RICS Showcasing Professionalism Amongst the World’s Leading Market Players at Cityscape Asia
The global property world is turning its attention to Asia with investors hoping 2009 will be the year to begin picking up potentially ‘undervalued’ assets ahead of regional economies emerging from the global financial crisis, say the organisers of Cityscape Asia, an annual real estate exhibition and conference to be held in Singapore during 19-21 May.
RICS, having over 100,000 members all over the globe who are major players in the property field, will be a key supporter of this year’s Cityscape Asia. Mr Darren Jensen, Director of RICS Asia said, “Cityscape Asia has been an effective platform for us to communicate our commitment to professionalism to a wider audience. With a less favourable economy, we believe our properly trained and guided members will play crucial roles in the course of recovery and when opportunities arise.”
The objective of this year’s event is to encourage building networks within the industry. To align with the theme, RICS will organize a Member Reception on 20 May from 5 – 6 p.m. for its members at Cityscape Asia to promote networking among property professionals and provide a platform for RICS members and property professionals to develop regional and international business links. Furthermore, RICS will also display its industry-related research reports and publications at its booth (H39) at Cityscape Asia.
A surge in investment sales in Singapore saw over $58 billion in property change hands in 2007 and 2008 and those developers who need to strengthen their balance sheets will welcome the opportunity to present their projects to potential funding partners or outright buyers. “Established firms, family enterprises and individuals with cash reserves, limited debt and an appetite for risk are expected to be among the first to begin searching the Asian market for bargains in coming months,” stated Graham Wood, Group Exhibition Director of Cityscape.
Cityscape Asia is an annual networking exhibition and conference focusing on all aspects of the real estate development cycle. The three-day event will run from 19 – 21 May 2009 at Singapore’s Suntec. Top deal-makers from leading developers, banks, institutional investors and investment authorities, as well as senior officers from the foremost private equity funds and investment advisory firms, will gather at Cityscape Asia to discuss the key issues and investment opportunities.
Some of the conference highlights include: surviving the global financial crisis; the future for real estate funds; Asian REITS; markets to invest in for long-term growth and returns; country spotlights in trouble times; the Asian retail decade; and green investments.
Cityscape Asia has been organised with the assistance of an advisory board, which consists of industry professionals such as; Nathan Lloyd, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, MGM Mirage International; Lawrence D. Sperling, Head of Asia Private Equity, Mercury Partners and Chief Executive Officer, Peak Asia Management; and Nicholas Loup, Managing Director, Grosvenor.
In a joint statement, the board commented, “The past few months have been challenging for all of us working in the real estate industry. But out of the doom and gloom we are optimistic – trying to anticipate where the next opportunities will come from and how we can capitalise on them.”
Source: Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors