It’s January and with that brings New Year’s resolutions, the NFL playoffs, college football bowl games (although the best game this season was watching Auburn beat Alabama with a 109 yard field goal return), and, of course, the annual CREFC conference in South Beach. This year’s line-up doesn’t disappoint, with panels titled "Best Investment Ideas: High Yield, Investment Grade, Direct Property", "Balance Sheet Lenders: Buy and Hope?", "Choosing a Lender: Just Hooking Up or A Long Term Commitment?", and "Capital Market Lenders: Buy or Goodbye?".
If you are having trouble deciding what panel to view on Tuesday afternoon, might I suggest "Choosing a Lender: Just Hooking Up or Long Term Commitment?", moderated by Dechert’s very own Rick Jones. The panel speakers are Kevin Donahue, Senior Managing Director, C-III Capital Partners,
Christopher Kelly, Managing Director, Real Estate, CapitalSource, Larry Kravetz, Managing Director – Head of CMBS Finance, Barclays, Michael Lascher, Managing Director, Blackstone,
Shawn Rosenthal, Executive Vice President – Debt and Equity, CBRE, and Brian Sedrish, Managing Director – Head of Structured Credit, Related Fund Management, LLC. This panel is sure to get both borrowers and lenders thinking about their relationship choices.
The conference’s keynote address will come from Billy Beane, General Manager of the Oakland A’s and the subject of Moneyball (remember, Brad Pitt played him), who will be sure to offer some unique insights.
On Monday night, Dechert will be hosting cocktails and hors d’oeuvres for over 250 guests at the SLS Hotel from 6:30-9:30 pm. We all look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones.
Dechert attorney, Ken Hackman, will provide updates from the conference next week.
Looking forward to seeing you!
By: Krystyna Blakeslee