Plenary Sessions
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Thursday 5 June 2008
09.00 - 10.30
The art of the state
- Chair:
- Richard Kauntze, Chief Executive, British Council for Offices
- Speakers:
- Andrew Marr, political commentator; Dr Amlan Roy, Head of Global Demographics, Credit Suisse Securities (Europe); Jim Currie, former Director General for Environment, European Commission.
The Art of the State is our first taste of BCO Brussels 2008. How does politics affect us? What are the key political trends? What are the big issues preoccupying politicians and how does industry lobby them?
Andrew Marr will lead us into the Brussels conference. He will paint a picture of how he sees the EU and the power-plays that got us here and where they will take us beyond 2008. Europe is the world's largest market and taking advantage of all its opportunities and understanding its challenges is pertinent to us all.
What are going to be the big trends going forward? How can we shape our businesses to deliver products and services that people will require? Is an ageing population a problem or an opportunity? Dr Amlan Roy will guide us through the latest demographic trends and give us an insight into how we might exploit them.
Few BCO members' businesses can afford to ignore the commercial advantages of Europe; indeed many are already participating in developments there. Recently named by President Sarkozy to chair an advisory panel on barriers to growth in France, Jacques Attali will use his wealth of experience to explore these advantages and guide us through the maze.
Thursday 5 June 2008
16.00 - 17.30
Hard crunch or soft landing?
- Chair:
- Nick Ridley, Executive Director - Development Solutions, Colliers CRE
- Speakers:
- Ian Coull, Chief Executive, SEGRO; Noel Manns, Principal Northern Europe, Europa Capital; John Plender, Chairman of Quintain and former Financial Times columnist.
The credit crunch gave the global economy a wake-up call in 2007, but will there be a lasting impact? What will be the effect on the supply of money and office development?
We will hear from leading figures in the property financial world. Ian Coull, CEO of SEGRO will talk to us about becoming a REIT and how European REITs will form. What property will REITs require and how do we seek to optimise the performance of buildings?
John Plender will outline macro and micro economic trends and thoughts and help us make sense of this turbulent world. What economic challenges does the EU face and how do we rank in the Global economy? How do we stay competitive?
Top European fund manager Noel Manns of Europa Capital Partners will deliver clear messages on what funds look for in offices in the EU region. What are the trends and how can we take commercial advantage of them?
Friday 6 June 2008
12.30 - 14.00
Occupiers - tell us what you want!
- Chair:
- Roger Reeves, Infrastructure & Procurement Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers
- Speakers:
- Greg Clark, Senior Fellow, ULI Europe; Frank Duffy, Founder, DEGW; Dr Lee Elliott, Head of Occupier Research, EMEA, Jones Lang LaSalle.
Our final plenary will focus on occupiers. What do they really want?
Greg Clark will talk to us about the way in which cities compete for business and how the global status of London is critical for the success of all major regional cities in the UK.
Dr Lee Elliott will highlight current corporate strategies for winning the war for talent and point to the place future skills pools and labour market profiles globally will have in the ultimate geography of corporate expansion.
Leading occupational advisor Frank Duffy will tell us how people and places come together and what makes for a vibrant and successful mix that makes occupation work.
Chaired by Roger Reeves this session will get to the heart of what occupiers really want and how the office industry can help them.