Views from the NATHIC Conference
I have been attending the NATHIC conference this week in Chicago. In its seventh year, the conference was relocated to Chicago from Washington, DC, and has replaced what was previously held here as the Midwest Lodging Investment Summit. The conference has a few new wrinkles over the other industry events that provided an interesting experience. One agenda item in particular was the "Shark Tank" competition between Michigan State, NYU and DePaul University. Each of the teams was charged with creating a new brand concept and selling the idea to an esteemed panel of industry veterans. It was truly refreshing to see young, enthusiastic minds came up with regarding the age- old challenge of doing something different yet trying to satisfy a perceived market need, all while making it economically feasible. I also commend the "Sharks" for taking the high road when providing feedback on the presentations. The teams all did a respectable job defining and presenting their concepts, but the presentations further confirmed my theory that the various hotel programs around the country need to incorporate more hotel investment material into their programs. Michigan State won the competition, but all the teams put forth a great effort.