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Los Angeles — Feb. 20, 2015 – RICS, a global professional organization with more than 118,000 members that promotes and enforces the highest professional qualifications and standards in the development and management of real estate, property, and construction, will host its 2015 Summit of the Americas in downtown Los Angeles.
This year’s summit, titled “The Future of the Global Industry,” will spotlight Los Angeles as a model for urban development, bringing together economists, business leaders, government officials, and industry professionals to participate in discussions on some of the key opportunities and trends shaping the future of the built environment.
The three-day event will take place April 22 to 24 at the historic Millennium Biltmore Hotel at 506 S. Grand Ave., and will also include off-site tours of area hotels, developments, and historic properties.
“As one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world as well as one of the most diverse cities in the U.S., Los Angeles is a natural fit for this year’s summit given its global impact on the real estate industry and its strong international market presence,” said Neil Shah, managing director of the Americas for RICS. “The summit will use L.A. as a stage for discussing local and international trends and case studies across the investment, development, transaction, and management of property.”
Los Angeles is currently undergoing a massive infrastructure investment in bridges, mass transit, airport, and port facilities. Additionally, more than 40 percent of goods entering the U.S. go through the port of Los Angeles, allowing the city to serve as a core social and financial market connecting Asia, Mexico, Central America, and South America.
The program schedule will provide attendees with information and expert knowledge on a full range of topics centered on four main workshop “tracks” – public realm, global industry, brick and mortar, and specialty markets.
The summit will create a platform for panelists to study core industry issues in an international context and discuss a variety of topics ranging from economic and societal trends to risk management, asset management, valuations, and the application of technology for construction and development. Panelists include industry veterans from a variety of professions, including valuation consultants, investors, lenders, architects, construction advisers, civil engineers, corporate occupiers and facilities managers, economists, and developers.
Speakers include highly influential and knowledgeable industry leaders such as:
• Darrell Smith,director of worldwide energy and buildings technology, Microsoft, will be on theBuildings of the Future panel. Smith oversees the energy strategy, programs, and reporting for Microsoft’s real estate portfolio consisting of 30 million square feet and 560 sites around the world.
• David Simon, executive vice president of Kilroy Realty,will be participating in The Future of the Tech Workplace Campus, discussing the evolution of work campuses, and the impact the workplace environment has had on both operational efficiencies and staff engagement.
• Carl Muhlstein, managing director of JLL, will be moderating the panel The Future of the Tech Workplace Campus. JLL brought Viacom and Google to Los Angeles this year as a result of highly competitive negotiations in the creative tech sector.
• Susan MacGregor-Scott, global head of transactions for Citibank Realty Services, will be participating in the Corporate Management of Global Real Estate panel, discussing strategic real estate advice at the C-Suite level in businesses and governments.
• John D. Busi, FRICS, executive vice president and global head of valuation and advisory for Cushman & Wakefield, will participate in the Valuing the Future panel. Busi oversees a professional staff of over 580 valuers operating in 99 offices in 28 countries around the globe.
• James Balocki, CEO and director services and installation, Office of the Chief of Army Reserves, will be discussing the Future of the Industry. He exercises oversight for the command’s 12,000 civilian employees and manages acquisition, information technology, installation operations and services, and environmental and military construction support for 215,000 military personnel.
As part of this year’s summit, RICS will unveil its first-ever global report on the future of the industry, “RICS Futures,” a culmination of three years of research and key takeaways from the organization’s events, discussions, and publications with some of the most influential professionals working across the land, real estate, and construction sectors. RICS Futures discusses the global importance of the built environment and explores what the markets, economies, and societies of the world will require in 2030 and how the profession can prepare to meet these needs.
This report foresees three possible world scenarios in 2030: a “familiar world”; a “world in crisis”; and a “world of enlightenment.” The strategies found within RICS Futures are based on seven key pillars:
• Thinking ahead
• Leadership and inspiration
• Sustainability
• New skills and multidisciplinarity
• Networks
• Technology
• Ethics, values and standards
“This year’s summit will bring together a number of disparate groups from a variety of professions focused on the built environment across the globe. As such, the 2015 Summit of the Americas creates a unique opportunity for professionals with a wide range of expertise to come together and discuss key issues affecting all aspects of the built environment,” Shah added.
Sponsors of the 2015 summit include Altus Group, Argus Software, Capright, CBRE, Cushman & Wakefield, Ernst & Young, Turner & Townsend, Real Capital Analytics, Gleeds USA, BCQS International, FORM Magazine, and Institutional Real Estate, Inc.
To register for the 2015 Summit of the Americas, click here.
RICS is a global professional organization with more than 118,000 members that promotes and enforces the highest professional qualifications and standards in the development and management of real estate, property, and construction. RICS’ presence in the Americas includes staff in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, Sao Paulo, and Barbados.
