Top US real estate business and law leaders provide industry forecast at annual symposium
The 40th Annual Benjamin S. Crocker Symposium on Real Estate Law and Business was held on Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at the JW Marriot at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles. The Symposium, titled “The California Kaleidoscope: Perspectives and Possibilities in an Ever Changing Real Estate Market”, offered over 400 business and legal professionals the highest quality in educational programming and extensive networking opportunities.
“This year’s Symposium opened with regional and national forecasts from a panel of macroeconomists. While their prognostications suggested that economic recovery is far down the road, they were unanimous in their belief that there will not be a double dip recession. Other speakers focused on the available opportunities in this evolving market, and it was clear that real estate professionals are resilient, have not been cowed by the current economic challenges and are trying to move forward in a positive direction,” said Sarah V.J. Spyksma, Chair and Planning Committee Co-Chair (pictured), Benjamin S. Crocker Symposium 2011 and Partner, Sidley Austin, LLP.
The Symposium comprised of multiple breakout sessions which included more than 50 real estate industry professionals discussing various topics concerning the current state of the market. It was headlined by eight keynote speakers, which included:
•Stuart Gabriel—Director, Richard S. Ziman Center for Real Estate at UCLA
•Gary Schlossberg—Senior Economist, Wells Capital Management
•David Shulman—Senior Economist, UCLA Anderson Forecast
•Nelson C. Rising—Chairman, Rising Realty Partners, LP
•Victor J. Coleman—Chairman and CEO, Hudson Pacific Properties, Inc.
•Emile Haddad—Chairman and CEO, Five Point Communities, LLC
•Peter Lowy—CEO, Westfield Group
•Kevork Zoryan—Managing Director, Morgan Stanley
The post-Symposium reception was held in the JW Marriot Mixing Room where attendees and speakers networked. This marked the first year the Crocker Symposium was held at the JW Marriot at L.A. Live, a 54-story hotel which has been awarded the LEED Silver Certification.
0+
