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Property Congress Recap

By on Nov 16, 2017 in News

Yardi celebrated the 40th anniversary of Property Council of Australia’s “Property Congress,” a premier event for the Australian real estate industry. Yardi held its accustomed place as Principal Sponsor of the event, which took place in Cairns, Queensland.

Several senior members of the Yardi Australia team attended, including Mark Heaney (project manager), Kelvin Manual (regional manager), Nina Feldman (marketing manager), and Terry Gowan (regional director for Australia and New Zealand).

Kicking off the event with some fun, Yardi hosted the nautically themed “Welcome Aboard” party on the conference’s first night, welcoming more than 700 industry thought leaders, trendsetters and other experts from all property sectors. Yardi also sponsored a coffee station at the event, keeping delegates and speakers energised.

With thought leaders from a broad cross section of the industry presenting, sessions at The Property Congress included:

  • A “View from the Top,” a panel of real estate leaders David Harrison of Charter Hall, Louise Mason of AMP Capital, Steve Leigh of QIC Global Real Estate, Greg Paramor of Folekstone and Caroly Viney of Vicinity Centres. They reported a positive outlook for the retail, commercial and residential sectors, which show strong growth trends despite fears of competition from online retailers. Their message was one of confidence for the year ahead and the real estate landscape in Australia.
  • “Cities for Everyone,” which examined how data from social media, online retail apps and other sources can be used to shape the activities, and therefore the character, of a city. Describing how important live, ongoing information is to creating “Cities for Everyone” for those who work and live in cities, the session provided a fascinating insight into how data can directly shape cities and lives.
  • A presentation by Peta Credlin, Sky News host and News Corp national columnist, who addressed the impact of global leaders on industry, growth and innovation. She also touched on robotics, automation and other new technologies that are changing the economic landscape, and her vision of upcoming changes.
  • “Australia’s Residential Game Changers,” which focused on build to rent and other potential methods for resolving affordability, a hot topic in Australia.
  • “World’s Best Projects” examined the process of conceiving, approving and building monumental projects, including Battersea Power Station in London, Sydney’s Infinity By Crown Group complex and Shanghai Tower. Seeing the process of making these remarkable building come to life, or have a second life, the audience learned more about how architects and innovators are changing the people who live and work in these structures, as well as the city around them.
  • “Creating a Better World,” led by musician and humanitarian Sir Bob Geldof, who stressed the real estate industry’s central role in virtually every human life on the planet. He also discussed his involvement in building homes in Africa and urged industry participants to think innovatively to tackle problems at home and elsewhere in the world.  The knighted former Boomtown Rats leader declined requests to perform, despite the offer of a guitar.

The three-day conference was packed with information and surprises at every turn.  By the time of the “Anchors Away” farewell lunch, delegates emerged more informed, with stronger networks and some long-lasting memories.

“Yardi is proud to support The Property Council of Australia, whose values of leadership, excellence, collaboration and integrity align with ours,” said Neal Gemassmer, vice president of international for Yardi.  “PCA is vibrant, diverse and forward-looking, and the fact that 2017 marks the milestone 40th Property Congress made the event even more special.  Our sponsorship reflects our ongoing commitment to support this vital industry and one of its key advocates.”

Next year’s Property Congress will mark the tenth year of Yardi’s sponsorship and support, and the company is delighted to continue its Principal Sponsorship.  The event will be held on 12-14 September in Darwin, Australia.  To find out more, visit The Property Congress’ website more information, or see highlights from the 2017 event here.