10:40 AM

CONCURRENT SESSIONS (Select A1, A2 or A3)

SESSION A1:
IS VANCOUVER RUNNING OUT OF INDUSTRIAL REAL ESTATE? HOW IS THIS ASSET CLASS PERFORMING IN THIS MARKET? WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?

Vancouver industrial and logistics lease rates increased by 29.1% in 2018 representing the largest increase in the world.  With very low vacancy, growing demand, and escalating land prices, developers are looking for innovative alternatives in order to provide much needed product into this very tight market. What factors are responsible for this strong demand? What is the impact if the port cannot expand? Is stratification becoming a popular option? Given the cost of land, are secondary markets seeing an increase in industrial activity? Case studies of new developments will also be discussed. 

Moderator: 
Bruno Fiorvento, Executive Vice President, JLL 

Panel:
Blake Asselstine, Director, Leasing & Asset Management, Beedie
Dan Cupa, Director, Development, PC Urban Properties Corp 
Tegan Smith, Director of Planning, Hungerford Properties 
Chris Holtved, Senior Portfolio Manager, Real Estate, HOOPP 
Peter van Stolk, Chief Executive Officer, SPUD.ca 

Vancouver’s multi-residential market has been on a hot-streak as sales activity skyrocketed in 2017. However, with new government policies and a rising interest rate environment the Vancouver multi-residential market is poised to slow down.  Looking at low cap rates, and high land costs, how sustainable is purpose built rental?  How is the Rental Housing Task Force impacting the market?  Is condominium development a better alternative?  What are investors looking for in the market when it comes to size? Will rising prices in the single-family market sustain higher rental demand?  How will provincial government policies constrain the apartment market from meeting tenant needs? 

Moderator: 
Cynthia Jagger, Principal, Goodman Commercial

Panel: 
Neil Chrystal, President & CEO, Polygon Homes Ltd. 
Michael Ferreira, Managing Principal, Urban Analytics
Michael Geller, President, The Geller Group
Tim Yeung, Director, Development, Peterson Group 

The ongoing transformation of Metro Vancouver and the Lower Mainland continues in the face of rising construction and land costs along with nimbyism and unfavourable political policies. What are the major factors supporting decisions to move forward with these projects? How are developers responding to these constraints and overcoming barriers to entry? To what extent do policies differ among the various municipalities in the metropolitan area? What are ideal strategies to approach municipal councils for rezoning and development applications? In the face of rising construction costs, what strategies and tools can developers use to manage projects successfully? 

Moderator:
Bill Tucker, Chief Executive Officer, Omicron 

Panel:
Eric Carlson, Core-Founder & CEO, Anthem Properties Group
Hani Lammam, Executive Vice President, Cressey Development Group
Greg Moore, Co-Founder, Livable Region Group of Companies, Former Mayor, City of Port Coquitlam and Chair of Metro Vancouver
Brent Toderian, Consulting City Planner + Urbanist, TODERIAN UrbanWORKS 

11:40 AM

CONCURRENT SESSIONS (Select B1, B2 or B3)

SESSION B1:
THE CHANGING NATURE OF WORK AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE OFFICE MARKET: WHAT ARE THE KEY FACTORS BEHIND THESE TRENDS? HOW ARE THE NEEDS OF OCCUPIERS CHANGING AND AFFECTING THIS PROPERTY CLASS? 

In this landlord’s market, a number of notable projects have been launched in the past twelve months or about to proceed. Predictions are that Vancouver to will have the second-lowest office vacancy rate in the Western Hemisphere by 2019. What factors are contributing to this strong demand within the office market? As US companies like WeWork and Amazon look to expand their Canadian presence, how will Vancouver accommodate the needs of high tech companies? What are these tenants demanding in terms of built product and workplace standards? As people move out of the downtown core into surrounding areas, how is this affecting the office market in both the suburbs and downtown core? Are the office submarkets as robust?

Moderator: 
Maury Dubuque, Senior Managing Director, Vancouver Brokerage, Colliers International

Panel:
Trish Clarry, Principal, Corporate Solutions, JLL 
David Haugen, Director, Leasing, Canderel
Gina Phillips, General Manager, Northwest, WeWork
Jon Stovell, President, Reliance Properties 

This panel will examine investment activity in a cross-section of real estate asset classes including office, retail, industrial, multi-residential and land in the Metro Vancouver market. The discussion will begin with a brief look at benchmark transactions over the past twelve months. Discussion will then focus on each asset class. Where are cap rates and valuation heading? How will the cost of capital affect investment decision-making? What does it take to complete an investment deal in this market? What do investment fundamentals look like for 2019 and beyond for the Vancouver market?

Moderator:
Jim Szabo, Vice Chairman, National Investment Team, CBRE Capital Markets 

Panel:
Daniel Drimmer, President & CEO, Starlight Investments
Kevin Leon, President, Crestpoint Real Estate Investments Ltd.
Marc Ricou, Senior Vice President, Development, British Columbia, QuadReal Property Group 
Richard Weir, Executive Vice President, Acquisitions + Asset Management, Bosa Development