It's a wrap on UKREiiF 2024!

Our team had a fantastic time at this year's event and took the opportunity to once again connect with industry leaders, share insights, and explore new opportunities in the investment and property sectors. The event was a fantastic platform for networking, learning, and collaborations that will shape the future of our industry.

We got our team to give us their top three takeaways. Here's what they had to say:

LAURA STAMBOULIEH - PARTNER

• There are so many great real estate initiatives being driven forward by our public sector colleagues, despite the challenges of limited human and financial resources. 
• I felt encouraged and excited by the scale of opportunity for the public and private sectors to work together on problem-solving and delivery (each sector learning from the other), and the strong desire to do so. 
• I loved hearing the voices of our next industry leaders who have a natural intent to deliver equality, diversity and inclusion to the benefit of our profession during their careers.

TOM COLE - PARTNER

• The power of panels – lots of insightful discussions on how real estate investment can deliver positive change in our communities through delivering development.
• Planning reform – some interesting insights from the industry on measures to streamline the system, how to better fund Councils to process more schemes on time and to give developers more confidence in the system making the right decisions.
• Housing, housing, housing – I came away energised by the sharp focus on boosting housing delivery across the industry, which will no doubt be a key topic in the upcoming general election!

BEN WIKELEY - GRADUATE SURVEYOR

• Patience vs Certainty – Insightful discussions surrounding the ‘wall of patient capital’ waiting to deploy into the residential market. However, greater certainty in terms of regulation and economic stability is required to provide investors with predictable metrics to be able to do so.
• Partnerships – It's great to hear the Central Government, Local Authorities, Housing Associations and the rest of the private sector acknowledge no individual can ‘do this alone’, emphasising the need to foster productive partnerships to aid the delivery of housing.
• Real Estate U25s – It is fantastic to meet like-minded individuals, hear their thoughts on industry challenges and build new relationships away from the office!

OLIVER MAURY - PARTNER

• Interest from developers and (increasingly) investors in Public Private Partnerships is bigger than ever, although I'm seeing much more focus coming from the private sector - go for less, but go harder!
• Multi-tenure, multi-generational development is very much a growing part of the regeneration narrative, bringing both positive viability impacts and better place outcomes. Winner all round!
• And of course, never forget the value of face-to-face time with clients and colleagues alike! UKREiiF was golden in this respect.

SIMON ROGERS - PARTNER

• Retrofit can be difficult, expensive, and time-consuming. I agree that it is necessary for the best product and certain uses. But is it always necessary? 
• Counterpoint from the stage: Light-to-medium touch retrofit can be done more viably and can add value if communicated to tenants and investors successfully. That was our view when we built ME Estimate to efficiently assess this. 
• BUT a building has to be delivering what the area needs from it. Totally agree. Retrofitting an old office to make a better office is pointless if the area doesn’t need an office. What do we need from our buildings, and can that be delivered within the existing structure? Retrofit helps derisk. This is a hugely compelling part of the case for retrofit.

JASMINE CECCARELLI-DREWRY - SENIOR ADVISER

• Arriving at UKREiiF, I anticipated the usual glossy soundbites, but instead, I had incredible, honest conversations with new and old connections about the big challenges and future anxieties. This openness felt like a necessary step for finding solutions and recognising what's working and what's not in our industry.
• At the Real Estate Balance panel I chaired, we explored the opportunity for regeneration to create equitable places and the sector's responsibility in shaping lives. We emphasised the need for diverse organisations and the private sector's role in delivering social impact and holding supply chains accountable.
• It was critical to me that we celebrated our full-female panel, sharing our own experiences, challenges and successes in navigating a male-dominated industry. It’s the real stories that bring the statistics to life and inspire people to drive change. It felt like a breakthrough to be at a real estate conference talking about breastfeeding on site, PPE gear for curves, and inspiring grandmothers, while also talking about the hard facts of regeneration, EDI, social impact, and place.