University of Miami Real Estate Impact Conference 2023 The Largest Edition Yet As Real Estate Leaders Discuss The State of Miami Real Estate

On Friday, February 10th, the University of Miami Herbert Business School hosted the 2023 edition of its annual invitation-only Real Estate Impact Conference, which brought together board members, students, faculty, distinguished alumni and real estate professionals. Entrepreneurs and innovators met with leading commercial real estate investors to explore opportunities spurred by new technologies and the vibrant movement of people and capital to South Florida at the Real Estate Impact Conference, co-hosted by three University of Miami schools. The invitation-only conference was hosted at the newly completed Lowes Hotel Coral Gables with support from presenting sponsors Douglas Elliman Real Estate, Kislak Family Foundation, Witkoff and Ripco Real Estate.

More than 800 attendees, including University of Miami students and alumni, as well as many South Florida commercial real estate and finance professionals, joined 150 scholarship-supported students to discuss both threats and opportunities in the market at the multidisciplinary conference. Attendees included Dan Kodsi, Edgardo Defortuna, Allen Morris, Ronny Finvarb, Jay Masserman, Neil Fairman, David Luski, Matt Shore, Camilo Miguel Jr., Dev Motwani, Nitin Motwani, Scott Sherman, Jacques Bessoudo and Demetri Demascus. Speakers included Roy Hilton March, Armando Codina, Jonathan Tisch, John Buck and Ralph Rosenberg.

The 2023 University of Miami Real Estate Impact Conference brings together expert panels to bring insight on Miami’s ever evolving real estate market place and glimpse into the future from the city’s movers and shakers. Themed “Miami, In Motion,” the conference offered three panels—“Moving in Miami: A Transit-Oriented Initiative That Will Forever Change Downtown Miami;” “Why You Can Count on South Florida Real Estate;” and “Keys to Success for CRE (Commercial Real Estate) Investment and Financing.”

“The conference theme was geared to capture the energy of the county’s emphasis on transportation through its proposed downtown redevelopment plan and the fact that so many people and so much capital has been moving here, especially since COVID,” said Andrea Heuson, finance professor and academic-director of real estate programs at the Herbert Business School.

Heuson highlighted that nearly $2 billion in capital investment funds, much of it from Latin America, has moved into South Florida through the pandemic period.

The conference began with “Moving in Miami: A Transit-Oriented Initiative That Will Forever Change Downtown Miami” featuring John Buck, Chairman and CEO of The John Buck Company along with Miami-Dade County commissioners and agency specialists.

The county redevelopment panel focused on two key points for the proposed transformation of 178 acres in Miami’s downtown owned by the county: the requirement that new development must include improved transportation, accessing federal funds to expand Metrorail and the Metromover, and also that affordable housing be offered together with mixed market-rate housing.

It was followed by an exploration into “Why You Can Count on South Florida Real Estate” with Loews Hotel & Co. Executive Chairman Jonathan Tisch and legendary developer Armando Codina of Codina Partners. In the conversation, both shared from their personal histories.

“To learn how they went from nothing—Codina was sent here from Cuba (part of Operation Pedro Pan) and then lived in an orphanage and foster care—to become these iconic players in the real estate industry was so inspiring. And their advice to work hard, stay humble, and keep the right mindset and not develop a sense of entitlement was so important for me.” Said conference attendee Ismael Almanzar Ortiz, a University of Miami student who is midway through the Accelerated Real Estate MBA program at Miami Herbert Business School.

The conference was highlighted by the final panel, “Keys to Success for CRE Investment and Financing” featuring Global Head of Real Estate at KKR Ralph Rosenberg and Eastdil Secured CEO Roy Hilton March who gave insight onto how real estate markets are influenced by current inflationary and geopolitical factors in the global marketplace.

In addition to panel discussions and networking sessions, there were several special programs available to MRED+U, MBA, MSF and Law School students throughout the day. More than 100 current University students and alumni attended the morning ’Canes Connection gathering, offered for the first time. One of the benefits of membership on the University of Miami Real Estate Advisory Boards, which consist of over 100 prominent real estate professionals, is personal contact with the best and brightest students.

Heuson points out that scholarships and sponsor support make it possible for nearly all students to attend who want to. Additionally, she explained that the conference generates funds to support several University scholarships, such as Project Destined, geared to bring high achieving diverse students into the field, and also for the Accelerated Real Estate MBA, which includes a six-month paid internship component.

The 2023 University of Miami Impact Conference was hosted by Miami Herbert Business School which hosts it’s Accelerated MBA in Real Estate Program, The School of Architecture which hosts the MRED+U program and the School of Law which offers the LL.M. In Real Property Development.

Miami Herbert Business School’s 19-month Accelerated MBA in Real Estate, led by Dr. Andrea Heuson, offers students the opportunity to transform their careers with the 19-month MBA program which combines the leading business expertise of the Herbert Business School with the School of Architecture’s strengths in new urbanism. With Miami being a real estate powerhouse, the program offers students the invaluable opportunity to gain a general management perspective and hands-on commercial real estate experience through experiential learning, internships, and an interdisciplinary curriculum. For more information on the Accelerated MBA in Real Estate visit University of Miami’s Herbert Business School MBA in Real Estate Program here.

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI HOSTS ITS NINTH ANNUAL REAL ESTATE IMPACT CONFERENCE

On Friday, February 28th, the University of Miami School of Architecture hosted its ninth annual Real Estate Impact Conference, which brought together board members, students, faculty, distinguished alumni and real estate professionals. The invitation-only conference was hosted at the Four Seasons Hotel in Brickell with support from presenting sponsors Douglas Elliman Real Estate, Kislak, and Witkoff. 

More than 650 University of Miami students and alumni, including many South Florida commercial real estate and finance professionals, discussed both threats and opportunities in the market at the multidisciplinary conference.

“Bringing together faculty and students from our schools of architecture, business and law is an important step in tackling today’s complex problems,” said University of Miami President Julio Frenk. “This conference is an excellent example, because real estate is essential to Miami’s economy with an impact around the world.”

In addition to panel discussions and networking sessions, there were several special programs available to MRED+U, MBA, MSF and Law School students throughout the day. One of the benefits of membership on the University of Miami Real Estate Advisory Boards, which consist of over 100 prominent real estate professionals, is personal contact with the best and brightest students. Advice With Impact was an intimate, morning networking session which was attended by students and sponsors such as IBERIABANK, Plaza Construction, CBRE and Whitman Family Development. 

University of Miami students were also invited to apply for the premier networking opportunity of the school year: the Swire Scholar Luncheon. Scholars received complimentary registration ($300 value) to attend the conference and participated in a private luncheon with advisory board members from the Architecture, Business and Law schools. David Martin, vice president of retail at Swire Properties, welcomed UM’s Swire Scholar students to the opening luncheon, where they had an opportunity to discuss their studies and career plans with UM’s Real Estate Advisory Board members.

For MBA student Jack Shelgren, the Swire Scholars luncheon provided valuable learning and networking opportunities. “As an intern, I did research and financial analysis, learning about multifamily, office and retail asset types,” he said. “Now, I’m an associate at Freeman Property Group, gaining an entrepreneurial perspective, while working on acquisitions for our clients.”

In the afternoon, top executives from JP Morgan Chase, Ventas and Hines took the stage and provided valuable insight on today’s real estate market. They commented that hospitality services are playing an increasingly important role throughout the commercial real estate market, as employers seek to recruit and retain talented workers. Another emerging trend is the growing demand for medical office properties and senior housing driven by the aging of the U.S. population. Without question, the global spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 poses a threat to global real estate markets, according to Matthew Cherwin, treasurer and chief investment officer of JP Morgan Chase. 

The school also highlighted its Research Initiative, which was introduced in 2018 by Dr. Charles Bohl, Director of the Master in Real Estate Development + Urbanism (MRED+U) Program. “Both the University of Miami and our Real Estate Advisory Boards have made Resiliency a top research priority of immense relevance to South Florida and coastal communities around the world. It is through joint research initiatives like this that our students, faculty and researchers can help us address the big, challenging issues of our day, including the adaptation and development of more resilient buildings, infrastructure and communities,” said Bohl. Professor Mark Troen and students from the MRED+U program presented this year’s findings on stage. 

The 2020 Impact Conference Organizing Committee consists of Andrea Heuson, Charles Bohl, Manuel de Zarraga, Nitin Motwani, Alfonso Munk and Steve Witkoff. Nitin Motwani, Managing Principal of Miami Worldcenter and Chair of the MRED+U Advisory Board, closed the standing-room-only conference by reminding participants that, “The University of Miami Real Estate Impact Conference supports all real estate education at the University, which has become an interdisciplinary powerhouse that blends real estate programs in finance, development, and law with construction management, architecture and engineering.”