Call for Speakers/Panelists

The Invisible Economy: The unseen forces influencing BC's real estate

In Brief

This session shifts the conversation beyond the visible skyline to the systems operating beneath it. By understanding the invisible economy, real estate professionals will gain a broader perspective on the forces that quietly determine which projects succeed, which communities thrive, and where British Columbia's next opportunities will emerge.

Full Description

"When we talk about real estate, we often focus on prices, interest rates, zoning and construction. Yet some of the most powerful influences on the market are largely invisible.

Behind every successful community lies a complex network of systems that determine what gets built, where investment flows, how risk is priced and whether regions can continue to grow. These forces rarely make headlines, yet they profoundly affect the value, resilience and long-term economics of real estate across British Columbia.

This plenary brings together experts from finance, infrastructure, utilities, insurance, transportation and investment to examine the hidden foundations of the province's built environment.

Topics may include:

Insurance availability and the changing cost of risk
Municipal finance and the fiscal health of communities
Infrastructure funding and long-term capital planning
Electricity generation and grid capacity for future growth
Ports, freight corridors and supply chain resilience
Water security and critical infrastructure
The growing challenge of aging buildings and deferred renewal
Pension fund investment and institutional capital allocation"

The Weight of Trust: How real estate is affected by reputation and public trust

In Brief

At a time when uncertainty can quickly reshape markets, this session offers a compelling dialogue exploring an overlooked reality: trust is not just a social virtue. It is economic infrastructure. Understanding its value may be one of the most important advantages real estate professionals can develop.

Full Description

How does reputation and trust impact the value of real estate, liquidity, confidence, and brand of a region?  We explore the weight of trust on areas such as valuation, financing, municipal approvals, investment, leasing and public confidence. 

Trust is difficult to measure, yet it influences nearly every real estate decision.

A municipality's reputation can attract investment or drive it elsewhere. Public confidence can accelerate projects or stall them. The credibility of institutions, developers, lenders and regulators shapes everything from valuations and financing to leasing activity and long-term market resilience.

This plenary explores how trust and reputation create tangible economic value across the real estate ecosystem. Through the perspectives of leaders in development, finance, valuation, government and investment, the discussion will examine how confidence is built, how it is lost, and why restoring it is often far more difficult than earning it.

Topics may include:

The relationship between trust and real estate value
How reputation influences investment decisions and capital flows
The impact of public confidence on financing, leasing and liquidity
Trust as a factor in municipal approvals and project delivery
Regional and city brands as competitive advantages
What organizations and communities can do to strengthen confidence over the long term

The Long Game: Decisions that won't matter next year but will define the next decade.

In Brief

Rather than predicting the future, this session examines the enduring forces that shape it. Bringing together leaders in planning, infrastructure, development, economics and public policy, the discussion will focus on how today's long-term decisions influence investment, land use and regional prosperity for years to come.

Full Description

Most real estate decisions are made to solve today's problems. The most important ones shape tomorrow's opportunities.

While markets react to quarterly trends and election cycles, the forces that ultimately transform regions unfold over decades. Major infrastructure, demographic change, institutional investment and emerging technologies quietly reshape where people live, work, invest and build long before the effects become obvious.

This forward-looking session explores the long-horizon decisions being made today and the second-order impacts they will have on British Columbia's real estate landscape over the next 10 to 20 years.

Topics may include:

The future of ports, trade corridors and global supply chains
Transportation infrastructure and regional connectivity
Universities, hospitals and other anchor institutions as catalysts for growth
The strategic importance of industrial land
Demographic shifts and changing patterns of demand
Civic investments that redefine neighbourhoods and cities
The second-order effects of emerging technologies, including autonomous vehicles, automation and new mobility

BC on the Competitive Landscape: Why would the world choose British Columbia?

In Brief

Rather than asking how BC compares with the rest of Canada, this session asks a more ambitious question: How does British Columbia compete with the world's best?

Full Description

Capital, talent and businesses have choices. So do tourists, entrepreneurs, researchers and global investors.

As jurisdictions around the world compete for investment and economic growth, what truly distinguishes British Columbia?  Where do we hold a competitive advantage, where are we falling behind, and what must we do to remain a destination of choice in an increasingly competitive global economy?

This session explores British Columbia's position on the world stage through the lens of real estate, economic development and place competitiveness. Drawing on perspectives from business, government, academia and industry, the discussion will examine the factors that influence where people choose to invest, innovate, build and grow.

Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of the strengths that set BC apart, the barriers that limit its potential, and the strategic choices that will shape the province's competitiveness for decades to come.

Topics may include:

Attracting domestic and international investment
Competing for businesses, entrepreneurs and skilled talent
The role of ports, airports and logistics in global competitiveness
Tourism, quality of life and regional brand
Innovation ecosystems and research institutions
Infrastructure, regulation and the investment climate
Lessons from jurisdictions that are outperforming their peers

Lessons From Abroad: What can we learn from the world?

In Brief

Designed as a practical and comparative discussion, this session will help attendees separate inspiration from imitation. The goal is not to chase trends from abroad, but to understand which global lessons can sharpen British Columbia's own decisions.

Full Description

British Columbia faces complex questions around growth, land use, sustainability, reconciliation and technology. It is not alone.

Around the world, cities and regions are testing new approaches to planning, infrastructure, Indigenous and First Nations partnerships, environmental performance and smart-city innovation. Some are succeeding. Some are cautionary tales. All offer lessons worth examining.

This breakout session looks beyond BC to explore international examples that can inform how we plan, build and govern the places of tomorrow.

Topics may include:

Urban planning models from leading global cities
International approaches to Indigenous and First Nations relations
Sustainability, resilience and low-carbon development
Smart cities, real estate technology and data-driven infrastructure
What has worked elsewhere, and what may not translate to BC
How local professionals can adapt global ideas without importing them blindly

Real Estate's Biggest Blind Spots: What is our industry consistently getting wrong?

In Brief

Designed as an honest, solutions-oriented discussion, this session invites thoughtful debate without assigning blame. Expect fresh perspectives, constructive disagreement and practical ideas that challenge conventional thinking while helping shape a stronger, more effective real estate industry.

Full Description

Every industry has assumptions that go unchallenged. Until they do.

In this candid session, a panel of respected leaders from across British Columbia's real estate sector will tackle a deceptively simple question:

What is our industry consistently getting wrong?

Rather than focusing on headlines or politics, this conversation will examine the structural habits, cultural norms and long-held assumptions that may be holding the industry back. Drawing on decades of experience, each panelist will identify the blind spots they believe deserve greater attention and discuss what can be done to address them.

Topics may include:

Development approvals and decision-making
Productivity and innovation
Public engagement and trust
Attracting and developing the next generation of talent
Cross-sector collaboration
Risk management and resilience

Building Great Places: The stories behind British Columbia's most successful urban transformations

In Brief

This is not a showcase of architecture or development. It is a candid conversation about vision, risk, collaboration and the often unpredictable process of creating places that become part of a community's identity. Whether you work in development, planning, valuation, brokerage, government, investment or land management, you'll leave with practical insights into what separates projects that simply get built from places that truly matter.

Full Description

Great cities are not remembered for their buildings. They are remembered for the places people choose to return to.

From Granville Island to Brentwood, Olympic Village to District 1881, British Columbia is home to a growing collection of neighbourhoods that have redefined how people live, work, gather and experience community. While each project is unique, they all faced difficult decisions, unexpected setbacks and moments that fundamentally changed their direction.

In this fast-paced session, the leaders behind some of BC's most influential placemaking projects will pull back the curtain on what it really takes to create destinations that endure.

Representing projects such as Granville Island, The Shipyards, Olympic Village, Brewery District, Brentwood, District 1881, Railtown, and Kelowna's Cultural District, each speaker will share:

What worked and why.
What didn't and what they would do differently.
Their biggest surprise during the project.
The single most important lesson they believe every real estate professional should take away.