7:00 AM

REGISTRATION & CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST

8:00 AM

OPENING REMARKS: PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Introduction of the Forum Chairman:
Tony Prsa, President, BOMA Edmonton

8:05 AM

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK FOR ALBERTA AND CANADA: WILL THE STRONG MARKET CONTINUE OUT WEST?

The opening presentation will examine the economic fundamentals that are driving the Canadian Economy in general and the performance of Edmonton and Alberta in particular. Mr. Burleton will discuss a range of related issues including expected Canadian and U.S. interest rates for the next 12-18 months, the outlook for the Canadian dollar, market liquidity, energy prices and the rates of inflation and bond yields. As the economic environment improves, where are the best opportunities for investment? How do the prospects for Edmonton compare with other major Canadian cities?

8:40 AM

EDMONTON ON THE WORLD STAGE

Join two of Edmonton’s most passionate leader’s as they discuss the next steps for growth and prosperity in the capital city. What makes Edmonton globally competitive and what is the real story behind its success? How does the city preserve (and grow) its current position? How is its growth being managed over the next 5 to 15 years? Where do responsibilities fall in order to maintain the current (and future) interest and excitement in Edmonton? What are the opportunities? Is their a formula for success to attract more investment to Edmonton? What are the macro economic factors for Edmonton?

Speakers:
Brad Ferguson, President, Edmonton Economic Development
Indira Samarasekera, President, University of Alberta

9:20 AM

BUILDING WITH OIL…

Oil and gas continues to be a hot topic across Canada. What can we expect heading into the second half of 2013 and beyond? Where are oil and gas prices headed? What are the implications of these energy prices for capital investment in Edmonton and Alberta? As Alberta negotiates the issues and implications of new pipelines, what does it mean for real estate development and prices in Northern Alberta? What economic impact is there to Canada if the pipeline capacity runs out?

Speaker:
Josef Schachter, President, Schachter Asset Management Inc.

10:00 AM

MORNING REFRESHMENTS

10:25 AM

CONCURRENT SESSIONS (Select A1, A2 or A3)

Session A1:
EDMONTON OFFICE MARKET — CRANES ARE ON ORDER…BUT FOR WHICH SITE?

For the second year in a row, the office market in the Edmonton area has seen positive absorption rates allowing landlords to breathe easier. This trend suggests that it might finally be time for developers to invest in building new office towers. Who are the key players to jump on this pending and significant opportunity? What would new development mean for the city and what are the implications for suburban development? How significant is the impact of the Arena project to the downtown core? The panel will discuss how they see this story evolving and who they believe the major players will be.

With a sub-7% vacancy rate, in what way will the office market become a landlord’s market in 2013-14? What does this mean for tenants who are frustrated by the limited options of large contiguous space within the existing inventory? Will this spur on more suburban development because of the speed of construction and affordability?

Session A2:
CONSTRUCTION & LABOUR COSTS IN EDMONTON: IS THE MARKET PREPARED THIS TIME?

If Edmonton is truly growing again is the construction industry ready for an uptick and are the stars finally aligned? Hear from industry leaders in a discussion about current issues effecting construction today and into the future. The panel will refer to major projects in and around Edmonton as a means to discuss construction costs, skilled labour shortages, design trends, implications of sustainable design and how this will be managed compared to the previous uptick in 2006/07. What trends will the city see? How will the labour pool be accessed? How important is sustainable design? What effect will these issues have on cost per square foot? What lessons have been learned?

Session A3:
WILL CAPITAL AND CREDIT REMAIN CHEAP AND ACCESSIBLE IN 2013 OR WILL THE GAME START CHANGING IN 2014?

While lending policies and spreads have not returned to pre-2008 levels, the past year saw an increase in the availability of well-priced debt capital in Canada. This session will focus specifically on what borrowers can expect in 2013 and 2014. Some of the questions that will be examined include – How much debt capital will be available for commercial mortgages and from what sources? Who will be the major providers in Canada and what will they be looking for? How will the strategies of banks, insurance companies, pension funds and other institutions vary from those of private sources of debt capital? How will lenders be evaluating a deal in next year’s market? How will risk be priced? What is likely to happen with loan spreads, amortization periods, loan to value ratios, and recourse? What property classes will lenders be avoiding, reducing exposure to, or increasing pricing for? The panel will also ask whether the CMBS market will ever return and whether it matters if it does.

11:30 AM

CONCURRENT SESSIONS (Select B1, B2 or B3)

Session B1:
MULTI-UNIT RESIDENTIAL SECTOR: WHERE IS THE MARKET GOING?

Edmonton continues to have the lowest rental vacancy rate in the country. Is this expected to continue over the next 12 months and what will be the effect of major condo completions coming up over the next eight months? How will that affect the rental market? Will the pending Arena project stimulate the construction of hundreds of residential units downtown and will Edmonton finally see the live and work downtown concept begin to play-out? The panel will also discuss the current value of land and how this is affecting the various players in this sector.

Moderator:
Raymond Townsend, Senior Vice President, CBRE Limited

Panel:
Bruce Bentley, President & CEO, Maclab Enterprises 
Brent Blake, Senior Director, Research, Valuation & Advisory, Altus Group
Scott Butler, President, Mission Ventures Inc.
Greg Christenson, President, Christenson Developments Ltd.

Session B2:
INDUSTRIAL MARKET: HOW WILL OIL CONTINUE TO IMPACT THIS SECTOR?

With the challenging economy industrial real estate development has been directly affected as various sectors tightened their financial belts. With the higher commodity prices in play a renewed interest in industrial markets are growing. Is this a false recovery? How have land prices, lease rates and industrial development been affected? The panel will review projections for 2013/2014 industrial development and outline potential market activity trends that help decision making in this transitioning market. How have other cities addressed such impact of commodities? What are the solutions? What is the long term impact of oil on the Industrial sector? Which industrial sectors and occupants are driving the market and in which directions?

Moderator:
Andy Horvath, Partner, Industrial Sales and Leasing, Cushman & Wakefield

Panel:
Colin Clish, Leasing & Land Coordinator, Remington Development Corporation
Kelly Pawlik, Director, Industrial Leasing, Oxford Properties Group
Twyla Purschke, Senior Associate, Industrial, Colliers International Ltd.
Shaun Wuschke, Vice President, Bentall Kennedy (Canada) LP

Session B3:
GROWTH & INVESTMENT ACTIVITY: 5 AND 10 YEAR PREDICTIONS FOR EDMONTON

A panel of diverse experts will provide an extensive discussion on the outlook for growth and investment in Edmonton and Alberta. Anchoring the discussion will be forecasts for growth in population, employment, immigration, enrollment, economic activity and how these variables will affect investment. What are the key drivers, key variables and leading indicators to 5 and 10 year outlooks for demand and investment activity in Edmonton?

Moderator:
Sandy McNair, President, Altus InSite

Panel:
Peter Choy, Director, Industry Development, Edmonton Economic Development Corporation
David Dale-Johnson, Stan Melton Chair in Real Estate, Alberta School of Business
Jim Hewitt, Partner, Portfolio Management, KingSett Capital
Dave Young, Senior Vice President, CBRE Limited

12:30 PM

RECEPTION AND LUNCHEON

LUNCHEON REFRESHMENTS

1:00 PM

KEYNOTE LUNCHEON SPEAKER: BUILDING EDMONTON TO ATTRACT TALENT AND INVESTMENT

2:00 PM

CONCURRENT SESSIONS (Select C1, C2 or C3) 

Session C1:
A LOOK AT THE CHANGING RETAIL LANDSCAPE AND THE GROWING IMPACT OF THE INTERNET

There is a continued growing influx of U.S. retailers moving to Canada and many have already opened their doors or will be later this year. What do new retailers see happening once they arrive and how have the recent new additions performed in the Edmonton market? What do local retailers predict is going to happen to their bottom line? What are U.S. retailers who have been here for 6-12 months or more saying about their new Canadian shoppers? Has it been worth it for them to move north of the border? Additionally the panel will also discuss the continued changing role of the internet in today’s retail sector.

Moderator:
Alex Thomson, Senior Vice President, Retail, WAM Development Group

Panel:
Daniel Jay, Senior Director, Real Estate – Western Canada, Loblaw Properties West Inc.
Scott Lee, Principal, Northwest Atlantic (Canada) Inc.
Jesse Rudge, Regional Manager-North, Property Development Division, Melcor Developments Ltd. 
Eric Slatter, Senior Associate, Colliers International Ltd. 

Session C2:
A BUBBLE BURST: SOCIAL MEDIA ISN’T WHAT WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE

Blah blah blah. For almost a decade now, Social Media Evangelists, myself included, have been preaching that social media tools like Facebook and Twitter were going to change the real estate marketing world. You know what? We were wrong. Make no mistake, the business of building communication campaigns for real estate projects has changed significantly, and social media has a place in the new best-practices playbook. But you’ll be surprised by what other tactics and tools have become the most effective. Some of the old ways are more important than ever before. And some of the most vital communication considerations are often overlooked, creating a huge competitive advantage for those in the know. So what’s working now? What are you missing? Where can you spend your budget most effectively? How can you get your customers to pay attention to your messages? The answers may not be what you expect.

Speaker:
David Allison, Director, Braun/Allison Inc.

Session C3:
NEW DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN EDMONTON AREA

This session will offer an examination of significant current or recent development projects and their impact on the Edmonton market. The discussion will focus on the Arena project, NW Upgrader, and other developments such as the Municipal airport lands as well as the development at Edmonton International airport. In addition, this session will discuss how the LRT expansion is playing a role with these various projects. What insights can the owners/developers/users of these projects offer?

Moderator:
Jim Taylor, Executive Director, Downtown Business Association

Panel:
Darrell Halliwell, Principal, Dialog
Taylor Inglis, Manager, Real Estate & Land Development, Edmonton International Airport
Simon O’Byrne, Vice President, Planning, Stantec Consulting

2:45 PM

AFTERNOON REFRESHMENTS

3:05 PM

FINAL COMMENTS: EXECUTIVE ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON EDMONTON AND GROWTH OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS

Summarizing the broad range of issues raised during the conference a panel of well-respected senior real estate executives will share their insights and perspectives on what they believe are the most critical issues and market trends facing their business plans and the industry in general over the next year. Taking into consideration the current economic condition and the numerous discussions from the day’s events, they will provide the last word on the Edmonton Real Estate market. What changes need to be addressed for Edmonton to continue to grow and how much opportunity exists for Edmonton today?

Moderator:
Andrew Megson, President, Springwood Land Corp.

Panel:
Tony Astles, Executive Vice President, Real Estate Services, Western Canada, Bentall Kennedy (Canada) Inc.
Cody Clayton, President, Remington Development Corporation
Scott Hutcheson, Chairman & CEO, Aspen Properties Ltd.
Phil Milroy, CEO, Westcorp Properties Inc.

4:05 PM

CLOSING COMMENTS

4:10 PM

CHAIRMAN’S RECEPTION