As we head into fall, the editors of AFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCE will be putting the finishing touches on this year's AHF Live. The ninth annual conference is set for Nov. 14-16 at the Fairmont Millennium Park in Chicago.
Coming just a week after the presidential election, moderators and speakers from the industry will bring 2013 into focus and help owners and developers prepare for the different scenarios that may play out.
The conference kicks off with the Editorial Advisory Board Roundtable, where industry leaders will weigh in on the election results and other hottopic issues. AHF also will be “crowdsourcing,” surveying attendees prior to the event to find out what questions they want the roundtable to address.
Another session of particular interest post-election will be News from the Capitol . The panelists will go into detail about what's to be expected on the federal front in 2013, as well as provide advice on how the industry can continue advocacy efforts for the low-income housing tax credit program.
We've added several new sessions this year, including serving specialneeds populations, legal know-hows for affordable housing developers, getting your small deals done, and innovative cost-effective design strategies.
Don't worry, perennial favorites, including the Tax Credit Equity Roundtable and Choosing the Best Debt Financing Strategy, are in the lineup. You'll also learn the latest on tax credit allocations and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Concluding our two and a half days of programming will be a luncheon where we'll honor this year's Affordable Housing Hall of Fame inductees and Young Leaders, as well as the winners of the Readers' Choice Awards.
Being inducted into the Hall of Fame this year are Michael Bodaken, executive director of National Housing Trust; Patrick Clancy, retired from The Community Builders; Michael Levitt, CEO of The Michaels Organization; and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine).
The 2012 Young Leaders are Michael Gilliard, senior real estate development project manager for Habitat for Humanity New York City; Ginger Hitzke, president of Hitzke Development Corp.; Mickey Northcutt, executive director of North Shore CDC; Terce Sandifer, senior vice president and head of originations at Union Bank; and Natalia Williams, executive vice president of finance at Bayside Communities. You can read more about all of these leaders in our November/ December issue.
For updated speaker lists and a full list of sessions, visit www.ahflive.com, where you can also register.
Don't delay, the early-bird registration fee of $549 expires Sept. 24. After that, the regular registration fee is $649. Attendance is reserved primarily for owners and developers of affordable housing, plus state and local housing finance agency representatives and nonprofits focused on the business of affordable housing.
