Agenda

Structural Change or Cyclical Challenges?
Observations and opportunities in the ‘new normal’

Many changes have occurred over the last two years in the property industry. From the development of more flexible office work places, after long periods of employees working from home; to the increase of online retail to unprecedented levels.  How much of this is Structural Change and how much will end up being exacerbating factors in already existing Cyclical Challenges?  The industry experts who will be speaking at the PFA Conference 2022 will speak from their own experiences as they have led their organisations through this period.  How have their organisations adapted?  What have they learned?  What do they think will be the long-term impact on the economy and the property funds industry?  Join us for this premier Conference as we hear their observations and learn what they think are the opportunities in the ‘new normal’.

11:30 am — 5:00 pm

GSA Golf Day
Cairns Golf Club, Links Drive Woree

6:30 pm — 8:30 pm

8:00 am — 8:45 am

Conference Welcome

Danielle CarterMC
Andrew Cannane – PFA President
Steven BennettChair, Events Committee

Session 1

Structural Change or Cyclical Challenges?

8:45 am — 9:30 am

Richard Gibbs – Partner, Urbis

Forces for Change
Risk and recovery in the post-pandemic economy

The pandemic has opened up more risk fronts for economies and investments. How effective will monetary and fiscal policies be in terms of the COVID recovery? Do we have a risk-free rate anymore? How has the risk/reward equation changed? Where is the place for private investment when public funding is so prevalent? Is it feasible to expect real income growth will restored in the foreseeable future? What is the new interplay between business, community and the resilience of both? What are the expectations around working flexibly and what does it mean for the property sector? To give us insights into these questions and more, Richard will open the Conference with a thought provoking address on post-pandemic conundrums.

9:30 am — 10:00 am

Adrian Pozzo – Chief Executive Officer, Cbus Property Pty Ltd

Institutional Insights
The Cbus story and what lies ahead

Australia’s superannuation sector could see more than 20 fund mergers a year between now and 2025, according to JP Morgan’s inaugural survey of executives in the sector. How could this effect Cbus Super and what could this mean for Cbus Property? Do other industry funds have a direct property investment and development arm? What are the greatest threats to growth for Cbus Property and how does the competitive landscape look? After minimal Australian activity in overseas markets over the last few years, will there be opportunities in the future to invest overseas? Tackling these and other questions, Adrian will give us insights into the workings of Cbus and Cbus Property and what he sees for the future.

 

10:00 am — 10:30 am

Morning Tea

10:30 am — 11:00 am

David Green-Morgan – Head of AP Real Estate Research, MSCI Real Capital Analytics

International Investment in Property
Global investor perspective on relative risk, return and asset allocation

Taking us into the international markets, David will shed some light on how property markets are faring across countries now recovering from COVID-19. He will follow the money trail of investment, where funds are coming from and where investment is being made. He will help us understand the key risks which international investors, awash with capital, are currently focused on and how the risk/return relationship is viewed across different countries. He will also discuss the structural trends he sees across different countries and sectors.

10:30 am — 11:00 am

Shane Quinn – Executive Chairman, Quintessential Equity

The Changing Dynamics of Industrial and Office Property
Where to from here?

With deep experience in the industrial and office sectors, Shane will share with us his observations about these sectors and where they are headed.  How far can industrial valuations still go up?  Is industrial property overpriced from an economic point of view? How are different asset classes behaving e.g.: logistics/cold store vs manufacturing?  After the upheavals of the last two years, is office dead?  Or is this sector changing to fit into the new working reality, and how?  What does Shane see emerging in the high tech space as it relates to office, and indeed, Quintessential’s portfolio?

11:30 am — 12:30 am

Panel Session

Bringing together the morning’s program and their collective experience, the panellists will look at the local and global market conditions:
Richard Gibbs
, Urbis, Adrian Pozzo, Cbus Property, David Green-Morgan, MSCI Real Capital Analytics, Shane Quinn, Quintessential Equity

12:30 pm — 1:30 pm

Buffet Lunch Sponsored by Equity Trustees

Session 2

Sector Reviews – what lies ahead in the new ‘COVID normal’?

1:30 pm — 2:00 pm

Ben Martin-Henry – Head of Pacific Real Estate Research, MSCI Real Capital Analytics

Australian Property Markets
Funds flow and sector tilts

What have been the capital flows in Australian property markets over the 18 months?  Have there been any surprises? How does Australia compare with global markets? Where has investment been focussed in 2022? Is it different to 2021? Ben will lead us through the data which creates the story of capital movements in the property sector in Australia. He will highlight the trends, the changes, the factors which make Australia different to other international markets and give us insights into which property markets have captured the attention of investors.

 

2:00 pm — 2:45 pm

Michael Bennett – General Manager, Property & Construction Finance, CBA

Going Green
Funding sustainability upgrades

There are many reasons to rework commercial property with a ‘sustainability makeover’, including reducing the carbon footprint, and improving energy and water efficiency.  Michael will look at the investment benefits and how the CBA is helping property owners to take these steps with its lending packages.  He will also take us through some case studies of how companies have been able to use CBA’s products to undertake these sustainability upgrades to reduce property carbon emission or achieve NABERS rating improvement.

2:45 pm — 3:15 pm

Ryan Banting – General Manager Social Infrastructure, Australian Unity

Social Infrastructure
Integrating social and financial returns

What is Social Infrastructure and how has it evolved as an asset class? Each sub-sector is unique, with different social characteristics, risks, return profiles, and funding issues. How can they be integrated to provide a complementary suite of assets, both at a social and an investment level? What are some of the particular issues which face a property owner as they cater for the needs of the end user? And how is the sector developing? Ryan will explore these issues and give us further insight into this diverse asset class with an examination of Australian Unity’s Social Infrastructure portfolio.

3:15 pm — 4:00 pm

A Tale of Two Markets
Negotiating divergent property experiences

Office property markets have bifurcated. The medium term outlook for supply of new office space in Sydney is minimal, while Melbourne wrestles with a supply surge in the midst of COVID. The value imputed to premium office property compared to secondary stock is stark for both purchases and with respect to leases, particularly incentive levels. What has been the impact of some tenants downsizing, as has been an expected fallout from the COVID ‘new-normal’, while other tenants are taking more space? Is the expected rise in inflation a spike or a trend? What are the implications for tenants, owners and investors? Which measure should landlords negotiate on new leases: market; fixed increases; or CPI plus a margin? When will a rising WACC start to impact valuations or is the tide of capital still too strong? For dissection, discussion and debate on these issues and more we will be capably led by our expert panel.

Moderator
Danielle Carter – MC
Panellists
Michael Cook – Group Executive, Investa Office
Carrie Rogers – Partner, Clayton Utz
Greg Preston – Managing Director Investment Valuation & Capital Markets Advisory, Preston Rowe Paterson

4:00 pm

Close of Day

Danielle Carter – MC

4:00 pm — 4:15 pm

Afternoon Tea

6:30 pm — 11:30 pm

One Investment Group Gala Dinner
Hemingway’s Brewery

Session 3

Permanent Change? – The impact of COVID-19 on ESG and technology

8:20 am — 8:30 am

Welcome

Danielle Carter – MC

8:30 am — 9:00 am

Nicola Woodward – Partner, Property & Environmental Services, KPMG

ESG Across Property Portfolios
Managing risks in a changing environment

In the last two years measuring the environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts of real estate investments has become front and centre for portfolio managers as investors demand information. What are the risks inherent in not taking action and what upsides can you expect if implement ESG strategies? Nicola will outline what she is seeing in the industry at the moment and will take us through a case study of how investors are considering these issues.

9:00 am — 9:30 am

Noel Cook – Chief Commercial & Operations Officer, oOh!media

Target Market
How accurate audience targeting unveils shifting market appetites

oOh!media uses strategic technology and data analysis techniques to enable clients to maximise their media spend by accurately targeting audiences in over 37,000 digital and static asset locations.  The result of this is a detailed understanding of trends in the office, retail and transport sectors with segmentation via CBD, suburban and regional differences. Noel will lead us through how they use this data and what it has told them about life in and out of lockdowns as well as their insights and hypotheses into future trends.

9:30 am — 10:00 am

Sheridan Ware – Chief Information and Technology Officer, Charter Hall

The PropTech (R)evolution
In the ‘hot seat’ thanks to the Pandemic?

What is property technology (proptech) and how is it reshaping the real estate lifecycle? How is proptech investment and use trending in Australia and abroad? What are the key growth sectors and how have these changed as a result of COVID-19? Sheridan will share her thoughts on what’s next and how owners can use past lessons to accelerate future proptech outcomes.

10:00 am — 10:30 am

Panel Session

Bringing together the morning’s program the panellists will look at the ESG and tech changes brought about in the last couple of years:
Nicola Woodward
KPMGNoel Cook, oOh!mediaSheridan WareCharter Hall

10:30 am — 10:45 am

Conference Wrap Up

Paul Healy – CEO, PFA