Distinguished Cornell faculty will join alumni and other industry leaders at the Cornell International Summit: Hospitality, Real Estate, and the Built Environment to discuss innovation and growth in China's hospitality and commercial real estate markets. The summit will be held Saturday, April 20, 2013 at the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund and is co-presented by the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, and Center for Real Estate and Finance.

Summit panels are "Huanying: Service in Modern China," "Urban Interconnectedness: How Cities, Transportation, and Environmental Technologies Will Shape the Future," and "The Future of the Chinese Hotel Marketplace." Panels will feature CEOs and senior executives, Chinese government officials, and Cornell faculty experts.

Confirmed participants include:

  • Keith Barr, Chief Executive Officer, IHG Greater China
  • Andreas Flaig, Managing Director, Advisory Asia, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels & Hospitality Group
  • Philip Ho, Vice President, Asia Pacific, The Leading Hotels of the World
  • Michael D. Johnson, Dean of the Cornell School of Hotel Administration
  • Kent Kleinman, Gale and Ira Drukier Dean, Cornell College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
  • Grace Leo, President and CEO, A Touch of Grace
  • Peng Liu, Assistant Professor, Cornell School of Hotel Administration
  • Michael Manville, Assistant Professor, Department of City and Regional Planning, Cornell College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
  • Des Pugson, Vice President, Operations, Managing Director, China, Wyndham Hotel Group
  • Lee Pillsbury, CEO and Co-Chairman, Thayer Lodging Group
  • Jenny Sabin, Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, Cornell College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
  • Yang Weimin, CEO, Shanghai Jin Jiang International Hotels Development Company, Ltd.
  • Leo Yen, Vice President, Head of Select-Service Hotels, Greater China, Hyatt Hotels Corporation
  • Yu Minliang, Chairman, Shanghai Jin Jiang International Hotels Development Company, Ltd.
  • Meng Yu, CEO, Jin Jiang Inn
  • Teddy Zhang, President & CEO, HUBS1

"We are excited about the wealth of expertise our panelists will bring to discussions about China's rapid development," said Dean Michael Johnson. "The Cornell International Summit in Shanghai promises to be one of the highlights for our industry in 2013."

Registration is now open. This high-profile, collaborative event will bring together Cornell alumni and industry leaders in hospitality, real estate, architecture, and urban planning to learn, share ideas, and foster connections. For more information about the summit, visit the event website.

The summit is being held in collaboration with the Cornell Asia-Pacific Leadership Conference and the Cornell Hotel Society Asia Pacific Regional Meeting. HUBS1, Jin Jiang Hotels, and the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund are title sponsors of the event. InterContinental Hotels Group is diamond sponsor. Other corporate sponsors are Cornell Baker Program in Real Estate, Cornell School of Hotel Administration Office of Executive Education, Cornell Center for Hospitality Research, Duetto Research, eCornell, FRANCE 24, Galaxy Entertainment Group, Hilton Worldwide, Hsyndicate, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, IDeaS: A SAS Company, International Tourism Partnership, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF), Marriott International, PhoCusWright, Thayer Lodging Group, TravelDaily, TTG Asia Media Group, USA TODAY, and Xn Hotel Systems.

About the Cornell 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 advancement. The school provides management instruction in the full range of hospitality disciplines, educating the next generation of leaders in the world's largest industry. 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 .

About the Cornell College of Architecture, Art and Planning

The College of Architecture, Art and Planning (AAP) at Cornell University is one of the preeminent such colleges in the United States. Known for its rigorous studio pedagogy and important contributions to urban theory and design, AAP is home to the consistently top-ranked architecture program in the country. The university's architecture program was founded in 1876 with visual arts and city and regional planning added later and establishing the college as it is known today. AAP attracts international students and scholars of art and design, and offers studio programs in Rome and New York City in addition to its Ithaca campus. Currently home to nearly 500 undergraduate and 280 graduate students, many of its alumni have assumed pivotal roles in architecture and design worldwide.

About the Cornell Center for Real Estate and Finance

Established in 2009, the Center for Real Estate and Finance provides a platform for educating students, creating new knowledge through research activities, and exchanging information about real estate with a broad set of audiences. CREF is at the forefront of research in all areas of commercial real estate, from the study of the behavior of real estate assets in investment portfolios to an understanding of real estate capital markets to the science of hedging real estate risk. To learn more about CREF, www.cref.cornell.edu"/>.

Ashlee McGandy
607.254.1368
CHR