As the hotel industry continues to rebound, owners, operators and developers are looking for the next growth opportunities. One place they can find it is at next month’s fourth annual Midwest Lodging Investors Summit, which will be held July 17-19 at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago.

The three-day event will give attendees a snapshot of the lodging industry at mid-year: where property performance is headed, the opportunities for acquisitions, the sources of capital and the challenges ahead for both owners and operators. Lodging Hospitality produces MLIS in association with HVS Hotel Management. The conference’s academic partner is The School of Hospitality Business at Michigan State University.

Last year’s MLIS featured a lively discussion among brand and management company presidents, including (from left) David Kong of Best Western, Jerry Cataldo of Hostmark, Wayne Goldberg of La Quinta and Roger Bloss of Vantage.

Steve Rushmore, president and founder of HVS and a long-time Lodging Hospitality contributor, will give his viewpoints on the current state of the industry in a keynote address on the morning of July 19.

A new feature of this year’s conference is presentation of the inaugural MLIS Game Changer Award, an honor given this year to Marcus Corp. Chairman Steve Marcus for his innovative leadership of the Milwaukee-based hotel and entertainment company. Following the presentation, Marcus will join other hotel company executives on a panel titled Lodging Innovators Lead the Way.

Following an opening reception on the evening of July 17, the conference kicks off on July 18 with a State of the Industry panel that will examine industry performance in Chicago, the Midwest and the entire U.S. Later that day another general session, Owners Tell It Like It Is, will feature an all-star panel of Midwest owners, developers and operators who will discuss trends and challenges in the region. Confirmed panelists include Bill DeForrest of Lane Hospitality, Steve Kisielica of Lodging Capital Partners and Ravi Patel of Hawkeye Hospitality. Another general session Tuesday morning will feature a panel of lenders who will share with the audience the sources of debt and equity financing for acquisitions, new construction, renovations and more.

The panel will feature a number of breakout sessions covering a variety of investment and operations issues:

• Mark Skinner of The Highland Group and an expert in the extended-stay hotels will moderate a panel on the segment. Participants include Gary DeLapp of Extended Stay Hotels, Bill Duncan of Homewood Suites and Home2 Suites by Hilton, Kevin Lewis of the AHLA Extended Stay Council and Liz Perkins of Apple REIT.

• Several leading hotel brands will reveal their development strategies in a panel discussion among executives of La Quinta, Dolce Hotels, Best Western and AmericInn. Another chain-oriented panel, Soft Brands: Fad or Fact of Life?, looks at the new breed of brand collections.

• REITville vs. Reality will examine the state of the hotel transaction market with an emphasis on where valuations are headed and where there are buying opportunities.

• Two panels will tackle some of the key operational and marketing challenges facing the industry. The ROI on Operations will look at the latest trends affecting profitability of hotels, while Revenue Building will feature a panel of marketing experts who will discuss yield management, social media, OTAs and more.

The conference will include ample time at evening receptions, morning breakfasts and coffee breaks during the day to mingle with other attendees and representatives from sponsor companies.

For more information, visit the conference website at www.midwestlodginginvestors.com