Questex, a leading information services and event company, today announces it has agreed to assume management control of the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference from the NYU School of Professional Studies (NYU SPS) starting with the 2024 edition. This strategy fits perfectly with Questex’s initiative to build on its leading position in the operational real estate and hospitality marketplace, enhancing its powerful global hospitality portfolio. The amount of the transaction was not disclosed.
The NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference, whose 45th annual conference will take place on June 4-6, 2023, at the New York Marriott Marquis, will become a part of the robust Questex Hospitality Portfolio. The Conference complements the largest hospitality real estate event in the world, Questex’s International Hospitality Investment Forum, which connects capital with real estate and operators annually in Berlin, Germany. It also fits well with “The Hospitality Show,” a new innovative hospitality event to bring together industry leaders and procurement specialists from across the hospitality spectrum, created in collaboration with the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA).
The Questex Hospitality Portfolio is led by Alexi Khajavi, Group President Hospitality, Wellness and Travel. The NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference will become part of the Operational Real Estate Market. The coming together of these leading events under one portfolio reflects the importance of cross-border hospitality investment and the benefits of combining Questex’s best-in-class marketing and database platform with NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality’s industry expertise and research to deliver information and connections to a global audience of senior level decision makers in hospitality investment, development and operations.
The global hospitality industry is a massive $4.8 trillion market and is expected to grow by over 10 percent annually to reach $6.8 trillion by 2026. Operators across these businesses share similar needs around information, products, and solutions, which offers Questex an opportunity to scale for growth while serving each of the sub-markets including bars and restaurants, spas, salons and hotel management with sector-specific research, insights, and connections to drive its businesses forward.
For NYU, the proceeds from the agreement will help fund student scholarships at the NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality and further support the program’s mission of educating and preparing future leaders and innovators for careers in global hospitality management, travel, and tourism.
“For years, the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference has been one of the most prestigious global industry conferences,” said Nicolas Graf, chaired professor and Associate Dean of NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality. “We look forward to continuing to work with Questex on the conference to evolve, grow, and deliver unparalleled content. This agreement will help ensure the Conference is the premier hospitality finance and development forum for years to come.”
“This agreement creates a powerhouse Hospitality portfolio. Questex has created the unquestioned leadership position in the overall hospitality industry. We are the only event and information services company to offer a portfolio that includes hotel operations, hotel real estate investment, and other interconnected businesses such as restaurants, bars, gyms, spas, and luxury travel,” said Paul Miller, CEO, Questex. “As a trusted partner in the Hospitality industry, Questex’s experience, proprietary data, and deep relationships across the ecosystem – from investors, owners, developers, advisors, c-suite, decision- makers, and industry partners – allows buyers to conduct business with unprecedented ease, effectiveness, and speed.”
Jonathan M. Tisch, Executive Chairman of Loews Hotels & Co., and Chair of the NYU Conference, commented, “Questex’s investment in the NYU International Hotel Industry Investment Conference speaks to the valuable forum we have created over the last 45 years and is testament to the strength and resiliency in travel and hospitality and in New York City itself. The partnership moving forward will undoubtedly deliver enhanced information, innovation and inspiration to conference attendees and students alike.”
Through general sessions, workshops, and networking events, the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference convenes top industry executives, from CEOs of hotel brands to various investment and real estate executives, to discover, learn and discuss the latest trends, economic influences, and projections. Previous speakers have included:
- Sébastien M. Bazin, chairman, and CEO, Accor
- Anthony Capuano, CEO, Marriott International
- Mark S. Hoplamazian, president and CEO, Hyatt Hotels Corporation
- Reza Akhavi, managing director and co-head of real estate at Deutsche Bank Securities
- Michael D. Bluhm, managing director, global head of gaming and lodging, Morgan Stanley – Investment Banking
- Tyler Henritze, head of strategic investments, Blackstone Real Estate Americas
- Christopher J. Nassetta, president and CEO, Hilton
- Keith Barr, CEO of InterContinental Hotels Group
For more information on Questex, visit questex.com. Stay connected to Questex on LinkedIn.
About the NYU School of Professional Studies Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality
The NYU School of Professional Studies Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, now celebrating close to 30 years of academic excellence, is a leading center for the study of hospitality, travel, and tourism. Founded in 1995, the Tisch Center was established in response to the growing need for hospitality and tourism undergraduate and graduate education. Its cutting-edge curricula attract bright, motivated students who seek to become leaders in their fields.
Through its undergraduate degree in hotel and tourism management, its graduate degrees in hospitality industry studies, tourism management, and event management; a plethora of Professional Pathways programs; and its world-renowned hospitality investment conference, students gain the knowledge and the skill sets that enable them to manage change, to communicate, to thrive in complex work environments, and to advance the businesses of hospitality, travel, and tourism. The Tisch Center recently launched the Hospitality Innovation Hub (HI Hub), which will foster entrepreneurship and creative solutions for the industries it serves. The state-of- the-art facilities offer students, start-ups, established industry partners, and investors opportunities to learn, discover, innovate, and invest.
For more information about the NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, visit sps.nyu.edu/tisch.
About Questex
Questex brings people together in the markets that help people live better: travel, hospitality and wellness; the industries that help people live longer: life science and healthcare; and the technologies that enable and fuel these new experiences. We live in the experience economy – connecting our ecosystem through live events, surrounded by data insights and digital communities. We deliver experience and real results. It happens here.
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