I recently attended the UK’s Real Estate and Infrastructure Investment Forum (UKREiiF) 2024, hosted in Leeds between the 21st and 23rd May. The event offered an immersive experience into the UK’s real estate and infrastructure industry. The event drew a diverse crowd of professionals across the industry, including investors, policymakers, and business leaders. I was lucky enough to obtain an Under 25s delegate pass and attended numerous events on Wednesday 22nd. Throughout the day, I participated in a “hackathon” event centred around boosting the South West region, before attending a keynote speech by Lee Rowley MP, the Minister of State for Housing and Planning.
Powering Up The South West, the morning hackathon event, held at the Great South West Pavilion, focussed on driving the region’s economy by increasing investment and prioritising key sectors.
The hackathon saw participants sharing insights on the barriers to powering up regions. The barriers discussed by attendees included: political fragmentation, lack of a collective vision for the region, disconnect between geopolitical and economic growth, perceived lack of opportunity, housing, and transport. Attendees also brainstormed on new and innovative solutions to address these challenges. It was inspiring to see the collaborative environment that was fostered through the event that aimed to drive discussions around a framework for growth that can be applied across regions.
Insights from Industry Experts Following the hackathon, the afternoon was spent attending highly informative talks at the Deloitte-sponsored dockside pavilion.
The panel discussions were focussed on the current challenges faced by the UK’s real estate industry, as well as the innovations and strategies that are being implemented to address them. One of the most fascinating panels explored the topic of Homes for Key Workers and featured influential speakers from both private and public sectors. They discussed the need for attractive residential offerings and quality living for key workers and their families, with the aim of improving outputs in essential services. Another panel discussed commercial property and urban renewal, where the conversation centred around how to match high-quality investment and development of commercial assets with place-making efforts. Each panel offered unique insights into the industry, and I left with a greater understanding of the challenges facing the sector.
Attending UKREiiF 2024 enabled me to better comprehend the critical role that collaboration plays in driving innovation in the real estate and infrastructure industry.
The opportunity to learn from others in the industry and to meet like-minded professionals from a variety of backgrounds, was invaluable. It allowed me to gain insights into the industry as a whole, which will hep me to better inform my work and decision-making going forward. The interactions between industry experts, policymakers, and investors fostered a sense of partnership, which bodes well for future initiatives.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I found UKREiiF 2024 to be an enlightening experience, offering many opportunities for personal and professional development. The event highlighted the importance of collaboration and showcased the latest trends and insights into the UK's real estate and infrastructure industry. The conference demonstrated how professionals from diverse backgrounds can come together to create innovative solutions that can help solve current challenges. Overall, attending UKREiiF 2024 was a valuable and rewarding experience that I would recommend to anyone in the real estate and infrastructure sector.