Networking Breakfast

The real magic happens in the hallways and networking area of the conference. Reconnect with colleagues, make new connections while enjoying healthy breakfast options.

Welcome Remarks

Office Leaders Roundtable

This 90-minute closed-door roundtable brings together select office property owners, developers and investors for a candid and off-the-record, affording an opportunity to get the real scoop from your peers.
Participation is limited to 20. Separate registration is required. Contact us for details.

Market Data Presentation

Top CRE Trends: Demand Drivers, Market Cycle Timing, Activity & Forecasts

We are full swing in major trends that appear to be rapidly driving change in all areas of commercial real estate. In office space, low unemployment and the war for talent has generated a boom in smart buildings with amenity-rich environments, while co-working and work-from-home trends continue to grow. In retail, the “Orwellian future” has arrived, creating huge challenges for major retail owners and driving a revolution in tenants and uses, including a massive trend towards mixed use. In industrial and distribution, demand remains high and vacancy low, creating an environment ripe for new development. Work into the mix the emergence of the Coronavirus and the upcoming presidential election among other challenges, and the outlook is anything but certain. Should you be buying, selling or holding in 2020, and–if buying–where should you be putting your attention and dollars for new investment and/or development? This panel offers insight across geographies and product types to provide a high-level comparison of opportunities and risks today.

Networking Break

The real magic happens in the hallways and networking area of the conference. Reconnect with colleagues, make new connections while enjoying a selection of beverages and snacks.

Opportunity Zones Workshop

2019 was the year of the Opportunity Zone, but the opportunity is anything but over. How can you still take advantage of this unprecedented tax policy and what other ways can you use tax laws to improve the financial performance of your real estate?

Office Market Update: Tenant Trends, Leasing Activity, Development & Acquisitions

In 2019, the office market for large leases was dominated by technology, finance, co-working and healthcare. Combined with unprecedented levels of employment, the office market should be the darling asset class, and yet forces such as aging building stock and give-backs of second-generation space as well as hiccups in co-working are presenting challenges. Sustained and increased urban in-migration continues to undermine the attractiveness of suburban office (compare: New Jersey with 23% vacancy to NYC with 7% vacancy). Add to this the continued trend towards work-from-home and the specter of COVID-19, and 2020 is set to see challenges in the office market both in New York and elsewhere across the country. Starting with employee needs and tenant demands, working through how this impacts leasing velocity and rental rates and finally delving into acquisitions and development in both urban infill and suburban markets, this panel will provide a soup-to-nuts review of the office market today. Where are the best opportunities for the office asset class going forward?

Retail Leaders Roundtable

This 90-minute closed-door roundtable brings together select retail property owners, developers and investors for a candid and off-the-record, affording an opportunity to get the real scoop from your peers.
Participation is limited to 20. Separate registration is required. Contact us for details.

Retail Market Update: Leasing Activity, Tenant Trends, Consumer Spending Outlook

“Falling Knife,” “Retailmageddon,” and “Orwellian future” are just some of the terms that get thrown around to describe the arguably overstated case that “Retail is dead”. However, the actual stats say otherwise, with both physical and online stores seeing growth in 2019. However, not all retailers are succeeding, and not all physical retail locations are set to succeed in the future. As one senior industry executive put it: “Retail is not over-built, it is under-demolished.” meaning that new uses and investment are needed to revitalize and reimagine retail real estate today. Retail property owners should have expectations of increased tenant turnover, shorter leases and increased tenant improvement spend to keep up with rapidly changing consumer trends. Which consumer trends and tenant types are the ones to watch? How should retail space and deal terms be reconfigured to the new reality? And how does all of this impact the where and how of future retail real estate acquisitions, dispositions and (re-)development?

Networking Lunch

The real magic happens in the hallways and networking area of the conference. Reconnect with colleagues, make new connections while enjoying healthy lunch options.

Capital Markets Update: Debt & Equity for Office & Retail Deals

Behind every good real estate deal is a well structured capital stack, comprised of lenders and investors well aligned with the business goals of the deal. Proper deal structuring can amplify a small cap rate into a return that works for investors, but leverage can also create unnecessary distress in a difficult leasing market. On the equity side, institutional investors are increasingly bearish on retail, creating a sea change in who invests in today’s retail deals. And while office remains a target for institutional and foreign investors, there has been a changing of the guard in who is backing office deals today. Who are the equity investors and lenders active on office and retail deals today? How are deal terms evolving to match today’s market?

Emerging Opportunities: Strategies & Challenges off the Beaten Path

The world of real estate can be divided into nice neat buckets of Core, Core+ and Opportunistic, as well as product types such as office, retail, industrial, etc. Combine this further with geography (New York, San Francisco, Dallas and so on), location type (urban, suburban, exurban, rural), and finally capital stack location (debt, mezzanine, equity) and you’ve got a rough grid of seemingly all options available. Never before has the playing field been so transparent, but the result is high asset prices and lots of competition in a picked-over market where it is hard to find anything that makes sense. And yet just outside your peripheral vision are opportunities off the beaten path where big money cannot or will not go, a place where yields are higher and opportunity still exists in niches where the persistent and vigilant will prosper? Where are these opportunities and how do you access them?

Networking Reception

The real magic happens in the hallways and networking area of the conference. Reconnect with colleagues, make new connections while enjoying a glass of wine and hors d’oeuvres.
Non-alcoholic drink options available.

The New York Academy of Sciences
WTC 7, 40th Floor
12:15 PM – 6:00 PM
New York City