Martin Schiffman, Managing Director of the Carl Marks Real Estate Group, will serve on several panel discussions at The Lodging Conference, September 22-25 in Phoenix. The 15th annual conference is aptly titled, Back to Basics, and will address the trying environment in which the hospitality industry is currently forced to operate.

Schiffman will participate in a three-person panel, How to Stop Losing Sleep Over the Financial Crisis, Wednesday, September 23, 5:00 p.m. The panel will discuss how the history of recessions since the early 1970s supports the fact that vigorous creative management and workout strategies can lessen the inevitability of failure during downturns.

Schiffman’s co-panelists will be:

Morris Lasky, President | Lodging Unlimited, Inc.

John Cauvin, President | Lodging Unlimited, Inc.
West Coast affiliate

Schiffman also will serve as moderator of the panel discussion, The Effect of the Global Slowdown on the Hospitality Industry, Thursday, September 24, 11:15 a.m., which will focus on the effects of the challenged global economy on the industry.

Speaking with Schiffman on the panel will be:

Jim Alderman, Executive Vice President, Development | Wyndham Hotel Group

Sumner A. Baye, President/Partner | International Hotel Network

Bruce Ford, Senior Vice President, Director of Business Development | Lodging Econometrics

Russell C. Savrann, Hospitality Industry Group | Graham & Dunn PC

The Lodging Conference is characterized by its informality, which fosters a vigorous intellectual and transactional environment for the hospitality industry’s top leaders. The event is recognized as the most noteworthy hotel conference in the United States for deal making and is regularly covered by major trade publications in the industry.

Schiffman is a recognized leader in all facets of real estate investment. He has participated as a Managing Principal in all asset classes in the industry. Over the years, he has gained notable experience as a value-added investor. He specializes in such areas as underperforming asset turnarounds, credit reorganization, and creative financing. Schiffman has a unique combination of skills in the area of real estate development, operations, and capital market strategies employed to finance all types of real estate. He has been both a public and private manager of real estate investment.

The conference will take place at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa in Phoenix. For more information on the conference, visit www.thelodgingconference.com.