On Friday, February 28th, the University of Miami School of Architecture hosted its ninth annual Real Estate Impact Conference, which brought together board members, students, faculty, distinguished alumni and real estate professionals. The invitation-only conference was hosted at the Four Seasons Hotel in Brickell with support from presenting sponsors Douglas Elliman Real Estate, Kislak, and Witkoff.

More than 650 University of Miami students and alumni, including many South Florida commercial real estate and finance professionals, discussed both threats and opportunities in the market at the multidisciplinary conference.

“Bringing together faculty and students from our schools of architecture, business and law is an important step in tackling today’s complex problems,” said University of Miami President Julio Frenk. “This conference is an excellent example, because real estate is essential to Miami’s economy with an impact around the world.”

Anthony Graziano and President Julio Frenk.

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. 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. Advice With Impact was an intimate, morning networking session which was attended by students and sponsors such as IBERIABANK, Plaza Construction, CBRE and Whitman Family Development.

Katya Demina, Tom Murphy and Alana Fernandez.

University of Miami students were also invited to apply for the premier networking opportunity of the school year: the Swire Scholar Luncheon. Scholars received complimentary registration ($300 value) to attend the conference and participated in a private luncheon with advisory board members from the Architecture, Business and Law schools. David Martin, vice president of retail at Swire Properties, welcomed UM’s Swire Scholar students to the opening luncheon, where they had an opportunity to discuss their studies and career plans with UM’s Real Estate Advisory Board members.

For MBA student Jack Shelgren, the Swire Scholars luncheon provided valuable learning and networking opportunities. “As an intern, I did research and financial analysis, learning about multifamily, office and retail asset types,” he said. “Now, I’m an associate at Freeman Property Group, gaining an entrepreneurial perspective, while working on acquisitions for our clients.”

MRED+U students Nick Nicola and Tanya Rivera with Jackie Touzet.

In the afternoon, top executives from JP Morgan Chase, Ventas and Hines took the stage and provided valuable insight on today’s real estate market. They commented that hospitality services are playing an increasingly important role throughout the commercial real estate market, as employers seek to recruit and retain talented workers. Another emerging trend is the growing demand for medical office properties and senior housing driven by the aging of the U.S. population. Without question, the global spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 poses a threat to global real estate markets, according to Matthew Cherwin, treasurer and chief investment officer of JP Morgan Chase.

The school also highlighted its Research Initiative, which was introduced in 2018 by Dr. Charles Bohl, Director of the Master in Real Estate Development + Urbanism (MRED+U) Program. “Both the University of Miami and our Real Estate Advisory Boards have made Resiliency a top research priority of immense relevance to South Florida and coastal communities around the world. It is through joint research initiatives like this that our students, faculty and researchers can help us address the big, challenging issues of our day, including the adaptation and development of more resilient buildings, infrastructure and communities,” said Bohl. Professor Mark Troen and students from the MRED+U program presented this year’s findings on stage.

The 2020 Impact Conference Organizing Committee consists of Andrea Heuson, Charles Bohl, Manuel de Zarraga, Nitin Motwani, Alfonso Munk and Steve Witkoff. Nitin Motwani, Managing Principal of Miami Worldcenter and Chair of the MRED+U Advisory Board, closed the standing-room-only conference by reminding participants that, “The University of Miami Real Estate Impact Conference supports all real estate education at the University, which has become an interdisciplinary powerhouse that blends real estate programs in finance, development, and law with construction management, architecture and engineering.”