Press Room – 2008 NIC Press Releases
Whitman / Shields to Headline 2008 NIC Western Regional Symposium
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 14, 2008
Contact: Renee Tilton, (410) 626-0805 or rtilton@crosbymarketing.com
Annapolis, Md. – Seniors housing and care providers and financiers interested in growing smaller and regional portfolios in today’s market will want to attend the 2008 NIC Western Regional Symposium: “The Pursuit of Capital and Prudent Growth: Timely Strategies for the Smaller Operator.” Arnold Whitman, seniors housing and long term care investor, and Mark Shields, syndicated columnist and political analyst, will be featured as the opening and closing keynote speakers, respectively. The two-day event, now in its second year, will be held March 5-6, 2008, at the Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa in Las Vegas, NV
In his opening address on Wednesday, March 5, Arnold Whitman, CEO and Co-Chairman of Formation Capital, LLC, will discuss the turmoil of the current financial and credit markets and how these shifting dynamics impact investing in seniors housing and care. He will also look at the pressures coming from unions, the plaintiffs bar and politicians, and discuss how these elements affect the industry, as well as the correlation between capital structure and quality of care and services. He will also review lessons learned from the last significant market cycle shift in 1998-1999. Finally, Whitman will look forward and give a veteran’s point-of-view on the future of investing in seniors housing and care.
To expand on how the political scene may shape up to impact the seniors housing industry, Mark Shields, syndicated columnist and political analyst for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, will give the closing address on Thursday, March 6. Named the “wittiest political journalist in America” by The Wall Street Journal, Shields was moderator of CNN’s weekly political discussion show, The Capital Gang, and a former campaign manager. His talk will provide a frontline view of the 2008 election and “clarify the mayhem that often arises out of election-year politics.”
Breakout sessions will also be offered on a wide range of topics pertinent to the smaller and regional portfolio. Led by prominent industry operators, lenders and investors, topics will cover financing options, best practices for operational excellence, valuation issues and how to make them work in one’s favor, steps for streamlining reimbursement and operations, results-producing marketing and sales tactics, approaches for effectively utilizing benchmarking data, and insights into key seniors housing trends.
The symposium kicks off with lunch and a keynote address on Wednesday, March 5, at 12:00 p.m. An evening reception will give operators the chance to network with financiers. The event ends the following day at 2:00 p.m.
Attendance at the 2008 NIC Western Regional Symposium will be capped at 600 people to allow for optimal networking and dealmaking. Registration rates are $600 for operators and $750 for other attendees, which include meals and the reception. Prices increase to $700 for operators and $900 for others after January 22, 2008.
The Symposium is being held by the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industry (NIC). For more information about NIC or the 2008 NIC Western Regional Symposium, visit www.NIC.org or call (410) 267-0504. For sponsorship information, please contact Elisa Infante-Freeman at (410) 267-0504.
About NIC
Founded in 1991, this nonprofit organization provides information about business strategy and capital formation for the senior living industry. It also holds the industry’s longest-running financing and networking conference, which is held annually each fall. For more information about NIC, visit www.NIC.org or call (410) 267-0504.