How is Technology Changing Our Cities?

Manny de Zerraga

MIAMI—How is technology changing our cities? What’s next for the evolving retail landscape? How long will South Florida’s real estate investment boom last? The nation’s top minds in real estate will tackle these topics and more next month during the University of Miami’s fifth annual Real Estate Impact conference, GlobeSt.com caught up with Manny de Zarraga , executive managing director at HFF , to get his insights on what to expect at the conference. The conference is set for February 11th at the Four Seasons Hotel Miami. GlobeSt.com: You’ve been involved in growing the University of Miami’s Real Estate Impact conference as an Advisory Board member. How did this event get started and how has it grown? Zarraga: The Real Estate Impact Conference launched in 2012 as a forum for convening some of the global leaders in real estate development, capital markets and investment management from across the US and Latin America in Miami during the winter season. At its core, this was envisioned as an opportunity for University of Miami students to hear first-hand from and meet these industry leaders. It has been a great experience to see how rapidly the real estate programs in both the School of Architecture and the School of Business Administration have grown by attracting students and academic leaders from throughout the world. The student bodies, comprised of students from the US, China, Europe and Latin America highlight Miami’s position as a global gateway market for real estate development and investment.  Most importantly for our firm, the conference has served as the impetus for our hiring many exceptional students to join our firm throughout our national offices. GlobeSt.com: Give us a brief preview of this year’s conference speakers. Who are you looking forward to most? Zarraga: The conference team comprised of academic program directors and advisory board members have put together a dynamic mix of global and local real estate industry leaders that will provide neat insights from varied perspectives of the industry.  Our conference attendees are excited about hearing from Jon Gray , the global head of real estate for Blackstone and chairman of Hilton Worldwide , and Wood of Federal Realty Investment Trust , which has been particularly active in Miami over the past year. We’ve also secured Steve Witkoff of The Witkoff Group , Howard Lorber of Vector Group , Katy Gnapp , who heads up commercial real estate banking for Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Alfonso Munk , CIO of the Americas at Prudential Real Estate Investors . GlobeSt.com: What topics are on the agenda, and to what extent will the event be focused on South Florida? Zarraga: Each year, we try to create an agenda that’s timely within the context of what’s trending locally, across the nation and from global perspectives. This year’s conference will explore how Millennials are driving commercial real estate investment and lending, how the retail landscape is changing with an emphasis on the “high street” retail and enclosed mall models, and how technology is assisting in the creation of so-called “smart cities.” We will be hearing about the impact of technology that we use in our daily lives, such as Uber and Airbnb, is reshaping how and why real estate is used and valued.  And of course, our speakers and panelists will be offering perspective on the South Florida market through a national lens throughout the afternoon.