Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration will sponsor the second annual South American Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference (SAHIC), which will be held September 14 and 15, 2009, at the Sofitel Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. More than 500 of the most influential players in the hotel investment industry are expected to gather at this meeting, which is structured after the major international hotel investment conferences in Berlin (IHIF), Dubai (AHIC), Hong Kong (HICAP), Mumbai (HICSA), New York (NYU), and San Diego (ALIS) and is quickly becoming the epicenter of the hospitality and travel investment world in South America.

"We are very pleased to be a sponsor of this conference," said Jon Denison, associate dean for external affairs at the School of Hotel Administration. "Jan deRoos, our HVS International Professor of Finance and Real Estate and acting director of the Center for Real Estate Finance, is moderating a panel, and we are excited to announce a new Cornell Hotel Society South American chapter, which is creating an outstanding networking opportunity for alumni during the conference. We are also honored to work with alumnus Steve Rushmore '67 on SAHIC."

Rushmore, president and founder of HVS, co-founded the conference with Arturo García Rosa, president of SAHIC. Rushmore is also a leading speaker at the conference. HVS, a partner of the school's Center for Hospitality Research, is a premier global consulting firm in the hotel and tourism marketplace and has 27 offices worldwide.

"Cornell provides exceptional brand value recognition and leading content to the conference with their faculty and alumni leaders as speakers. We are excited to partner with Cornell on the SAHIC conference," said Rushmore.

Last year's SAHIC, which was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, attracted more than 325 attendees from 21 countries. This year's meeting is expected to be an even greater success. "Brazil is facing a great challenge with the organization of the World Cup in 2014 and is firmly willing to organize the Olympic Games of 2016 in Rio de Janeiro," stated Luiz Eduardo Barreto, Brazil's minister of tourism. "There is no doubt that the investment needs and opportunities which will arise from these two events will become a great additional attraction for the conference attendees."

The School of Hotel Administration will be a conference exhibitor, and Meg Keilbach, director of development, will attend. For more information on the Cornell Hotel Society South American chapter special event at SAHIC, please contact Christine Natsios, director of alumni affairs, at [email protected]. For more information on the discount SAHIC is offering to Cornell alumni, please contact Johanna Picciano at [email protected].

About The Cornell University School of Hotel Administration | The Cornell University School of Hotel Administration is shaping the global knowledge base for hospitality management through leadership in education, research and industry partnerships. The school provides management instruction in the full range of hospitality disciplines, educating the next generation of leaders in the world's largest industry. The Center for Hospitality Research (CHR), a unit of the School, sponsors research designed to improve practices in the hospitality industry. Under the lead of the center's 77 corporate affiliates, scholars work closely with business executives to discover new insights into strategic, managerial and operating practices. Founded in 1922 as the nation's first collegiate course of study in hospitality management, the Cornell School of Hotel Administration is recognized as the world leader in its field. For more information, visit .

Nancy Knowles
607.255.8702
Cornell