Apartment Finance Today Conference 2012

Four Seasons, Las Vegas

It's about time to start thinking about the Apartment Finance Today Conference in Las Vegas. This is the first time we are in this location and we are doing it in style (with a sub $200 room rate!).

You must be an owner, developer or operator to attend but we have great sponsor programs that include a table top in our Sponsor Room, which is also where we have all of the networking functions.

Here is a summary of what you can expect:

Fundamentals are phenomenal. Interest rates are at historic lows. Debt and equity sources want nothing more than to leverage hugely profitable yield opportunities that will come from putting capital to work in the apartment space right now.

But whether it’s new construction, value add, or a permanent loan, your biggest challenge is to get investors and lenders to look at your deal, to get your project in the ground now, to get the chance to ride what promises to be a strong upward cycle.

At this year’s event, held April 2–3, 2012 at the luxurious Four Seasons Las Vegas, you’ll find a dozen interactive sessions, beneficial networking opportunities, first-rate speakers, and must-attend programming designed exclusively for apartment developers and owners. 

Scheduled Speakers (more to come): 

Ron Terwilliger, Keynote

David Abromowitz, Center for American Progress (tentative)

Jerry Ascierto, Apartment Finance Today

Doug Bibby, NMHC

Tom Booher, PNC Real Estate

David Durning, Prudential Mortgage Capital

Mel Gamzon, Senior Housing Investment Advisors

Lee Harris, Cohen Esrey

Guy Johnson, Johnson Capital

Rich Kelly, LumaCorp

Charles Krawitz, Fifth Third Bank

Brent Little, Fountain Residential Partners

Heidi McKibben, Fannie Mae

John McManus, Apartment Finance Today

Trip Stephens, ZOM

Here is a complete outline of the programming: 

MONDAY, APRIL 2, 2012

General Session

1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Vision for 2012: Editorial Advisory Board & Leadership Roundtable

For the past few years, real estate executives and multifamily leaders have predicted that the apartment sector is riding a boom period unparalleled in recent history. For 2012 to live up to the hype, and be ripe with new deals and developments, innovative financing, and revenue-generating opportunities, companies will require a clear strategic vision. This panel of a dozen industry leaders from across the debt and equity, operations, and development segments of the multifamily business will offer their no-holds-barred insights, perspectives, and forecasts for the coming year.

Coffee Break 2:30 p.m. – 3 p.m.

General Session

3 p.m. – 4 p.m.  Sound and Fury: Inside the GSE Reform Debate

With more than two-dozen bills still in circulation around housing financing reform, the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is precarious at best. Yet despite the frenzy of activity, the debate has been placed largely on hold until after the 2012 election. In this panel, industry watchers and lobbyists discuss the underlying currents on Capitol Hill and take a hard look at what the current piecemeal legislative attempts for action could mean for the future of the GSEs—and the apartment industry that relies on their financial security.

Keynote Session

4 p.m. – 5 p.m. J. Ronald Terwilliger: My Life as a Developer

Ron Terwilliger, the man likely responsible for developing more units than anyone in the industry’s history, will offer his insights into how the current cycle differs from past cycles, and how you can best position your company to ride the next great upturn. During his 25-year tenure at the helm of Trammell Crow Residential, Terwilliger established the firm as the nation’s most prolific and best-run development firm, providing a model of best practices for the industry to emulate. But he’s also a powerful advocate in the housing industry, having established the ULI Terwilliger Center for Workforce Housing, and serving as chairman of Enterprise Community Partners and Habitat for Humanity’s global capital campaign. This keynote presentation will also include his thoughts on the future of housing finance, the government’s role in supporting workforce and affordable housing, and what the future of the government-sponsored enterprises means to your business.

5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Networking Reception

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Breakfast & Roundtables

Hot Topics Roundtables

Description: Join your colleagues for a moderated, informative breakfast conversation about challenges and opportunities within the various apartment sectors and niches seeing growth in recent years.

•             Affordable Housing

•             Student Housing

•             Seniors Housing

•             Distressed Assets

Keynote Session

9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Meet the Money: AFT Takes You Inside the Art & Science of the Loan

The lending environment is a fickle one these days. What’s in favor (and available) one day is out of reach the next. In this interactive, provocative, fast-paced session, the editors of Apartment Finance Today bring borrowers and lenders to the table to offer the inside scoop on who’s lending, on what terms, and for what types of assets. On one side of the table, borrowers, ranging from Class A acquisition experts to value-add owner/operators to niche developers. On the other side, lenders who represent institutional, government, and bank money across the board. This panel of all-stars will offer insights into exactly what it takes to close a deal in the current environment.

10:30 a.m. – 11 a.m.  Coffee Break

General Session

11 a.m. – 12 p.m.  Opening the Gates: Equity Investors Step up Their Game

After retreating to the sidelines and cinching their purse strings through the height of the recession, equity investors re-entered the new development and recapitalization markets in 2011. Now, as the industry navigates another year of uncertain yields and frenzied activity, equity investors have committed to deploying capital before it’s too late. This panel of equity investors will offer their thoughts on where return expectations are headed, how risk levels are evolving, and where to find the right partner for your next deal.

12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Lunch & Roundtables

Join your colleagues for a moderated, informative lunch conversation about dealmaking, financing, and operational trends in a number of local markets around the country. 

•             Northeast Corridor

•             Southeast

•             Texas

•             California

•             Pacific Northwest

•             Midwest

General Session

1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. To the Max: How to Push NOI to New Heights

As a stream of residents flees homeownership and flocks to apartment living, the opportunity to maximize revenue and net operating income is huge. Whether through rent maximization, resident retention, innovative renewal strategies, ancillary income and revenue sources, or cost cutting measures, this panel of operational experts will offer advice, tips, and strategies for making every dollar drive value. Guaranteed, you’ll walk away from this high-energy, conversational panel with at least a dozen ideas on how to make every initiative impact the bottom line.

General Session

2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Construction Capital‘s Comeback: Beyond the Blueprint

Description: After a 2010 that saw a drastic reduction in starts and a 2011 that saw only a minor uptick in new development activity, 2012 is poised to be the multifamily construction sector’s busiest and most successful year since the start of the Great Recession. But as shovel meets dirt across the country, developers are simultaneously digging for dollars, ready to work closely with banks, the FHA, and other lenders to ensure their construction plans see life beyond the blueprint. This panel of developers and lenders offer their observations on the current state of construction lending—and how to make the development boom last.

3:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. Coffee Break

General Session

4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. A Renter’s World: Apartment Finance Today’s Annual Economic Outlook

Description: Economists and researchers alike agree that 2015 may mark the peak of an economic recovery that favors renters and apartment fundamentals. But not everyone is convinced that a renter nation is here. This panel brings together some of the housing industry’s brightest economists to discuss the outlook for rent fundamentals and local market metrics in an ever-changing economy. Don’t miss this informative, data-driven panel, which will be sure to offer all-new information on the numbers that matter most to you.

5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Networking Reception