VCU School of Business Hosts 22nd Real Estate Trends Conference

By Cassie Williams Jones

Leading industry experts will deliver real estate forecasts and other insights at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business’ 22^nd annual Real Estate Trends Conference next month.

The conference, organized by the Real Estate Program in the VCU School of Business, will be held on Oct. 9 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. Doors open with a continental breakfast at 7:30 a.m., and the program begins at 8:30 a.m.

This year’s conference is expected to attract more than 1,000 people from both the academic and professional ranks, representing segments such as banking, engineering, investments, consulting, government, brokerage and appraisal.

Doug Poutasse, executive vice president and head of strategy and research at Bentall Kennedy, will provide an economic overview and forecast as the conference’s opening speaker.

In the “Housing Outlook” portion of the program, William H. McFaddin, president and CEO of Community Bankers' Bank; Ron Phipps, 2011 president of the National Association of Realtors; and Tony Sanders, Ph.D., professor of finance in the School of Management at George Mason University, will review the status of the housing market and forecast where it is headed.

A discussion among Jeff Beaver, executive director of the Charlotte Sports Commission; Mark Horton, president of Weston Development Company; and Tom Murphy, senior resident fellow at ULI/Klingbeil Family Chair for Urban Development, will round out the final program section, “Economic Impact of Sports and Entertainment.”

For more information and to register, visit http://www.realestate.vcu.edu/. Online and mail-in registration forms are available. Individual tickets for the conference are $150, and advanced registration is strongly encouraged.