VCU Real Estate Trends Conference

Another sellout – the 12th in a row – is expected at the VCU Real Estate Trends Conference on Oct. 10 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.

The 16th annual conference will attract more than 800 attendees from across Virginia, as well as neighboring North Carolina and Washington, D.C., according to Robert Taylor, director of the Virginia Real Estate Center in the VCU Real Estate and Land Development Program. The conference has become one of the major real estate conferences on the East Coast, drawing visitors from both the academic and professional ranks.

Taylor said conference attendees represent a broad range of professions, representing such segments as banking, engineering, surveying, mortgages, investments, consulting and brokering.

“Anything you can think of with real estate – they’re here,” Taylor said.

Taylor said the conference has developed a reputation for showcasing top speakers on real estate issues and for serving as an ideal opportunity for attendees to socialize with others in the real estate field.

 “It’s an excellent networking event,” Taylor said.

Frank Nothaft, chief economist for Freddie Mac, will be one of the conference’s keynote speakers this year. Nothaft will provide an overview of macroeconomic trends affecting the economy, such as oil prices and interest rates, and the outlook for housing and mortgage markets.

Nothaft’s speech will include insight into economic developments in Virginia, including home-value appreciation, mortgage loan performance and employment growth, and how it relates to other parts of the country.

Maria Sicola, senior managing director and head of research at Cushman and Wakefield, an international real estate services firm, will also speak at the conference. Sicola will talk about the latest market statistics and her forecasts for 2007 and 2008, addressing the speculation of whether the real estate market has entered a downturn.

In addition, Stephen R. Scherger, vice president of strategy and business transformation at MeadWestvaco, will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the company’s decision to relocate its corporate headquarters from Stamford, Conn., to Richmond following a year of studying various locations around the country. He will also talk about the challenges of the move, including construction and employee relocation.