Program Overview

2023 Annual Convention
October 1-4, 2023
The Pan Pacific Vancouver
Vancouver, BC

Navigating the Currents of Change

NOTE: Times are listed as placeholders and may be adjusted as needed
† Ticketed event * Closed event

SATURDAY, September 30

6:00P – 8:00P Canadian Chapter Sponsored Reception
Steamworks Brewery
The Canadian Chapter invites you start your Vancouver adventure with a reception at the Steamworks Brewery – a steam-powered Gastown Brew Pub that sets the standard for The Classic Brew Pub Experience. And nothing elevates good beer like good food. Join your colleagues for this kick-off Canadian welcome!

SUNDAY, October 1

10:00A -4:30P Development Tour I †
University of British Columbia Campus and First Nations Developments Tour
Vancouver is located on the unceded traditional homelands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations who have shaped the use of the land for centuries. Our tour will drive by sites for several major real estate developments being planned by these First Nations on their traditional lands. On campus we will be hosted for lunch at the Nest, a LEED platinum certified building and one of UBC’s newest and most exciting venues. Presentations will include the real estate development activities of UBC Properties Trust (an endowment responsible for development on the campus), and the UBC Department of Wood Sciences, which is pioneering innovative uses of engineered timber including tallwood structures and sustainable production of low-carbon intensity building materials.

Speakers/Tour Guides: Avtar Bains, President, UBC Properties Trust; Andy Chu, Executive Producer, FMA Entertainment; Haibo Feng, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Wood Science, UBC Forestry; William McCarthy, CRE, President, W.P.J. McCarthy and Company Ltd.; Neal Pellegrino, Senior Events Coordinator, AMS; and Felix Wiesners,  Assistant Professor, University of British Columbia, Faculty of Forestry

2:00P-4:00P Development Tour II and III
Vancouver: A Walking Tour †
Vancouver — Where beauty, culture, and innovation meet! Nestled between the sea, mountains and a collection of rivers and lakes, Vancouver is well-known for its natural beauty. As the largest city in British Colombia, it has a diverse economy with a strong tech sector and some of the brightest minds in business. The city’s natural and cultural attractions draw visitors from around the world. These Walking Tours, led by experienced local Tour Guides, will give participants an insider’s view of Vancouver – one of Canada’s densest, most ethnically diverse cities with thriving art, restaurant, theatre, and music scenes.

5:15P-6:00P New Member Welcome Reception *
Pan Pacific Vancouver

6:00P-8:00P Welcome Reception
Pan Pacific Vancouver
Kick off the Convention at the Pan Pacific Hotel with its sweeping oceanfront and mountain views and home to The Counselors’ 2023 Annual Convention. Join fellow CREs and guests for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in this elegant setting. Afterward, grab a friend or two and enjoy a night on the town! A recommended restaurant guide is located in your registration packet.

MONDAY, October 2

7:15A – 8:00A Opening Buffet Breakfast

8:00A-8:30A First Nation’s Land Acknowledgement and Greeting Ceremony
Representatives of the First Nations Land will welcome The Counselors to our 2023 Annual Convention with a Greeting Ceremony and a celebratory tribal welcome dance featuring representatives of a native tribal community.

Welcome Address
William McCarthy, CRE, 2023 Global Chair of the Board Presentation of the Committee Service Award

8:30A – 9:30A 2024 Top Ten Issues Affecting Real Estate: The Unveiling
Speakers: Kathleen Rose, CRE, Chair, Top Ten Committee
Timothy Savage, CRE, Ph.D., Vice Chair, Top Ten Committee; Professor and Director of the CREFC Center for Real Estate Finance at NYU Schack, New York UniversityIntroductions: William McCarthy, CRE, 2023 Global Chair of the Board
Future Tense. Novel Thinking. Provocative. For the first time ever, the Top Ten Issues Affecting Real Estate® will be unveiled at the CRE Annual Convention.   The 2024 issues are determined through polling, discussion, and debate among Counselors. Hear the “why” behind each transformative trend in this compelling presentation of the signature thought leadership initiative of The Counselors of Real Estate.

9:45A – 10:45A Economic Point-Counter Point: A Candid Discussion
Speakers: CRE^® Economic Advisory Council:
James Costello III, CRE, Chief Economist, MSCI
Will McIntosh, Ph.D., CRE, Global Head of Research, Affinius Capital
Melissa Reagen, CRE, Managing Director, Portfolio Manager, NUVEEN Real Estate
Dennis Schoenmaker, Ph.D., CRE, Executive Director – Principal Economist, CBRE
Moderator: Douglas Poutasse, CRE, Real Estate Consultant

It’s the 2023 sequel to The Counselors’ top-rated session at its 2022 annual convention. If you don’t know the members of the CRE^® Economic Advisory Council, you should. This stellar group of American and European advisors will captivate you in this point-counterpoint presentation. The interpretations and opinions of our experts may surprise you—but will definitely not bore you.

10:45A – 11:45A Stranded Asset Risk: Changing Investor Preferences, Regulation, and Climate
Speakers: Chris Pyke, Ph.D., Chief Innovation Officer, GRESB
Dennis Schoenmaker, PhD, CRE, Executive Director – Principal Economist, CBRE
Ruchi Pathela, CRE, Head of Valuations for Global Alternatives, J.P. Morgan Asset Management
Moderator: Deborah Cloutier, CRE, President & Founder, RE Tech Advisors, Inc.

The proliferation of emissions reduction policies, regulations, and requirements in the US, Europe, and Asia are setting new standards for commercial real estate owners and operators to navigate. Growing demand by LPs, GPs and capital providers require commitments to net zero goals, climate risk assessments, long-range capital planning and integration into acquisition and disposition analysis of physical and transitional risk and mitigation. How do we apply the traditional approach to measure risk to analyze stranded asset risk from climate change?

Noon- 1:30P Welcome Luncheon
Anthony DellaPelle, Esq., CRE, 2023 First Vice Chair of the CRE Board
Award Presentation: Committee Service Award       

Noon- 1:30P Past Chairs’ Luncheon *

1:45P-5:00P AFTERNOON DEVELOPMENT TOURS

Development Tour I: Architectural Walking Tour of Vancouver
Tour Guide:      Geoffrey Erickson, Partner, Erickson Design Collection

Not only will you enjoy walking  downtown Vancouver, but you will also experience a discussion highlighting modern Vancouver architecture and planning that has a focus on Arthur Erickson Architects projects.  The buildings and planning schemes of the Evergreen Building, Paradox Hotel and Arthur Erickson Place (formerly MacMillan Bloedel Building) and the 3 Block Complex Development: Vancouver Art Gallery, Robson Square, and the Law courts will be part of your tour.

Development Tour II: The Brentwood Town Centre Plan, Burnaby, British Columbia:  From  Precedent Setting Civic Land Use Policies, Iconic  Master Planned Communities, and Towards Densification and the Unknown
Tour Guide: William McCarthy, CRE, President, W.P.J. McCarthy and Company Ltd.

Travelling by Vancouver’s Skytrain, enjoy a candid behind the scenes tour with our Global Chair William McCarthy, CRE who calls Burnaby home!  The Brentwood Land Use Plan originally called for a holistic mixed-use development scheme, focusing on a slow growth pluralistic range of commercial-retail and residential uses.  What has emerged in recent years are high density Master Plans focused on Vancouver’s exploding residential condominium market.    We will walk the Town Centre and explore Shape Developments “Amazing Brentwood” project, and then tour and discover the Master Plans for surrounding properties as proposed by Concord Pacific, Anthem Properties and Grosvenor Americas.  McCarthy, who himself is a property owner in the area and has consulted in this region for decades, will also give a candid behind the scenes overview of a mixed-use project which he is involved in and which will anchor the overall Town Centre concept.  This tour will review and explain how this location has emerged as the site of thousands of residential units and billions of dollars of local, national and international investment, with a heavy emphasis on condominium towers and market and rental units of varying sizes.  Learn what applied density means in the second most expensive housing market in the world (Metro Vancouver) and the rationale (or not) behind public and private land use decisions of this past generation.

Development Tour III: The Iconic Commercial and Residential Towers of Vancouver:  Their Design, History, Influence, and Future
Tour Guide(s): Tony Astles, Managing Partner, Head of Canadian Development, BentallGreenOak
John McCarthy, Vice President, W.P.J. McCarthy and Company Ltd.
Phil Stone, CRE, Managing Director, Head of Investment Research, BentallGreenOak

From Burrard Street to the newest Bentall Centers to Georgia Street, then Granville, you will get a real sense of the distinctive, widely recognized towers of Vancouver. Your Guides will discuss how developers’ imaginations melded with Vancouver’s history to create these designs and influence the buildings of the future. Key participants in the BentallGreenOak Towers development will discuss these newest Vancouver buildings. Then you will enjoy a stroll through Vancouver, getting a sense of the area’s various high-rise initiatives.

Development Tour IV: Seabus Water Taxi: Explore North Vancouver
Tour Guide: Andy Pham, Vice President, BentallGreenOak
NOTE: There will be quite a bit of walking on this Tour.

Take the Seabus, Vancouver’s ferry service, to North Vancouver – once a small waterfront sawmill town that has developed into the largest settlement on the inlet.  Your Tour Guide, Andy Pham, a lead developer in the area, will lead the group around the city and showcase many of the newest developments.

1:45 P-5:00P MINI CONSULTING CORPS PROJECT
Seniors Services Society of British Columbia
Team Leader:  Steven Norris, CRE, Principal, Norris Realty Advisors
Facilitator(s): Alison Silgardo, Chief Executive Officer, Seniors Services Society of BC
Kyoko Takahashi, Interim SHINE Manager

The Counselors will be addressing a question posed by Seniors Services Society of BC (SSSBC), a nonprofit organization that assists vulnerable older adults. How can SSSBC create or access an increased supply of temporary/emergency housing for seniors?

1. How can the SHINE model and real estate/other partners be leveraged to increase access to a supply of temporary/emergency housing for seniors?
2. What alternative models for housing provision are relevant to SSSBC?
3. Should SSSBC take a direct role? If so, how?
4. What key funding, policy, capacity or other challenges/constraints does SSSBC face in implementing any of the above options?

6:00P-10:00P CRE Celebratory Dinner †
Vancouver Convention Centre
Dinner and Dancing

The Vancouver Convention Centre, located on Vancouver’s waterfront with a dramatic mountain backdrop, is steps from the Hotel. With gorgeous views of the harbor, you will enjoy an evening of cocktails, dining, and dancing. We will celebrate The Counselors organization and thank 2023 Chair William McCarthy, CRE, for his contributions, and welcome 2024 Chair Anthony DellaPelle, Esq. CRE.

9:30P-11:30P Chair’s Hospitality
Pan Pacific Hotel

Stop by the beautiful Coal Harbour Suite at the Pan Pacific Hotel for conversation and a complimentary after-dinner drink. Rumor has it there may be ‘Counselor Karaoke’ with members of Sound Counsel at this reception!

MONDAY, October 2

Spouse/Guest Tour†
9:30A-4:00P Explore Vancouver!
A Tour of some of Vancouver’s iconic places

• Vancouver Aquarium Tour (with a special CRE Tour)
• Lunch at the Teahouse Restaurant
• Stanley Park Tour

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3

7:45A-9:00A BUSINESS ISSUES FORUMS with Breakfast (four concurrent sessions)

Artificial Intelligence: What is AI’s Function and What is Its Impact on Commercial Real Estate?
Discussion Leader(s): Joshua Harris, CRE, Managing Partner Lakemont Group
Timothy Savage, Ph.D., CRE, Professor and Director of the CREFC Center for Real Estate Finance, New York University | Schack Institute of Real Estate

Population Shock: Point Counterpoint
The Effects of Migration
Discussion Leader(s):  Kathleen Rose, CRE, President & CEO, Rose & Associates Southeast, Inc.
David Schnitzer, CCIM President, Partner, ASCEND Commercial Real Estate

Real Estate Armageddon
Interest Rates, Inflation, Devaluation, Office Obsolescence
Discussion Leader(s): Ruchi Pathela, CRE, Head of Valuations for Global Alternatives, J.P. Morgan Asset Management
Ruth Colp-Haber, CRE, Partner, Wharton Property Advisors, Inc.

What’s This World Coming To?
Political Unrest, Global Housing Crisis, Labor Shortage
Discussion Leader(s): Guniz Celen, CRE, CEO and Chairperson, Celen Corporate Property Valuation & Counseling Inc.
Marilee Utter, CRE, President, Citiventure Associates, LLC

GENERAL SESSIONS RESUME

9:15A-10:15A The Housing Crisis: A Coast to Coast Issue

Speakers: Evan Derickson, Geospatial Assistant, National Zoning Atlas
Ray Wong, CRE, Vice President, Data Operations, Data Solutions, Altus Group
Moderator: Dwight Merriam, Esq., CRE, Dwight Merriam, Attorney At Law

A global perspective on a global issue – the housing crisis. From San Francisco to Sydney, London, Toronto and across the globe – where isn’t the crisis growing? The gap between income and housing and, more generally, living costs, which have been growing for decades, is now being exacerbated by inflation, rising interest rates, and growth in demand. This panel will give you different perspectives on this rising global problem.

10:15A-11:30A The Realities, Challenges, and Opportunities for Civic Real Estate, Planning and Leadership Ahead
Speakers: Councillor Rebecca Bligh, Deputy Mayor (Vancouver), Mayor Mike Hurley (Burnaby), Mayor Brad West (Port Coquitlam)
Moderator: William McCarthy, CRE, President, W.P.J. McCarthy and Company Ltd.

We welcome these three leaders to our Vancouver convention. While the primary focus of these Mayors is on issues important to their cities and constituents, these same issues and needs are also important to you and your city as well – no matter which state or province you call home.  This is a discussion of challenges and accomplishments that translate to your community.

11:45A-1:15P Member Luncheon
Awards Presentations: Couillard Leadership Award and James D. Landauer/John R. White Award Presentation
Guest Speaker: Sam Cooper, Author, Willful Blindness

1:30P-5:00P AFTERNOON DEVELOPMENT TOURS

Development Tour V: Amazon Headquarters
Tour Guide(s): Remco Daal, President of Canadian Real Estate, QuadReal

The single largest office building in downtown Vancouver, Amazon’s new office is the old Canada Post building.  This redevelopment, coupled with its critical mass of employment, is a major catalyst for the eastward expansion of the Central Business District.  The office space begins within the upper levels of the podium; the lower floors will be dedicated as 185,000 sq ft of retail and restaurant space — the largest net gain in commercial retail space within the downtown peninsula in about two decades.  A primary developer of one of the newest additions to Vancouver, Remco Daal, will give you a behind-the-scenes look at this initiative.

Development Tour VI: False Creek/Olympic Village/Concord Development
Tour Guide:  William McCarthy, CRE, President, W.P.J. McCarthy and Company Ltd.
Presentation:  Grant Murray, Sr. VP Sales, Concord Pacific Development

As you make your way to the offices of Concord Pacific Development, Vancouver’s largest community builder, Bill McCarthy, CRE, will provide a history of the False Creek area, the area’s industrialization, Expo 86, and other highlights enroute.  At Concord Centre, Grant Murray will give you an overview Concord Pacific’s accomplishments, the history of the False Creek, the development of the area, and plans for future development on the site and in the area.  The group will then walk from Concord Pacific to Olympic Village and learn the history of the development of the Olympic Village site.

Development Tour VII: Get To Know Vancouver! A Tour of the City’s History
Tour Guide: Hardy Goetsch, Canadian Tour Guide Association

Hop on and hop off during this private tour of the sites of Vancouver with your Tour Guide Hardy Goetsch, who specializes in showing visitors the highlights of his adopted city.  You will roam Vancouver, stopping at Stanley Park with its iconic totem poles and beautiful rose gardens; Granville Island and its unique Market; Queen Elizabeth Park; China Town; and, finally, Gastown. A whirlwind view of your host city!

Development Tour VIII: Oakridge Centre Redevelopment

This visionary mixed-use development located on a 28-acre site in Vancouver was designed by Henriquez Partners Architects as a single, mixed-use development that includes residential, office, retail, civic uses, and park above a consolidated below-grade parking garage. The architectural vocabulary of the towers draws inspiration from the park and appear as if they are emerging from the park, terracing up with integrated planting. Members of the QuadReal Property Group, developers of Oakridge, will lead you through this creative space and cultural hub.

6:00P-8:00P Farewell Reception †

The Bill Reid Gallery, the only public Gallery in Canada dedicated to the Northwest Coast, is a unique destination that celebrates the extraordinary diversity of contemporary Indigenous Northwest Coast Art. The Gallery stands as a tribute to the legendary Haida master artist, Bill Reid (1920 – 1998), and the multitude of living traditions that flourish along the Northwest Coast. The Gallery is committed to celebrating Reid’s remarkable legacy and fostering meaningful connections among diverse communities, including Indigenous and settler populations. Take this opportunity to informally connect one more time with fellow attendees. Enjoy pre-dinner cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and excellent company before you embark on your evening plans.

9:30P-11:30P Chair’s Hospitality
Stop by the beautiful Coal Harbour Suite at the Pan Pacific Hotel and join the “mini” Sound Counsel ensemble for conversation and a complimentary after-dinner drink. Please come join in the fun!

WEDNESDAY, October 4

7:30A-8:30A Budget & Finance Committee *

9:00A-10:45A Executive Committee *

11:00A-12:30P Board of Directors Meeting
Open to all CREs

12:30P-1:00P Annual Membership Meeting
Open to all CREs

1:00P- Luncheon

WEDNESDAY, October 4

9:00A-10:00A Spouse/Guest Farewell Breakfast

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REGISTRATION CANCELLATION POLICY: Cancellations received prior to September 7th will be subject to a $100 administrative fee. No refunds will be made for cancellations received after September 7th. All cancellation requests must be received in writing. Please allow 60 days for all cancellations to be processed.