July 5, 2015

|By Property Report

The biggest names in Asian real estate to meet at first­ever Property Report Congress

High ­level forum will focus on how to continue to drive growth and excellence in the region’s property sector

Top industry leaders, VIPs and senior executives from around the region will convene in Singapore this October at a forum to discuss the most effective strategies to revitalise the growth of the property sector and how to achieve and sustain excellence in the industry.

The inaugural congress will be a dedicated forum for the Winners and Judges of the Asia Property Awards programme across nine countries in the region, including Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, highlighting the insights from industry leaders on growing successful real estate companies in Southeast Asia and the challenges and opportunities of ASEAN economic integration.

Hosted by Ensign Media (now PropertyGuru) – publisher of P​roperty Report,​ Asia’s leading magazine for luxury real estate, architecture and design, and organiser of the decade-­old Asia Property Awards series – the Property Report Congress will held for the first time on Wednesday, 21 October 2015, and is set to become one of the most high­profile gatherings in Asian real estate.

The keynote, ‘How to Make Green Development Pay’ will be presented by
Mark L. Clifford, executive director of Asia Business Council. Clifford was previously editor­in­chief of the S​outh China Morning Post,​publisher and editor­in­chief of T​he Standard​and regional editor of B​usinessWeek.​His most recent book, ‘The Greening of Asia: The Business Case for Solving Asia’s Environmental Emergency’, was described as a clear-headed argument that markets and greenery can go together, by The Economist.

“Green buildings are one of the cheapest, easiest and most important ways we have of saving energy,” said Clifford of his upcoming keynote. “Buildings account for up to half of total energy consumption; new technologies and improved management mean that efficiency often is the most cost­effective way to save money and save energy.”

‘The Outlook for Asian Real Estate in 2016’ will be presented by Nicholas Holt, Asia Pacific head of research at Knight Frank. His expertise, which extends across the United Kingdom, Mainland China, Europe, and APAC, includes tracking market performance, producing specialist research reports and providing regional commentary on property markets.

The highlight for many will be the Leaders Forum, featuring Asia Property Awards’ Real Estate Personality of the Year Winners past and present, including Ramon D. Rufino, executive vice­president of The Net Group; Candra Ciputra, CEO of PT Ciputra Adigraha; Dr. Stephen Suen, CEO of Marga Group; Tipaporn Chearavanont, CEO of Magnolia Quality Development Corporation, and other big names from Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam – who have yet to be announced, because they will be this year’s Winners at their respective awards.

In addition, country­focused opportunity sessions will be hosted by the nine leaders of the Asia Property Awards Judges Panels – Simon Griffiths (Cambodia), Ivan Ko (China), Hendra Hartono (Indonesia), David Aboud (Malaysia), Richard Emerson (Myanmar), Cyndy Tan Jarabata (Philippines), Sunchai Nuengsit (Thailand), Mink Tan (Singapore) and Rudolf Hever (Vietnam).

The one­day congress is scheduled to take place from 09:00 to 17:00 at the Shangri­La Hotel Singapore. It will be immediately followed by the black­tie gala dinner and awards presentation ceremony of the fifth annual S​outh East Asia Property Awards 2015,​which seed the winners from each of the region’s domestic Awards come together to compete at the coveted grand finale.

“So much has happened over the last decade since the establishment of the Asia Property Awards programme in 2006,” said Terry Blackburn, CEO of Ensign Media. “Back then, nearly a decade had already passed since the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, but the Southeast Asian economy as a whole was still recovering from the crash that significantly impacted the region’s real estate sector.

“Since then Southeast Asian markets have become some of the world’s most desirable property investment destinations, especially in the luxury residential, office, resort and second­home segments.”

In recent years, the region’s ever­evolving capital cities, including Bangkok, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, and Jakarta – which topped the prime residential investment rankings for two years in a row, per Knight Frank – have also welcomed the growth of their ASEAN neighbours, the ‘new frontiers’ Cambodia and Myanmar, where innovative developments and competitive yields have become magnets for Asian cross­border investments. Meanwhile, cities like Ho Chi Minh City, which experienced a slump at the turn of the decade and is now undergoing regeneration, are now witnessing a market revival.

“The Property Report Congress can provide an important platform for the region’s industry leaders to continue this growth trend for many years and share best practices amongst peers, as well as exchange views on the most significant changes in the sector, such as the implementation of cooling measures in certain top­tier markets, or the recently enforced easing of foreign ownership regulations and visa restrictions in Vietnam,” Blackburn added.

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