Conference Coverage

Building Emotional Connection to Visitors Paramount to Retail Success, Say EEE Panelists

by Katie Sloan February 16, 2017

SANTA MONICA, CALIF. — The retail landscape is changing, and the tried and true formulas for retail centers and malls are no longer cutting it. The convenience of e-commerce is cutting into purchases once almost exclusively entrusted to the local mall, and consumer tastes are evolving to demand better experiences from the centers they choose to shop at with their discretionary dollars. Those were the conclusions suggested by panelists at the third annual Entertainment Experience Evolution (EEE) conference, where over 550 retail experts and top industry players joined Shopping Center Business at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica Feb. 7-8. Panelists and attendees were there to discuss the future of retail and the brightest and best upcoming trends for success in today’s changing landscape. Overwhelmingly, the conversation focused on creating an emotional connection with visitors. When it comes to discretionary purchases, shoppers seek a space where they can create memories, not just pick up merchandise and leave. This connection is attained through thoughtful placemaking, a carefully chosen mix of unique shopping and dining, the hosting of community events and the creation of an environment through lighting, music and landscaping. Creating Memory-Making Destinations After opening remarks by Jerry …

February 16, 2017

Conference Coverage Features Georgia Multifamily Southeast Top Stories

Pace of Apartment Construction Slows Due to Growing Supply, Cautious Bankers, Say InterFace Panelists

by John Nelson December 8, 2016

The multifamily industry has entered a phase in the development cycle where the velocity of starts and completions is decreasing. Through the first 10 months of 2016, multifamily starts nationally are down 1.8 percent year-over-year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Completions are down 3.1 percent during the same period. One of the governors on construction today is the ample supply of existing multifamily product in the top markets nationally, according to the development panel at the seventh-annual InterFace Multifamily Southeast conference. Alan Dean, region president of multifamily development firm Terwilliger Pappas Multifamily Partners, cited Nashville as an example of an overheated market. “Nashville delivered a record 5,300 units in the past 12 months. Next year, they’re going to deliver 10,000 units,” said Dean at the conference, which was held on Thursday, Dec. 1 at the Westin Buckhead in Atlanta. “Nashville in large part has been redlined by the financing community because of those supply numbers. Looking at it, it’s probably a healthy thing that the pipeline is slowing down and banks are pulling back.” Michael Blair, managing director of development at Atlanta-based Pollack Shores Real Estate Group, doesn’t believe overbuilding is …

December 8, 2016

Conference Coverage Features Georgia Multifamily Southeast Top Stories

Multifamily Industry Needs to Adapt to the Sharing Economy, Say InterFace Panelists

by John Nelson December 6, 2016

How are apartment communities adapting to the sharing economy? That’s the central question that multifamily developers need to ask themselves going forward, according to Wes Taubel, co-founder and managing partner of TWO Capital Partners, a private multifamily developer and investor based in Atlanta. The sharing economy is a term given to the online-driven practices of consumers shopping and ordering food online, renting out their apartment or house via AirBNB and uploading their experiences via social media. “From a development perspective, the biggest thing is a holistic assessment of how you design your community to incorporate the renters’ lifestyle. We’re working with hotel and office interior designers to think about how do we authentically design our amenity and community offerings that work with how this group lives their lives,” said Taubel, who spoke at the seventh-annual InterFace Multifamily Southeast conference on Thursday, Dec. 1 at the Westin Buckhead. Taubel served as a speaker on the development panel entitled “Walking the Tightrope: Will New Development Stay in Balance or Is There Too Much Supply Coming? An Overview of Today’s Development Environment,” which was moderated by Ron Cameron, senior vice president and principal of Colliers International. The sharing economy also includes co-working office …

December 6, 2016

Conference Coverage Maryland Southeast

Nearly 300 Professionals Participate in Annual Saul Ewing Real Estate Conference

by John Nelson November 22, 2016

BALTIMORE — Highlighted by a presentation from Marc Weller of Sagamore Development Co. and Demian Costa of Sagamore Industries LLC, who provided an update on the development activities occurring at Under Armour’s Port Covington development in South Baltimore, nearly 300 professionals from around the country attended the 8th-annual Saul Ewing Real Estate Conference at the Baltimore Convention Center. The half-day seminar also featured educational sessions focusing on placemaking principles being utilized in current real estate projects, technology tools that are employed to improve marketing and communication and a discussion of the equity and debt marketplace, especially as affected by the recent presidential election. “Based on feedback from the attendees, we achieved each of our goals at this year’s event, including the presentation of an educational forum that stimulated insightful comments and thoughts about the current real estate environment,” said Howard Majev, a partner in the real estate practice with Saul Ewing and the lead organizer of the annual conference. “Our clients and partners invest time at this conference each year because they value the outstanding networking opportunities, the exchange of ideas and the information benefits they receive from interacting with their peers and thought leaders of our industry.” Commentary from the …

November 22, 2016

Conference Coverage Features Multifamily Texas Texas & Oklahoma Feature Archive Top Stories

Highs, Lows of Texas Apartment Market Under Microscope at InterFace Conference

by Jeff Shaw October 11, 2016

DALLAS — The multifamily market in Texas has cooled off on the lending and development front, and even leasing activity isn’t as robust as it once was in some markets. That’s the consensus of panelists at Interface Multifamily Texas, which took place last Thursday, Oct. 6 at the InterContinental Dallas. The conference’s opening panel, “What’s the Big Picture for Multifamily Supply, Demand & Demographics?” featured three economists specializing in the Texas multifamily market, all of whom agreed the sector was slowing from the same time a year ago. “‘Noise’ is a great term to use, and in our company we are using ‘chop’ to describe the market,” said Ryan Davis, senior economist with Witten Advisors. “Apartments are steady, but the economy is slowing from the ramp-up.” That said, the Texas economy is generating plenty of new jobs, which is a positive sign for apartments in certain markets, added Davis. Dallas Metroplex Shines Among individual markets, all agreed that Dallas/Fort Worth displayed the strongest real estate fundamentals. With the area benefiting from some large corporate relocations, demand for apartments is rising. Rents have grown in the market 7.7 percent over the past 12 months, and there are more than 30,000 units …

October 11, 2016

Conference Coverage Features Multifamily Seniors Housing Southeast Feature Archive Top Stories

More Flexibility, Consumer Choice Will Be Key to Future Seniors Housing Development, Say InterFace Panelists

by Jeff Shaw September 13, 2016

ATLANTA — With so many new facilities and operational models altering the seniors housing landscape, what will be the key to a successful seniors housing development in the future? According to panelists at the InterFace Seniors Housing Southeast Conference, the answer is flexibility. Colleen Blumenthal, managing director with Florida-based seniors housing advisory firm HealthTrust, moderated the “State of the Industry” panel at the event, which drew approximately 315 industry professionals to the Westin Buckhead in Atlanta on Aug. 25. The panelists included Richard Hutchinson, president and CFO of Florida-based owner-operator Discovery Senior Living; Joe Weisenburger, vice president of seniors housing for Ohio-based REIT Welltower; Kevin Pascoe, executive vice president of investments for Tennessee-based REIT National Health Investors (NHI); Charles Turner, president of Texas-based developer PinPoint Senior Living; and Mark Spiegel, president of Georgia-based developer Formation Development Group. Flexible Spaces Create Agile Buildings When asked about the successful seniors housing communities of the future, several panelists cited flexibility as a top consideration — including everything from room sizes to price point to use of common spaces. “As we’re building new product, we’re trying not to have common areas that guess what the future trends are going to be,” said Spiegel. Formation …

September 13, 2016

Conference Coverage Features Georgia Seniors Housing Southeast Southeast Feature Archive Top Stories

Should Seniors Housing Developers Focus More on Hospitality or Healthcare?

by John Nelson August 31, 2016

ATLANTA — Seniors housing by design has both elements of hospitality and healthcare. But which is more important to developers trying to build the next wave of senior facilities? Each developer has a different opinion, based on a development panel at the third-annual InterFace Seniors Housing Southeast conference, held Aug. 25 at the Westin Buckhead in Atlanta. The all-day event drew approximately 315 industry professionals. Zach Bowyer, managing director of CBRE, moderated the panel entitled “The Outlook for Seniors Housing Development: What’s Being Built, Where, and are Supply and Demand in Balance?” Jeff Arnold, chief operating officer of The United Group of Cos., mostly develops independent living assets in New York, Florida and Georgia. Arnold’s main concern is with the hospitality side of the business, as his projects tend to be lower acuity than some of his counterparts on the stage. “From a design standpoint, we’re trying to drive our age down as much as we can. Right now we trend at about 78 years old. If we could push that under 75, that will give us longevity,” said Arnold. “We try to design more active communities, focusing on things that are more modern.” The independent living sector has legs …

August 31, 2016

Conference Coverage Features Georgia Retail Southeast Top Stories

Retailers Embracing Mixed-Use Projects, Technology to Reach Their Customers, Says CREW Atlanta Panel

by John Nelson August 16, 2016

Around Atlanta and the rest of the country, there are few retail developments in the pipeline that aren’t attached to office or residential uses. During CREW Atlanta’s panel discussion titled “The Evolution of Retail,” experts agreed that retailers are embracing mixed-use projects out of necessity. “I’m not sure if in the near-term there will be any more retail-only projects. Retail alone can’t sustain a single development, it needs other users,” said Tisha Maley, founder and principal of The Maley Co., a retail real estate advisory company that spearheads the leasing efforts for Ponce City Market in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward district. The 2 million-square-foot adaptive reuse project is the gold standard of how retailers are integrating into larger multi-use developments to great effect. “Ponce City Market as an anchor of the BeltLine has changed Old Fourth Ward forever. What retailers are attracted to is that shoppers show up to Ponce City Market for one reason or another multiple times a week,” said Maley, referring to the office component of the development, as well as The Suzuki School and Core Power Yoga. “It’s about creating a place where retailers and restaurants can feel that they can do business.” In addition to …

August 16, 2016

Conference Coverage Features Top Stories

Seniors Housing Operators Share Their Secrets to Smart Growth at InterFace Conference in Chicago

by Katie Sloan June 30, 2016

CHICAGO — The U.S. economy may be stuck in low gear, but tactical and targeted growth strategies can produce outsized returns in the seniors housing space, according to a panel of property owners and operators who spoke during France Media’s InterFace Seniors Housing Midwest conference. The event, which took place June 21 at The Westin Chicago River North hotel, attracted 265 attendees from the seniors housing industry. Close attention to rental rates and occupancies boosts top-line revenue growth, said panelist Joe Solari, vice president of corporate development at Capital Senior Living. The Dallas-based company owns and operates 126 independent and assisted living properties. “We focus on buildings that are less than 90 percent occupied,” said Solari. Other successful growth strategies at Capital Senior Living include converting independent living units to those designed for a higher level of care, and the acquisition of stabilized communities in locales where the company already operates. “We can absorb these properties without almost any increase in corporate overhead,” said Solari. Moderated by Adam Heavenrich, managing director of Chicago-based Heavenrich & Co., the panel shared other effective corporate growth strategies. Participants included Bob Karn, executive vice president and CFO, Allegro Senior Living; Isaac Scott, principal, Anthem …

June 30, 2016

Conference Coverage Features Illinois Midwest Multifamily Seniors Housing Top Stories

Non-Core Properties Present Best Buying Opportunities in Seniors Housing Today, Say InterFace Panelists

by Christina Cannon June 23, 2016

CHICAGO — What are the best buying opportunities today for investors in the seniors housing space? The answer begins with an understanding of the deals that are among the least attractive, according to veteran broker Ryan Saul. A property that is 99 percent full that trades at a 6.5 percent cap rate could hardly be called opportunistic because there is no upside, points out Saul, managing director of Chicago-based Senior Living Investment Brokerage. Instead, buying a property that is 75 percent occupied for $100,000 a unit with a broken management team in place presents real opportunity, he believes. “You can go in, turn it around and really add value so that you can sell it stabilized for a much larger premium.” Saul’s insights came during a panel discussion on the state of the investment market at InterFace Seniors Housing Midwest, which took place Tuesday at the Westin Chicago River North Hotel. The conference attracted 265 attendees from a cross-section of the seniors housing industry. Moderated by Ben Firestone, managing director of Blueprint Healthcare Real Estate Advisors, the investment panel discussed who’s buying, who’s selling and what’s driving deal velocity. In addition to Firestone, the panelists included Talya Nevo-Hacohen, chief investment …

June 23, 2016

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