Whether you’re a corporate asset manager, a retailer looking to anticipate sector trends, or a growing business wondering whether to buy or rent your office space, the Conference aims to offer insight and information to a broad range of businesspeople.

“Our aim is to foster debate and discussion for delegates interested in property investment trends, and from a wide range of professional disciplines,” says IPD’s managing director, Stan Garrun.

“To achieve this goal, the format we’ve used avoids motivational speakers and focuses on presenting fewer, carefully chosen, speeches. The programme includes instead a number of panel discussions and open networking opportunities.”

Garrun adds that delegates will have ample opportunity to interact with property investment experts and have access to both international and local speakers.

“If you have property investment questions, this is the place to have them answered by the industry’s thought leaders,” he says.

A key theme is the position of SA in the global context and high-profile international speakers like Hans Timmer from the World Bank and Huston Eubank, former CEO of the World Green Building Council will be presenting their perspectives on SA’s place on the world investment radar.

Local experts will also be sharing their thoughts on SA’s place in a globalized world.

Craig Hallowes, director at Fortress Asset Management and JSE exchange traded fund (ETF) PropTrax will be participating in a panel discussion on ‘Growth’ – to be chaired by respected property journalist Ian Fife of the Financial Mail.

Hallowes says that, to stimulate growth, SA investors need to get into the international domain and speak to investors globally. Although SA’s relatively high yields and well-regulated and sophisticated financial market work in our favour, there is still a need to better market SA internationally and to understand the risk and reward demands of those investors.

“At the same time, the global real estate market is massive and although returns have been good in SA, there is huge scope for SA companies to look abroad for diversification opportunities in the developed world, too,” he says.

Respected Wits University professor Francois Viruly is another local heavyweight scheduled to share his views, as is Colin Young, listed property executive at Old Mutual Investment Group.

Sponsored by Old Mutual Investment Group Property Investments (OMIGPI), the conference is being held on 14-16 November 2007 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.