NYU SPS Schack Institute of Real Estate to Host Its 28th Annual REIT Symposium on April 17

This Year’s Symposium Features One-on-One Conversations with Joel Marcus of Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Sharon Wilson Geno of NMHC, Jon Gray of Blackstone, and Andrew Power of Digital Realty, and a Celebration of the First Anniversary of Schack’s Student-Managed REIT Investment Fund

NEW YORK, April 3, 2024— The challenges of interest rate hikes and mixed return-to-office numbers have contributed to slow economic growth in commercial real estate the past several years. What lies ahead for real estate investment trusts (REITs) in 2024?

On Wednesday, April 17, the NYU School of Professional Studies (NYU SPS) Schack Institute of Real Estate will host the 28th Annual REIT Symposium, the sector’s premier industry event where top industry executives share their perspectives and insights on how the latest trends and market conditions are transforming REITs this year.

Hot discussion and debated topics at this year’s event will cover:

• The outlook for merger & acquisition (M&A) activity
• The potential impacts of interest rate decisions
• The advantages of achieving economies of scale
• The divergence between REIT values and their net asset worth
• The rapidly evolving digitalization sphere, and
• The pivotal role of artificial intelligence (AI).

In addition, discussions will delve into investor-focused themes, including shifts in governance practices, the implications of share buyback initiatives, and the influence of activist investors on the industry’s trajectory.

This year’s event, being held at The Pierre Hotel in New York City, also features several one-on-one conversations with leading industry experts, including:

• Joel S. Marcus, Executive Chairman and Founder, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.
• Sharon Wilson Geno, President, National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC)
• Jon Gray, President and Chief Operating Officer, Blackstone
• Andrew Power, President and Chief Executive Officer, Digital Realty

These conversations complement an outstanding roster of panel discussions with the sector’s leading CEOs, bankers, lawyers, analysts, and investors. More than 500 senior industry professionals attend the NYU SPS Symposium each year and participate in the day’s lively discussions and debates.

“The commercial real estate industry has faced several challenges the past couple of years, including high-interest rates and lower than anticipated return-to-office numbers, resulting in slower than expected economic growth,” said Marc Norman, Symposium co-host, Larry & Klara Silverstein Chair in Real Estate Development and Investment, and associate dean of the NYU SPS Schack Institute of Real Estate. “At this year’s Symposium, leading industry experts discuss the opportunities for REITs in 2024 and how industry professionals can leverage them for sustained growth.”

“In addition to the Symposium’s high-level industry and market discussions that attendees have come to expect at NYU SPS events, our closing event session will celebrate the first anniversary of Schack’s ground-breaking, student-run REIT Investment Fund,” added Norman.

Celebrating Real World Learning:
The NYU SPS Schack Student-Managed REIT Investment Fund

Leveraging NYU SPS’s heritage of bringing applied, real-world learning experiences into the classroom, the Schack REIT Center’s REIT Investment Fund, launched at last year’s REIT Symposium, gives students hands-on experience in real estate securities investment management.

“The value of the Fund as a teaching tool has been incredible. Since launching the Fund, our students have built-out analytical infrastructure, created top-down and bottom-up research efforts, and crafted investment committee and monitoring processes. It’s been incredibly rewarding to guide them through the past year,” said Scott Robinson, Symposium co-host, clinical associate professor and faculty director of the REIT Center and the REIT Investment Fund at the NYU SPS Schack Institute.

The Schack REIT Center’s REIT Investment Fund provides Schack students with an opportunity to apply and integrate real estate institute teachings in the pursuit of investment management experience and results.

According to John Lawrence, an MS in Real Estate Finance candidate in the NYU SPS Schack Institute, president of the NYU REIT Investment Fund, and an acquisitions and capital markets analyst at Ashcroft Capital. “This immersive experience in real-time investment decision-making has honed our ability to synthesize market data and trends, a skill infrequently trained in conventional coursework but critical in professional practice. In an era where information is abundant, the challenge lies not just in its accumulation but in effectively filtering and interpreting it to make informed decisions.”

Lawrence added that the Fund has been instrumental in helping him and the Fund’s team move beyond classroom learning to cultivate deeper technical skills and independent analysis. “The Fund’s blend of academic rigor and experiential learning is crucial in today’s data-rich environment, where the ability to synthesize and interpret complex market information is as valuable as the knowledge itself.”

Register for the 28th Annual REIT Symposium and view the latest Symposium agenda. If you are a member of the media who would like to report on the event, please contact Michael DeMeo at michael.demeo@nyu.edu.

Current Conference Agenda, as of April 3, 2024:

Opening Remarks

• Marc Norman, Symposium Co-Host, Larry & Klara Silverstein Chair and Associate Dean, NYU SPS Schack Institute of Real Estate
• Scott Robinson, Symposium Co-Host, Clinical Associate Professor and Director, REIT Center, NYU SPS Schack Institute of Real Estate
• Robin Panovka, Symposium Co-Chair, and Partner, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen, & Katz

Session #1: The View from 10,000 Feet - Fundamentals, Capital Markets, Interest Rates and M&A

• Jeffrey D. Horowitz, Global Head of Real Estate, Gaming & Lodging, BofA Securities (Moderator)
• Angel M. Aman, Chief Executive Officer, Kilroy Realty Corporation
• Thomas Bartlett, Special Advisor to the CEO, American Tower Corporation
• Debra A. Cafaro, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Ventas
• Ron Havner, Chairman of the Board, Public Storage
• Owen D. Thomas, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, BXP

Session #2: A Conversation with Joel S. Marcus

• Robin Panovka, Symposium Co-Chair, and Partner, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen, & Katz (Moderator)
• Joel S. Marcus, Executive Chairman and Founder, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.

Session #3: Innovation & Digitalization - Looking Around the Next Corner

• Thomas A. Grier, Global Head of Real Estate, Gaming & Lodging Investment Banking, J.P. Morgan (Moderator)
• Conor Flynn, Chief Executive Officer, Kimco Realty
• Andrea Olshan, President and Chief Executive Officer, Seritage Growth Properties
• Benjamin W. Schall, President and Chief Executive Officer, AvalonBay Communities, Inc.
• Brendan Wallace, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Fifth Wall
• Stephen Yalof, President and Chief Executive Officer, Tanger

Session #4: A Conversation with Sharon Wilson Geno

• Marc Norman, Symposium Co-Host, Larry & Klara Silverstein Chair and Associate Dean, NYU SPS Schack Institute of Real Estate (Moderator)
• Sharon Wilson Geno, President, National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC)

Session #5: Investor Roundtable

• Mary Hogan Preusse, Chair of the Symposium’s Investor Roundtable and Senior Advisor, Fifth Wall (Moderator)
• Jackie Brady, Head of Global Debt Solutions, PGIM Private Alternatives
• Steven Buller, CFA, Portfolio Manager, Fidelity Investments
• Nick Joseph, Global Head of Real Estate Research and US Real Estate and Lodging Team, Citi Research
• Cedrik Lachance, EVP, Director of Research, Green Street
• Suzanne Sorkin, Senior Vice President, Adelante Capital Management

Session #6: A Conversation with Jon Gray

• Adam O. Emmerich, Symposium Co-Chair, and Partner, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz (Moderator)
• Jon Gray, President and Chief Operating Officer, Blackstone

Session #7: Actionable Trends & Developments - Getting Ahead of the Curve

• Seth Weintrob, Managing Director, Investment Banking, Global Head of Real Estate, Gaming and Lodging, Morgan Stanley (Moderator)
• H. Eric Bolton, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mid-America Apartment Communities
• Christina Chiu, President, Empire State Realty Trust
• Maria R. Hawthorne, Director, Essex Property Trust
• Lauren Hochfelder, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Head of the Americas, Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing
• Donald C. Wood, Chief Executive Officer, Federal Realty Investment Trust

Session #8: A Conversation with Andrew Power

• Adam O. Emmerich, Symposium Co-Chair, and Partner, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz (Moderator)
• Andrew Power, President and Chief Executive Officer, Digital Realty

Session #9: Keynote M&A Panel - Doing Deals In A Complex Environment

• Andy Jonas, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (Moderator)
• Scott Brinker, President and Chief Executive Officer, Healthpeak Properties
• Jackson Hsieh, President and Chief Executive Officer, Macerich
• Matthew Lustig, Chairman of Investment Banking, North America, Head of Real Estate & Lodging, Lazard
• Dana Petitto, Chief Operating Officer and Portfolio Manager, Brookfield REIT
• Edward Pitoniak, Chief Executive Officer, VICI Properties

Session #10: NYU Schack Institute Student-Managed REIT INVESTMENT Fund Presentation

• Scott Robinson, Symposium co-host, clinical associate professor and faculty director of the REIT Center and the REIT Investment Fund at the NYU SPS Schack Institute (Moderator)
• John Lawrence, President
• Anton Pick, Portfolio Manager
• Aaron Goldman, Lead Analyst

About the NYU SPS Schack Institute of Real Estate
The NYU SPS Schack Institute of Real Estate was founded in 1967 at the initiative of prominent New York City real estate community members, who encouraged NYU to establish an academic center that would provide a world-class education for industry professionals. More than 50 years later, the Schack Institute is at the forefront of real estate education, recognized globally as one of the world’s leading centers of real estate research and practical, real-world learning experiences.

Across the Institute’s graduate degree programs—notably, the MS in Real Estate and the MS in Real Estate Development—and a rapidly expanding undergraduate degree program, enrollment has grown to more than 1,000 full—and part-time students from across the United States and nearly 50 countries. In addition to its flagship degree programs, thousands of working professionals enroll each year in the Schack Institute’s executive education, certificate, and career advancement programs.

An anchor of real estate academia’s engagement with industry, the Institute is home to the REIT Center, the Center for the Sustainable Built Environment, the CREFC Center for Real Estate Finance, and the Urban Lab. In addition to the REIT Symposium, the Institute hosts many other national industry events, including annual conferences on real estate capital markets and its Women in Real Estate Symposium. Under the direction of Schack’s industry-experienced faculty, ongoing applied research at the Institute spans an exceptional range of issues in real estate development and investment, urban economics, and market structure and regulation.

About the NYU School of Professional Studies
Established in 1934, NYU SPS is an internationally recognized university that offers diverse students access and opportunity to practical, real-world preparation to thrive in their careers while building the next generation of industry leaders ready to embrace tomorrow’s innovations and challenges and lead change in global workplaces.

The NYU SPS global community is made up of industry professionals, doers, and trailblazers shaping the future of industries, positioning the School as an idea incubator center for various fields, including real estate, hospitality, global affairs, sports business, integrated marketing, HR, professional writing and more.

Today, NYU SPS offers one of the most diverse portfolios of educational offerings at NYU, including graduate degrees, bachelor’s degrees for traditional and degree completion students, associate degrees, continuing education courses, and certificate programs.

NYU SPS is the host of some of the largest and most in-demand industry conferences in the world, including the Schack Institute of Real Estate’s Capital Markets Conference, REIT Symposium, and National Symposium of Women in Real Estate; the Jonathan M. Tisch Center’s International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference, Annual NYU Tax Conferences, and the NYU Coaching and Technology Summit, the School’s invaluable connections to industry leaders is a distinguishing factor in the education that it provides.