Cambridge Realty Capital is once again sending a contingent to the annual fall NIC Conference taking place in Washington, DC this month. This conference is one of two annual events hosted by the National Investment Council for Senior Housing and Care and has become a forum for senior living and health care stakeholders to network, build relationships, exchange knowledge and ideas, and discover new products. Cambridge has been an enthusiastic participant and supporter since the inaugural conference in 1992, Cambridge Realty Capital Vice President Zach Scardina recalled. Along with Scardina, this year Cambridge will be represented at the conference by Senior Vice President Brent Holman-Gomez, Managing Director Tony Marino, and National Originations Manager Hymie Barber.
Originally conceived with a deal-making focus, today’s NIC conferences continue to emphasize relationship-building between operators and financers. However, its mandate has expanded to include learning and educational opportunities for skilled caregivers and social aspects designed to foster connections of various types beyond the borrower/lender association. “Today NIC provides arguably one of the best senior housing and care networking platforms in the industry,” Scardina stated, “bringing together not only capital providers and operators, but a host of different service providers and other industry participants.”
Not only has its focus expanded, but attendance has also grown significantly since the early years of the conference. Scardina notes that the first conference saw around 400 attendees. Today the NIC conference welcomes more than one thousand guests.
This year’s Fall conference features five keynote speakers and more than 50 main speakers from a diverse cross-section of the senior living and healthcare industry. Additionally, participants can choose to attend smaller break-out sessions, networking cafes, and even a networking time specifically for women. As for Cambridge, it will not only be participating as attendees but also as sponsors, as well as the host of a “huddle space,” a dedicated meeting area.
Scardina is encouraged by the growing participation in and support of the conference and its positive influence on the industry as a whole. “NIC’s mission of providing data and education on the industry has resulted in a larger and more robust group of capital providers that support the senior housing and long-term care industry,” he commented. “Some of these capital providers now view the senior housing/long-term care industry in the same way they view the major asset classes of commercial real estate” (apartments, office, retail, and industrial). He also noted that the data NIC provided on COVID operations, including vaccination uptake and weekly move-ins, provided much-needed confidence and perspective for supporting the industry.
The entire Cambridge team invites participants to come meet them from September 23 to 25. “Join us for a meeting or just drop by and say hi and chat about your thoughts and experiences,” Scardina urged.
