WASHINGTON – Nearly 7,000 of the world’s foremost leaders in the real estate and land use industry will convene at the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) 2017 Fall Meeting, set for October 23-26 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. ULI is a global, multidisciplinary, member-driven real estate organization dedicated to responsible land use and building thriving, sustainable communities.
Each day of the meeting will emphasize a separate area of focus, starting with Monday, October 23, which will be dedicated to tours of some of the metro area’s most innovative developments. Tuesday, October 24, will emphasize leadership, offering lessons learned from experts in the real estate industry and beyond; and on Wednesday, October 25, the focus will shift to industry trends. Thursday, October 26, has been designated as real estate “deal day,” with opportunities for attendees to explore and initiate development projects, as well as share best practices in the art of making deals.
As the largest of ULI’s events, and the real estate industry’s premier gathering, the Fall Meeting routinely draws internationally renowned land use and urban development experts, including commercial developers, finance executives, economic development specialists, architects, urban planners, property owners and managers, real estate consultants, public officials, academics and property advisers.
Real estate session topics include challenges and opportunities presented by technology advancements, demographic shifts, urbanization, changing economic drivers, transportation and other infrastructure needs, and environmental concerns. The meeting will highlight successful business strategies used by rising stars and experienced professionals to thrive in the rapidly changing industry. It will also present leaders and innovators demonstrating the most important new trends and places in Southern California, from DTLA (the Downtown Los Angeles neighborhood) to Silicon Beach and throughout the region.
Los Angeles was named one of this year’s top five cities in the United States for investment and development by the 2017 edition of Emerging Trends in Real Estate, the annual industry forecast co-published by ULI and PwC. The report cites the city’s transformation into a technology center, the aggregation of research universities, and the continued development of its mass transit system as factors in its high rating. It also notes that the local real estate market is still considered to be on the upswing, drawing national and global investors.
The meeting’s Host Committee, which is responsible for providing input on programming and highlighting Los Angeles’s considerable assets, is being chaired by longtime ULI leaders Robert Lowe, Sr., founding chairman of Lowe Enterprises, Inc., and Wayne Ratkovich, president of The Ratkovich Company.
“The Los Angeles region, founded on innovation and creativity, is a place where the future is alive and thriving,” Lowe said. “With the Fall Meeting hosted here, ULI members have a valuable opportunity to share expertise and insights for improving community building around the world. Our city is leading the way with inspired and highly successful design and development. We are excited to explore these best practices at the meeting.”
Ratkovich pointed to the massive redevelopment (nearly 80 buildings) that has occurred in the downtown area since 2011, which was the last time ULI’s Fall Meeting was held in the Los Angeles. “The revitalization of the urban core has been nothing short of transformational,” Ratkovich said. “However, the downtown’s makeover is only one part of Los Angeles’s renaissance. We look forward to showcasing the many projects throughout the area that are making the city more sustainable and livable.”
ULI’s widely acclaimed advisory services program has offered recommendations on urban growth-related issues in Los Angeles and the surrounding region on several occasions, including a panel that assisted the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Los Angeles Department of City Planning in 2011 on redevelopment strategies for the now-thriving Union Station site in the downtown area.
The 2017 Fall Meeting is made possible with generous support from numerous sponsors, including Cushman & Wakefield; Newmark Grubb Knight Frank; Lowe Enterprises; Allen Matkins; Hongkong Land; Eastdil Secured; HFF and UDR.
About the Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute is a nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the institute has more than 40,000 members worldwide representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines, including more than 2,000 in the Asia Pacific region. For more information on ULI, please visit uli.org or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
