Preparations are already underway in Dallas for the 2016 ULI Fall Meeting, which the city will host October 24–27.
A high-profile session will feature Roger Staubach, executive chairman of JLL Americas and former Dallas Cowboys star quarterback, who forged a highly successful career in real estate following his retirement from the National Football League in 1980.
Each day of the meeting will focus on a separate area, starting with Monday, October 24, which will be dedicated to tours of the most innovative developments in north Texas.
On Tuesday, October 25, the emphasis will be on leadership and innovation, with lessons learned provided by experts in the real estate industry and beyond.
On Wednesday, October 26, the focus will shift to industry trends during the ULI Stan Ross Real Estate Trends Conference. Thursday, October 27, has been designated “real estate deal day,” with opportunities for participants to explore and initiate development projects, as well as share best practices in the art of making deals.
Real estate session topics will include the challenges and opportunities presented by technology advancements, demographic shifts, urbanization, changing economic drivers, transportation and other infrastructure needs, and adaptation to climate change. The meeting will highlight successful business strategies used by rising stars and experienced professionals to thrive in the rapidly changing industry.
Included will be programming specific to Dallas’s evolution as a highly livable, sustainable, and globally competitive city. A prime example of the city’s accomplishments is Klyde Warren Park, a 5.2-acre (2 ha) deck park built over the recessed Woodall Rodgers Freeway; the project was selected as a 2014 winner of ULI’s Urban Open Space Award.
Dallas/Fort Worth was named the most favorable region in the United States for investment and development in the Emerging Trends in Real Estate® 2016 report, published annually by ULI and PwC. The report cites the area’s strong employment growth, business-friendly environment, and moderate cost of living as factors in its high rating.
The 2016 Fall Meeting Steering Committee is being chaired by Mark D. Gibson, executive managing director of HFF in Dallas. Gibson is also a cochairman of the Host Committee along with Patricia L. Gibson, president of Hunt Realty Investments in Dallas, and John M. Walsh III, president and chief executive officer of TIG Real Estate Services in Plano.
“The Fall Meeting presents a unique opportunity for ULI members to share their expertise and insights to improve community building around the world,” Gibson said. “Dallas is the perfect backdrop for a gathering that offers such a fantastic mix of knowledge sharing and networking. Our city is demonstrating bold, innovative approaches to urban design and development that reflect the real estate trends we’ll be discussing at the meeting.”
ULI’s Advisory Services program has offered recommendations on urban growth-related issues in Dallas and the metropolitan region on several occasions over the past 25 years, including a revitalization strategy for West Dallas in 1990; redevelopment of the Oak Cliff Gateway District in 2001; a strategy for new development in Frisco in 2004; development of a regional logistics hub in southern Dallas County in 2006; a reuse plan for Southwest Center Mall in 2009; and a development strategy for Vitruvian Park in Addison in 2011.
This spring, an Advisory Services panel convened in Dallas to study existing affordable housing policies and recommend new or revised strategies for increasing the supply of affordable and mixed-income housing in the city and the region.
