On Friday, February 10th, the University of Miami Herbert Business School hosted the 2023 edition of its annual invitation-only Real Estate Impact Conference, which brought together board members, students, faculty, distinguished alumni and real estate professionals. Entrepreneurs and innovators met with leading commercial real estate investors to explore opportunities spurred by new technologies and the vibrant movement of people and capital to South Florida at the Real Estate Impact Conference, co-hosted by three University of Miami schools. The invitation-only conference was hosted at the newly completed Lowes Hotel Coral Gables with support from presenting sponsors Douglas Elliman Real Estate, Kislak Family Foundation, Witkoff and Ripco Real Estate.

More than 800 attendees, including University of Miami students and alumni, as well as many South Florida commercial real estate and finance professionals, joined 150 scholarship-supported students to discuss both threats and opportunities in the market at the multidisciplinary conference. Attendees included Dan Kodsi, Edgardo Defortuna, Allen Morris, Ronny Finvarb, Jay Masserman, Neil Fairman, David Luski, Matt Shore, Camilo Miguel Jr., Dev Motwani, Nitin Motwani, Scott Sherman, Jacques Bessoudo and Demetri Demascus. Speakers included Roy Hilton March, Armando Codina, Jonathan Tisch, John Buck and Ralph Rosenberg.

The 2023 University of Miami Real Estate Impact Conference brings together expert panels to bring insight on Miami’s ever evolving real estate market place and glimpse into the future from the city’s movers and shakers. Themed “Miami, In Motion,” the conference offered three panels—“Moving in Miami: A Transit-Oriented Initiative That Will Forever Change Downtown Miami;” “Why You Can Count on South Florida Real Estate;” and “Keys to Success for CRE (Commercial Real Estate) Investment and Financing.”

“The conference theme was geared to capture the energy of the county’s emphasis on transportation through its proposed downtown redevelopment plan and the fact that so many people and so much capital has been moving here, especially since COVID,” said Andrea Heuson, finance professor and academic-director of real estate programs at the Herbert Business School.

Heuson highlighted that nearly $2 billion in capital investment funds, much of it from Latin America, has moved into South Florida through the pandemic period.

The conference began with “Moving in Miami: A Transit-Oriented Initiative That Will Forever Change Downtown Miami” featuring John Buck, Chairman and CEO of The John Buck Company along with Miami-Dade County commissioners and agency specialists.

The county redevelopment panel focused on two key points for the proposed transformation of 178 acres in Miami’s downtown owned by the county: the requirement that new development must include improved transportation, accessing federal funds to expand Metrorail and the Metromover, and also that affordable housing be offered together with mixed market-rate housing.

It was followed by an exploration into “Why You Can Count on South Florida Real Estate” with Loews Hotel & Co. Executive Chairman Jonathan Tisch and legendary developer Armando Codina of Codina Partners. In the conversation, both shared from their personal histories.

“To learn how they went from nothing—Codina was sent here from Cuba (part of Operation Pedro Pan) and then lived in an orphanage and foster care—to become these iconic players in the real estate industry was so inspiring. And their advice to work hard, stay humble, and keep the right mindset and not develop a sense of entitlement was so important for me.” Said conference attendee Ismael Almanzar Ortiz, a University of Miami student who is midway through the Accelerated Real Estate MBA program at Miami Herbert Business School.

The conference was highlighted by the final panel, “Keys to Success for CRE Investment and Financing” featuring Global Head of Real Estate at KKR Ralph Rosenberg and Eastdil Secured CEO Roy Hilton March who gave insight onto how real estate markets are influenced by current inflationary and geopolitical factors in the global marketplace.

In addition to panel discussions and networking sessions, there were several special programs available to MRED+U, MBA, MSF and Law School students throughout the day. More than 100 current University students and alumni attended the morning ’Canes Connection gathering, offered for the first time. One of the benefits of membership on the University of Miami Real Estate Advisory Boards, which consist of over 100 prominent real estate professionals, is personal contact with the best and brightest students.

Heuson points out that scholarships and sponsor support make it possible for nearly all students to attend who want to. Additionally, she explained that the conference generates funds to support several University scholarships, such as Project Destined, geared to bring high achieving diverse students into the field, and also for the Accelerated Real Estate MBA, which includes a six-month paid internship component.

The 2023 University of Miami Impact Conference was hosted by Miami Herbert Business School which hosts it’s Accelerated MBA in Real Estate Program, The School of Architecture which hosts the MRED+U program and the School of Law which offers the LL.M. In Real Property Development.

Miami Herbert Business School’s 19-month Accelerated MBA in Real Estate, led by Dr. Andrea Heuson, offers students the opportunity to transform their careers with the 19-month MBA program which combines the leading business expertise of the Herbert Business School with the School of Architecture’s strengths in new urbanism. With Miami being a real estate powerhouse, the program offers students the invaluable opportunity to gain a general management perspective and hands-on commercial real estate experience through experiential learning, internships, and an interdisciplinary curriculum. For more information on the Accelerated MBA in Real Estate visit University of Miami’s Herbert Business School MBA in Real Estate Program here.