Reflections on a storied, globe-spanning career—and thoughts on today’s Hong Kong.

The success of ULI’s 2019 Spring Meeting—which drew 4,300 attendees, the highest ever for a Spring Meeting—is indicative of the Institute’s ongoing efforts to improve the member experience, ULI Global Chief Executive Officer Ed Walter said in remarks at the meeting’s closing session. He praised outgoing Global Chairman Thomas Toomey for his leadership in the creation and implementation of ULI’s Global Strategic Plan, which seeks to strengthen member engagement and impact.

As we head to Nashville for our 2019 Spring Meeting, I am encouraged and enthused about the progress being made at ULI to improve the member experience. Our initial efforts will be on display at the meeting, with more member-informed, interactive programming designed to foster a broader exchange of ideas and knowledge as well as more member-to-member connections. The event, which follows a highly successful Midwinter Trustees Meeting, Europe Conference, and Asia Pacific Convivium held this winter, will serve as additional confirmation of ULI’s status as the gold standard for real estate organizations.

At a panel discussion during ULI’s Fort Lauderdale Emerges conference in February, Mike Jackson, longtime chief executive officer of AutoNation, was joined by Vinnie Viola, chairman and owner of the NHL’s Florida Panthers and chairman emeritus of Virtu Financial, to discuss Fort Lauderdale’s place among America’s most important business communities. With moderator Bob Swindell, president and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, the pair discussed the appeal and consistent challenges facing Fort Lauderdale’s ascension as a major business hub.

Jes Staley, CEO of multinational investment bank Barclays, spoke at the ULI Europe Conference in London, sharing his recent experiences addressing shifting financial regulations and the evolving opportunity presented by new technologies.

A first-time gathering of ULI product council members—drawing attendees from councils focused on multifamily housing and affordable and workforce housing—convened at the 2018 ULI Fall Meeting in Boston to marshal ideas from some of the industry’s leading minds. For near-term action, participants sounded a call for creating a national playbook for local and state-level implementation, a compendium of strategies employed successfully in jurisdictions across the United States that could be adopted elsewhere.

Best-selling author, entrepreneur, and New York University marketing professor Scott Galloway issued an impassioned call for the government breakup of Facebook, Amazon, Google, and Apple, telling attendees at the 2018 ULI Fall Meeting that the four giants of the digital-age economy have grown too large and powerful.

Join a record number of your peers October 8–11 in Boston for thought-provoking sessions during the 2018 ULI Fall Meeting. Attendees will enjoy keynote addresses by artist Theaster Gates and author Scott Galloway, plus a discussion of the Emerging Trends in Real Estate ^® 2019report.

Former Host Hotels and Resorts executive will lead implementation of the Global Strategic Plan. Walter brings to ULI more than 35 years of management experience in real estate across a variety of disciplines, including hotels, multifamily housing, and land development, with a strong emphasis on capital markets and investments.

Nearly 7,000 of the world’s foremost leaders in the real estate and land use industry will convene at the 2018 ULI Fall Meeting, set for October 8–11 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.