While there are plenty of new products and companies to view at the upcoming International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show, there’s also a wealth of industry panels and educational sessions to help hoteliers face issues ranging from marketing to design to human resources and more. The Show will be held Nov. 13-16 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York.

The conference portion of the Show actually kicks off on Saturday, Nov. 13. This Hospitality Leadership Forum is a full-day conference aimed at senior-level hospitality managers. It starts with a Leadership Panel moderated by IH/MRS board member and industry veteran John Russell and will include executives from Best Western, Thayer Lodging and others. Another panel, moderated by Carlson Hotels Chief Development Officer Nancy Johnson, will hone in on the state of the lodging industry, with presentations from Colliers PKF Hospitality Research, D.K. Shifflet & Associates, Lodging Econometrics, PricewaterhouseCoopers, STR and Ypartnership.

During lunch, former Congressmen Vic Fazio and Bill Paxon will give their views on the political landscape following the mid-term elections. Other sessions scheduled for the Forum will cover the ROI of marketing, minimizing staff turnover, mobile device marketing and boutique hotels.

Registration to the Leadership Forum, which includes the luncheon and admission to the Show, is $139 per person.

Seminars on Sunday and Monday are free for registered attendees of the Show. Highlights of the program include:

• “From Clicks to Packed Bags—Converting Online Interaction into Taking Trips,” a discussion of electronic decisionmaking in the travel industry. (Sunday, Nov. 14 at 1 p.m.)

• “The Untapped Potential of Multicultural Marketing,” a discussion of how to capture high-net worth and loyal minority travelers and group business. (Sunday, Nov. 14 at 1 p.m.)

• “Flipping the Switch,” an examination of how to properly execute a hotel conversion from one brand to another. (Sunday, Nov. 14 at 3:30 p.m.)

• “C-Level Perspectives: Women Who Make Decisions and Make It Big,” a panel discussion among a group of c-level female hospitality executive on how they’ve broken barriers in the business. (Monday, Nov. 15 at 10:30 a.m.)

• “The 2010 Mid-Term Elections and Their Impact on the Hospitality Industry,” a look at what the election results mean for the industry and issues such as immigration, healthcare, taxes, unionization, ADA and more. (Monday, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m.)

Visit the Show website for complete information about the educational program, the exhibits and special events.

Concurrent with the Show will be the inaugural Boutique Design New York, a trade show and educational forum aimed at hospitality industry interior designers, architects and purchasing executives. The educational portion of BDNY takes place on Monday, Nov. 15 with two sessions: “What Owners Want” (11 a.m.-noon) and “International Design Opportunities” (3-4 p.m.)

Additional information on BDNY is available at the event’s website.