Industry Workshop Series

CREF Real Estate Special Topics Immersion Workshops

The Center for Real Estate and Finance is excited to introduce a new Bi-Semester Industry Workshop Series, designed to create meaningful, interactive learning experiences for students and the broader Cornell community.

Each semester, this series will bring together industry leaders, alumni, and professionals in real estate and finance to lead hands-on workshops and facilitated discussions focused on timely and emerging industry topics. Rather than traditional panels, these sessions are intentionally interactive—encouraging dialogue, collaboration, and real-world problem solving.

The workshops are designed to bridge academic knowledge and practical application, allowing participants to ask questions, share perspectives, and gain actionable insights into current industry trends. Each session will spotlight a distinct theme relevant to the evolving real estate and finance landscape, from innovation and investment strategies to talent development, sustainability, and technology.

Learning Goals

The goal of this series is to equip students with actionable industry knowledge, practical skills, and professional perspectives through interactive, real-world learning experiences.

Students will:

Develop a deeper understanding of current and emerging trends in real estate/ finance
Apply industry knowledge to real-world scenarios through discussion and hands-on activities
Learn directly from industry leaders and alumni about career pathways and expectations
Expand professional networks and industry awareness beyond the classroom

Spring 2026 Workshop:

Topic: Hospitality Asset Management
Date: April 30th, 2026
Time: 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm
Speaker: Habib Enayetullah, Senior Vice President for Real Estate & Asset Management, Hilton Worldwide

Join us for an interactive, case-based workshop exploring hospitality asset management in practice. Students will be introduced to Hilton’s portfolio strategy and a real-world hotel asset case, then evaluate key operational and financial decisions using an Asset Performance & Value Creation framework.

This is a unique opportunity to gain hands-on exposure to how institutional investors and asset managers think about hotel investments, risk, and return—while engaging directly with an industry leader.

Ideal for all students interested in real estate, finance, entrepreneurship, hospitality, and investing.

No prior experience required — curiosity encouraged.

Seats are limited due to the interactive format. Registration is required to participate.