Russian intrigue

Moscow has been on my mind lately—my Russian visa just arrived this morning, in fact. I'm excited about the prospects for next month's Russia & CIS Hotel Investment Conference (RHIC), to be held at the Ritz-Carlton in Moscow on October 21-22.

"The key to investing successfully in emerging markets is firstly timing, closely followed by evaluation of risk and reward," said Mark Wynne-Smith, CEO, Europe, Middle East and Africa of Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels. "The hotel investment opportunities presented by the BRIC countries are numerous."

The RHIC program is led by a powerful line-up of more than 60 speakers, including HRH Prince Michael of Kent, who is Conference Patron—and the Mayor of Moscow, Yuri Mikhailovich Luzhkov, who will receive the Leadership Award.

"The hotel market in Russia and the CIS is in its infancy and RHIC offers a fabulous opportunity for senior executives from the hospitality industry to explore the development potential in the region, meet investment partners, and uncover new business opportunities," said Jonathan Worsley, RHIC conference co-organiser. "With the government's plans for infrastructure spending, Russia and the CIS countries represent one of the biggest investment opportunities globally in the hospitality industry."

The conference is jointly organised by The Bench and Questex Media Group, Inc.

To read more about the Russian market, you can also check out the September 2008 issue of The Hotel Times magazine. The cover story, "Hurry up and wait," explores the current hotel investment market in Russian and the CIS, and looks into what the future holds in this dynamic area of the world.