The summits, however, have helped change things in the state. “A lot of deals get done,” he says. About 50% of the conference consists of presentations by experts on the latest policy changes affecting the sector, discussions of development and finance options associated with multifamily projects, and the other 50% consists of dealmaking and networking. A panel at a previous conference, for example, brought together for-profit developers and nonprofits to discuss topics such as property management techniques and “found a curious overlap” in the problems both groups were encountering.

Minneapolis has rapidly developed into one of the nation's hottest real estate markets. But that has not lessened what Peterson calls “a tremendous need in general for affordable housing.” The metro area has seen some important projects break ground recently. As reported in GlobeSt.com, for example, the Minneapolis-based US Bank financed the development of Pillsbury A-Mill, a local historic flour mill, into 251 units of affordable rental housing tailored toward local artists. And last year the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust decided to provide $33 million of pension capital funding for the construction of Five 15 on the Park, a 259-unit apartment complex in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood near downtown Minneapolis.

Mary Tingerthal, commissioner of the MHFA, will serve as this morning's keynote speaker. Prior to being appointed commissioner by Governor Mark Dayton in 2011, she spent eight years with GMAC as a managing director of residential funding, developing home equity products. As chief executive officer of the National Equity Fund, she oversaw a $3 billion fund for major investors, mostly banks. Robert Rozen, a member of Ernst & Young's Washington Council and a national leader in the affordable housing arena, will serve as the afternoon's keynote speaker.

“We're looking to bring in decision-makers from all sides,” Peterson says, “who can make deals happen.”