.
Queens also serves as the largest transgender hub in the Western hemisphere and is the most ethnically diverse urban area in the world.
The Queens Pride Parade formed in response to Rivera’s murder and, more directly, to the 1992 homophobic outcry over the inclusion of gay and lesbian content in the Children of the Rainbow curriculum, which was designed to teach children tolerance of all of New York City’s diverse communities.
As a result, former NYC Council Finance Chair Daniel Dromm, who was then a public school teacher in the borough’s Community School District 24 (where the controversy was centered).
Came out as openly gay and decided to counter the ensuing propaganda with a family-friendly celebratory parade that would promote LGBT visibility and pride, and be based in a neighborhood where many closeted gay people lived.
Daniel Dromm, Queens Lesbian & Gay Pride Committee co-chair, 1999.
On November 22, 1992, the initial planning meeting was held in Dromm’s Flushing apartment, and the formation of the Queens Lesbian and Gay Pride Committee (QLGPC) followed soon after at a meeting of Queens Gays and Lesbians United (Q-GLU).
Co-chaired by Dromm and Cuban-born LGBT rights activist Maritza Martinez, QLGPC canvassed neighborhood gay bars for donations and support. Dromm later recalled that some bar owners were resistant, “It was a very quiet lesbian and gay community — a large one but not a very visible one. People were worried that if they became visible, they would pay a price.”
The first Queens Pride Parade and Multicultural Festival took place on Sunday, June 6, 1993, and an estimated 10,000 people attended.
The parade route ran from 89th to 75th Streets along 37th Avenue, which was painted with a lavender line.
The accompanying stage show featured drag queen and transgender performers, who were also pivotal beforehand in helping to raise money and promote the parade at the gay bars where they regularly entertained. Martinez gave a bilingual speech, with the following spoken in Spanish.
This year’s Grand Marshall’s were: Leroy Comrie New York State Senator Leroy Comrie was elected to represent the 14th Senatorial District of Queens (encompassing portions of Jamaica, Cambria Heights, Queens Village, Hollis, St. Albans, Laurelton, Jamaica Estates, Briarwood, Hillcrest and Kew Gardens) in November 2014, officially taking office January 1, 2015.
Billy Green, New York State’s Teacher of the Year Billy Green is a veteran of multiple city schools, current teacher at A. Philip Randolph Campus High School in Manhattan and dedicated community servant both in his native Harlem and in Africa.
Amber Ferrer: Community Advocate, Amber ‘s profound pride in her community extends beyond her honor as a Grand Marshal. Under her leadership, Jackson Heights’ own Friend’s Tavern and Viva La Heights celebrate individuality, inclusivity, and empowerment, providing a safe and uplifting space for all 365 days a year.
Live entertainment was headed by, Carlos Basquiat now has loved the art of dance for as far back as he can remember., Jonte’ Moaning, Who collaborates with Beyoncé, Janet Jackson and BLACKPINK, has immaculate dance technique, flawless fashion serves, and pioneering androgynous vibes in heels, Julius Ferreira better known to the world of nightlife as Julius Caeser was born and raised in Queens, New York. Since young he has always been a social butterfly and so many more entertainers, performing at the stage.
Thousands marched at the 2024, New Queens Pride Parade, other dignitaries in attendance included, New York State Attorney General Letitia James, Queens Borough President, Richard Donovan, Michael Gianaris Senate Deputy Leader. ( D, WF ) 12th Senate District , Jessica Ramos, New York State Senator for District 13, Catalina Cruz, New York’s 39th State Assembly district, Lynn C. Shulman , District 29 – Council Member, Tiffany Caban, Council Member for the 22nd District in Queens and More Politicians in attendance.
Other Dignitaries included: Kenneth Adams president of LaGuardia Community College, Dennis M. Walcott President and CEO of Queens Public Library.
The New Queens Pride and Festival is produced by the LGBT Network.The LGBT Network is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is a home and voice for LGBT people, their families, and support systems in Long Island and Queens.
Our three LGBT community centers help LGBT people to be themselves, stay healthy, and change the world.
Since 1993, we have been pioneering advocacy and social change to create safe space for LGBT people where they live, learn, work, play, and pray.
See More in our World Liberty TV, LGBTQ+ Channels, Blogs and who is who ? of the LGBTQ+ Elite Photo-Gallery .
The New York Jewish community could well be considered one of the greatest centers of Jewish living, intellectual and cultural achievement, and participation and contribution to our home country as any community in the entire 5,000 year history of our Jewish civilization.
Incredibly, this local history has never systematically been put in place for Manhattan (in the past decade, local Jewish historical societies have been established for Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island).
This is a legacy project, and one that could not have been accomplished in the planned scope until now. The new technological age creates the possibility to use website and social media to integrate information, including pictures, neighborhoods, stories, oral and video histories, among so many other things.
The outreach to the local, national and international community, Jewish and non-Jewish, is now self-evident.
Through the Manhattan Jewish Historical Initiative, the story of the Jewish community can be marketed to the world, serving as a means by which the life, institutions, and cultural activities of the New York Jewish community can be defined, and marketed for the purpose of giving due recognition to its great achievements, and its role in fostering the Jewish religion, Jewish cultural life and thinking, and Tikkun Olam, in its contribution to the greater multicultural community it has lived with in Manhattan, NYC, America, Israel and the world.
Quarterly meeting have been held since July, 2012, bringing together leaders representing the broad spectrum of the Jewish community of Manhattan, including the Jewish cultural institutions and organizations, Jewish elected officials, religious community, educational institutions, and others.
Initially there has been an exploration of resources in the community. The Manhattan Jewish community has vast resources to call upon, whether it be collections, research and histories already in place at the museums and organizations, city and organizational archives, and so forth, whether it be in terms of the technical expertise of those involved, or the outreach to young people.
This needs to be collected and coordinated, and added to with the collections and stories of the Jewish community at large. Additionally, as an example, the coordination of MJHI with elected officials in their districts for stories of neighborhoods and personal stories would be a boon to everyone involved.
As to the direction for the Initiative, initially it will be low-budgeted, with not much more than a consultant to establish a website, which will be necessary as the backbone and vehicle for this project. The website will be sophisticated, and in many ways be structured similar to the model that has already been created by the Brooklyn Jewish Historical Initiative.
Target date for a MicroSite was suggested for late, 2013, with full Website projected for late Spring, 2014. An initial event was planned, and held in Fall, 2013 to showcase the Initiative, and also let the community participate directly.
Clearly the project will need funding, although this Initiative is not conceptualized to create a significant overhead, as the bulk of the effort will be community and technologically driven. Social media campaigns will be incorporated in all planning, both for marketing and fundraising, as that is today’s outreach.
Larger take-on’s will be conceptualized as the Initiative progresses, including the possibility of using the Initiative as a vehicle for increasing Jewish culture tourism to NYC.
MJHI is conceptualized to not be competitive with any current organization in the Jewish community, and to be supportive of a longer-term legacy project of the entirety of the Jewish community.Manhattan Jewish Historical Initiative (MJHI), Jewish Hall of Fame , Class of 2020, took place on Tuesday May 5th 2021, at the Bryant Park , 42nd St Between 5th and 6th Avenues.
See more about the Manhattan Jewish Historical Initiative (MJHI’s) Manhattan Jewish Hall of Fame class of 2020, in our World Liberty TV, Cultural Channel and blogs by clicking here.
ICFF is North America’s leading platform for contemporary furnishing design.
With its emphasis on original and sustainable design, ICFF presents a broad range furnishing product for residential, contract and hospitality environments to an audience of 10,000 architects, interior designers, retailers, distributors, developers, and press.
ICFF brings together over 450 established and emerging design brands from more than 35 countries.
On the show floor, attendees will also have opportunities to find inspiration through ICFF Talks, a focused lineup of panel sessions, keynote presentations, and intimate conversations led by the most iconic names in the industry.
Furthermore, opportunities to widen professional networks are boundless. From organic meetings on the show floor to evening events.
Attendees and exhibitors join together to exchange business strategies while strengthening relationships in the design community.
Product categories: Furniture, Lighting, Seating, Outdoor, Contract Furniture, Kitchen & Bath, Wallcoverings, Textiles, Carpets, Flooring and Materials.
Complementing the exhibitors at ICFF and Wanted are content areas and special exhibits that will enrich the visitor experience.
Talks, Be Inspired: All 2024 Talks will take place on the Main Stage, sponsored by Turf, and in The Oasis space.
Featuring a lineup of panels, keynotes, and conversations with leading design experts, these sessions will examine the future of residential and commercial design.
Additional focused conversations will take place across the design fair in new spaces such as Bespoke, Crossroads, Kitchen + Bath. Look Book will feature sessions in collaboration with Dezeen.
The OASIS: The Oasis combines both aesthetic appeal and a deep commitment to sustainability. Rodolfo Agrella’s design brings together elements of tranquility and innovation. With sponsors like EQ3 and Greenwood.
The Oasis provides a platform for exchanging ideas and insights on sustainability and conscious design. From exploring hyper-local recycled materials to understanding the process of becoming B Corp certified, these discussions likely foster a sense of community and collaboration among attendees. The Oasis serves as a hub for inspiration, education, and connection, empowering individuals and businesses to make meaningful contributions to a more sustainable future.
ICFF Editors Awards: The ICFF Editors Awards are one of the design industry’s premier accolades. Judged by editors from invited design media, who tour the trade fair floor and deliberate to determine the best of the best of the year’s product launches.
The awards recognize the top designs in 12 categories: body of work, new designer, furniture, seating, carpet and flooring, lighting, outdoor, materials, wallcoverings, accessories, kitchen and bath and booth.
All category winners will be considered as finalists for Best in Show and recognized during the awards ceremony at ICFF.
In addition to the news relating to the new brand identity, ICFF returns with a program full of events and opportunities for discussion.
Starting from the organizational front: the exhibition space of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center has in fact been optimized for the upcoming edition and includes areas in which you can relax, network and converse.
Furthermore, new areas dedicated to complementary products such as Materials, Outdoor Living and Kitchen & Bath have been created.
The latter also features The Water Studio x Grohe Lounge for dedicated programming. The newly designed spaces will offer activation and communication opportunities for participants.
It was a well-attended show by people from all over the world, see more in our World Liberty TV, Luxury Channels by clicking here.
