The ULI Europe Young Leaders Annual Forum 2016 took place on 2nd February in Paris. The forum brought together over 80 real estate professionals from all disciplines from across Europe and as far away as the United States. The day began with two concurrent site visits to the ULI Global Award for Excellence finalist Boucicaut Eco-Neighbourhood project and the exciting Forum des Halles project. The tours were followed by sessions on the European investment market, densification and the ever-popular career development roundtables. Many of the attendees enjoyed a meal together to continue the networking and discussions into the evening.

Below are reflections from several Young Leaders on their experience at the Forum.

Pol Amills, Urban Input, Spain

I have been attending ULI YL events for the last two years, the same period I have been involved in real estate investment. Both the ULI Europe YL Forum and the ULI YL Summer School are perfect opportunities to create and keep current your network across Europe with a wide variety of young professionals profiles (investors, developers, consultants, financiers, etc.). From my point of view, this year’s mix of speakers and subjects was very attractive. The future perspectives both of the European investment markets and the densification of cities were appreciated topics and allowed to enhance my global vision of the sector.

Alexandra Jezeph, JLL, United Kingdom

I was very impressed by the variety and calibre of the conference sessions at the ULI Young Leader Forum; from the site tour of Forum des Halles to the careers advice received from a panel of 9 experts from across the real estate industry.  The most valuable discussion from my perspective was the investment debate, which offered insight into the health of European markets as well as predictions as to what asset types were anticipated to perform well in which geographies.   At the end of the session, the room voted that we had not yet hit the top of the market and that 2016 was set to be positive year.  Hopefully that proves to be the case and I look forward to reviewing our sentiments at the 2017 Young Leader Forum!

Nikos Kountouriotis, Arbitrage Real Estate Surveyors, Greece

Attending the ULI YL Forum for the third year in a row has given me the opportunity to watch the way an initially new business network of young and enthusiastic professionals has evolved year after year – event after event. ULI Europe Young Leaders has transformed into a closely-tied international group of experienced members, with a wide national and professional background, enjoying the exchange of thoughts, experiences and visions towards real estate business promotion. My takeaway of this year’s gathering is that European recovery is definitely here, ignited by low interest rates and scepticism towards conventional asset classes, led by liquidity, development prospects and infrastructure. The opportunity of getting helpful insights from senior leaders’ professional experiences and the interactive discussions on their recommendations was once more of real value for all the participants. I am already looking forward to the 2017 forum.

Anoushka Gohil,  SVS Real Estate, United Kingdom

This was my second time attending the ULI Europe Conference in Paris, and the Young Leaders day especially was extremely interesting. It was useful to meet up with colleagues who I have stayed in touch with following the previous year, and also meet new Young Leaders at the conference. I found the panel discussions thought provoking and really stimulated good conversation for the day. It also provided ample opportunity to meet everyone in the group, with the evening Young Leaders dinner following the conference day, providing a fun atmosphere to continue the networking. I’m very much looking forward to 2017!