British Property Federation Annual Conference – ‘Shaping the Future Together’

The conference certainly lived up to its title, with insightful presentations by Simon French, Chief Economist at Panmure Global, and Lord Gavin Barwell. They discussed the UK Economic and Political outlooks respectively amidst lively debates with PropTech entrepreneurs about the impact their industry is having – and will have – on the property sector. In fact, the closing debate was so lively that the panel were described as “Feral” by the debate chairman – a description appreciated by the panellists as well as the audience.

One key takeaway that was clear is that the BPF, and those present at the conference, were keen to understand, embrace, and focus on the opportunities – particularly those that will generate further income for landlords by using and understanding the offering from the PropTech industry.  Moving from a passive, investor role to active engagement in the delivery of a platform from which businesses launch, grow, and thrive is a journey that all landlords need to embrace if they are to achieve success.

Sean Randall, Partner at Blick Rothenberg, adds: “I thought the keynote presentations this year were excellent. The calibre of attendees was also extremely high and proved a great opportunity to network with some well-known faces from a variety of firms.

“The insight gained by attending the conference will no doubt prove invaluable. The increase in interest rates and impact of the changes in working patterns post-pandemic, for example, will mean the conversations held at the conference are likely to make a real difference for our clients.”