The Russia & CIS Hotel Investment Conference (RHIC) is pleased to announce that the Investment Den will be returning for a second year on 27 October 2010 at 12:30 p.m. Back by popular demand, the forum will discuss and investigate four potential project opportunities to a small group of judges who are acting as investors. The investment opportunities include four projects within the Russia & CIS region and each of the judges will be given a simulated amount of €100 million to allocate to one or more of their chosen development projects at the conclusion of the session.

The Den will be hosted by Michael Cooper, Vice President Development Russia & CIS, IHG. “The Den will showcase some of the best new hotel development projects planned for Russia and the CIS as well as provide a wonderful opportunity to hear a variety of views concerning different approaches and attitudes to hotel funding in today’s economic climate,” Cooper said.

The projects presented will include: Luxury Beach Resort Spa Hotel & Residences in Sochi by Ma’moun Al-Hunaidi, Director, Tanmiya Management & Development Limited; The Development of a Multifunctional City Centre Hotel in Murmansk by Alexander Gendelsman, Chief Executive Officer, AZIMUT Hotels Company; A 2 and 3 star Mixed-Use Hotel Development in Moscow by Mete Doguoglu, Managing Partner, RDN; Lakeside Resorts in Armenia by Armen Vartanian, Principal, Lakeside Resorts in Armenia.

“The Investment Den was a fantastic opportunity for developers to present their projects to the industry in a formal yet interesting question and answer session last year. It led to valuable feedback from investors and positive reinforcement for the presenters. Based on the success in 2009, we are eagerly anticipating the presentation of four new projects this year and are excited to find out which project will win the most investment money,” said Jonathan Worsley, co-organiser of RHIC.

Each developer will be given the opportunity to present their project to the panel of investors and the investors will then ask one question about each project to better understand the opportunity, as well as to provide feedback. At the conclusion of the forum, once the investors have allocated their simulated €100 million, the results are calculated and a winner is announced.

“The Investment Den is a great learning experience for everyone involved and a worthwhile lesson for RHIC attendees,” said Gideon Dean, EVP of Questex Media Group, owners and co-organisers of the RHIC. “Money is coming back into the market slowly and every dollar needs to show a solid return on investment. We feel that it will make this year’s Investment Den that much more interesting and look forward to seeing how the participants showcase their projects and justify the value of their project to win those hard-earned investment dollars.”

The judging panel is comprised of: James Corrigan, Executive Director, Head of Real Estate, VTB Capital; David Geovanis, Managing Director, London & Regional Properties LLC; Saydam Salaheddin, Managing Director, Head of CEE Real Estate and Hotels, Investment Banking, Credit Suisse.

The Russia & CIS Hotel Investment Conference will be held October 25-27, 2010 at the Renaissance Moscow, Monarch Centre Hotel and is jointly organised by Questex Media Group LLC and Bench Events.