Dustin Greiver is an HBA2 student and the Co-President of the Ivey Real Estate Club, which recently hosted the CentreCourt Panel event in Toronto. Dustin writes about the event and the insights gained from the panellists.
Last week, the Ivey Real Estate Club brought 45 interested students to Toronto for the CentreCourt Panel event. Upon arriving in Toronto, Shamez Virani, President of CentreCourt Developments, led a bus tour around Toronto’s downtown core highlighting the properties under development. After this, a panel event was held at Ivey's Tangerine Leadership Centre.
The panellists were top-notch:
- Shamez Virani, HBA ’06 – President, CentreCourt Developments;
- Jeff Hull – President, Hullmark Developments;
- Adrian Rocca, HBA ’04 – CEO, Fitzrovia Capital & Former Managing Director, Tricon Capital Group;
- Tyrone Bowers – Vice President of Acquisitions, Allied Properties REIT; and
- Elliott Altberg – Director of Investments & Finance, Oxford Properties.
The panel began with career advice, followed by an overview of the industry and a discussion of topical trends. Afterwards, a cocktail reception was held, providing students with the opportunity to network with a number of Ivey alumni currently working in real estate.
Takeaways from the event
Do what you love:
- An often repeated piece of career advice, but something these panellists repeated throughout the event. Hearing senior-level executives talk about real estate the same way others talk about their favourite sports teams truly resonated with the students. Their passion for real estate was self-evident.
Like it or not, you may be renting:
- Housing and condo prices in Toronto have been soaring and ownership could become prohibitively expensive for many millennials. The panellists discussed the implications of this and the ensuing increased density.
Real estate is here to stay:
- There is some talk about the ‘death of retail’ due to online shopping, but these industry leaders have their doubts. Landlords have and always will continue to adapt to the ever-changing consumer demands. It is an immensely exciting time to be in real estate!
Overall, the event was a huge success and will serve as the foundation for a legacy event to be held annually.
