HIRI to examine the "R" word

The Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI) will host a series of presentations Oct. 14 looking at the impact of the recession.

The daylong event, "The Recession, Short and Long Term Impacts," will be held at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza. Speakers include J. Walker Smith, president of The Futures Co.; Joshua Rosenbaum, executive director, Global Industrial Group of UBS Investment Bank; and housing analyst Ivy Zelman, CEO of Zelman & Associates.

Zelman's presentation will be of particular interest and is titled: "What's ahead for housing? Should we be optimistic?" Zelman was in the vanguard of bearish analysts who earned reputations for accuracy during the housing market bubble burst.

Also at the event, NPD Group's Mark Delaney will lead a discussion about home improvement projects -- which are hot and which are cold -- based on consumer data.

Early registration discounts are available until Sept. 12.

For a listing of other industry events, visit the HCN Event Calendar.