Conference program
Wednesday Night 17th September 2008
19:00 CEDEM Gala Party!
Občanská plovárna | U Plovárny 8 | Prague 1
Wednesday 17th September 2008
08:00
— Breakfast presentation by CB Richard Ellis Research Team on Regional Investment Trends
09:15 — Keynote speech
09:30 – 10:20 —
Strategies for the next generation of office developments
The question of what passes for AAA class office buildings was never dealt with seriously in Central and Eastern Europe until now because either there was always either plenty of tenant demand, or there were investors and funds competing to buy them. Those certainties have been ripped away over the past year. Financing for schemes is scarce, demand for quality has risen and the transaction market will now punish mistakes. Are office developers adapting to the new reality? Will they have any choice?
10:20 – 11:20 —
Investment forum: Searching for a new benchmark
A panel of leading property investors and developers from across Europe debate the current state of the CEE property market and the changes that have taken place over the last 12 months. Who and what type of developments won and lost over the last year? Where will investors and developers find growth opportunities across the region, and which sectors are most likely to excel? The group will also discuss the evidence from recent acquisitions for clues as to where the past 12 months have left benchmarks and what they expect over the next 12 months.
11:20 – 11:50 — Networking Break Sponsored by Eurohypo AG
11:50 – 12:30 —
Analyze this: Is the slowing economy hurting CEE's property sector?
Three analysts dig into the numbers and come out with their predictions for the coming year. Special attention will be paid to whether the region's economy is continuing to outstrip Western Europe's and where in CEE the poor global economy is likely to hit rents. They will also consider how property has performed as an investment compared to other asset classes and what the implications are for institutional investors.
12:30 – 13:45 — Buffet Lunch
13:45 – 14:45 — Local talent: Czech and Slovak developers taking giant steps
Any fears that local developers would be swallowed up by their western competitors after EU accession were clearly misplaced. Czech and Slovak developers have proven capable of competing with the world's largest groups on their home turf and are already putting down roots abroad for further expansion. This panel will feature the main actors behind the top players from the two countries in a discussion of local conditions for growth, the challenges of foreign markets, and their vision for the next five years.
14:45 – 15:30 — Beyond prime: Are secondary and alternative properties attracting new investors?
A panel of leading investors and agents discusses the widening gap in valuations between prime and non-prime properties. Are investors willing to snap up cheaper properties with a view to aggressive property management due to the continued difficulty in securing class A assets, or will they be forced to hold out for more conservative investment targets? What are the opportunities for alternative property assets?
Thursday 18th September 2008
09:30 – 10:20 — US, UK, now Spain: Will CEE's residential markets be the next to crash?
Will strong economic growth in Central and Eastern Europe be enough to keep the housing market from tanking? How do the region's mortgage lending practices compare with those in Western Europe and the USA? And will a drop in foreign investors hurt new developments? This panel will discuss whether CEE has ducked the housing bullet – this time.
10:20 – 11:20 —
Thumbs up, thumbs down: How the credit crunch has changed property finance
Remember the days when banks would chase after developers and investors offering them credit at storybook rates? Those days are well and truly gone now, as the new financial landscape across Europe is looking far more sober and conservative. With investment deals still a rarity and development finance harder to come by, an elite panel of bankers and finance experts considers the current lending conditions and the outlook for 2009.
11:20 – 11:50 — Networking Break Sponsored by Eurohypo AG
11:50 – 12:30 — Reducing the environmental impact of office and retail developments
Developers of commercial property are quickly discovering that sustainability is now one of the expected features of modern, class A developments. Environmental backwardness, in short, has become a liability. This panel will cover not only the changing legislative and investment landscape for new schemes, but will feature innovative solutions and approaches being implemented today.
12:30 – 13:45 — Buffet Lunch
13:45 – 14:45 —
Are CEE retail schemes still good value?
Given the current lack of liquidity on the transaction markets, and the threat of a slowing economy, is it time to draw the curtains the retail boom that's transformed how people in Central and Eastern Europe shop and entertain themselves? What will it take now to get institutional investors interested in the sector, and how are developers and retailers changing their approaches?
14:45 – 15:30 — Industrial: Are current take-up levels sustainable?
CEE has been undergoing a huge increase in its stock of industrial space, with take-up levels outstripping those being achieved in Western Europe. But increasingly, there are indications that some areas are reaching the limits of their natural resources and physical infrastructure. In particular, qualified labor is becoming increasingly difficult to find. Where are the hot spots, where has growth stalled, and what can public institutions do to promote new investments?
