Who’s on stage at TRD’s annual New York Forum this May 8

New York’s market is coming out of its thaw. With a housing deal passed and interest rates stabilized – perhaps even coming down – it’s time for dealmakers to get back to what they do best.

That’s why we’re excited to be back at the Metropolitan Pavilion on May 8, bringing some of the industry’s top names to the stage to kick off a new cycle at TRD’s annual NYC Real Estate Forum.

The doors open at 10 a.m. and programming kicks off at 11 with a keynote featuring Miami mayor, Francis X. Suarez, on what’s drawing New Yorkers to go #longmiami, and how New York City can keep up. 

As office in NYC continues its reckoning, our first panel of the day will feature Two Tree’s Jed Walentas, Philiipe Visser of Related Office Development, Columbia University’s Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh and Eastdil’s Will Silverman to give their takes on the future as the city’s professional economy continues to shift. Can conversion save Class B and C assets? Are workers still coming back to the office? Do they still plan to build new office projects in NYC? 

Then we’ll bring in the brokerage experts, including Tal Alexander, Ravi Kantha, Frances Katzen and Adam Modlin, to share how they’ve transformed their businesses through the market’s new challenges. From aligning their business with new and legacy brands to garnering name recognition on their own as top ranking brokers, these brokers have made some of the biggest deals in a tricky market, and they’ll share all of their tricks with us. 

NYC icon Howard Lutnick is next for an exclusive live interview. As Chairman of Newmark, and Chairman and CEO of both Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC Group, Lutnick has a deep knowledge of the market and its resiliency – and he’ll speak to what that looks like for the next five and ten years of New York’s growth.   

As retail continues its recovery in the market, what does it need in order to continue the trend? We’ll bring two different perspectives—one from a major investor and retail landlord, Ben Ashkenazy, and one from a driving force behind huge brands like Gap, J. Crew and the Apple store, Mickey Drexler. Drexler and Ashkenazy will give their perspectives as executives with a deep understanding of how retail spaces work and what they need, speaking to New York’s retail corridors from Times Square to SoHo to Fifth Avenue.

Then, for the first time, our popular Deconstruct podcast will do a live recording on center stage, featuring a conversation between TRD reporters Isabella Farr and Suzannah Cavanaugh as they chat with lenders Steve Stuart of Fortress, Michael Comparato of Benefit Street and Seth Weissman of Urban Standard about the state of commercial finance and what continued higher rates mean for the market. 

Lastly, we’ll answer the question on everyone’s mind: Is the housing deal enough to spur a new era for New York? To find out, we’ll hear from experts at the intersection of real estate and politics, including owner advocate Jay Martin, developers Sam Charney of Charney Companies and David Kramer of Hudson Companies, and former NYC housing chief Vicki Been. These experts have insider insights into how the deal was done and what it’ll mean for a city where development has been stymied in the midst of a housing crisis. They’ll speak at 3 p.m.

It’s all happening next Wednesday, May 8. Make sure to get your tickets today.

Event link: https://events.therealdeal.com/new-york/home?utm_source=web&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=agenda-overview