Lichfields planner, and one of the founders of NextGen in Berkshire Caitlin Attrill, offers a view of UKREiiF in Leeds from the next generation of property professionals.
As one of the lucky young planners who were given a UKREiiF (UK Real Estate, Infrastructure and Investment Forum) ticket for the 2024 event by UKREiiF themselves, I used the four hour trip back down to the Thames Valley to reflect on the three days spent at real estate’s ‘have to be there’ event.
It’s fair to say that the ‘next gen’ of real estate sometimes forget their value in the industry. With thanks to the likes of UKREiiF, where diversity and inclusion have been visibly pivotal to the running of the event, and Lichfields, which was supportive from the outset of my attendance at the conference, the barriers between the next gen and ‘current gen’ are gradually being dismantled.
I attended as the youngest member of the Lichfields team, which was expertly led by chief executive James Fennell who was supported by colleagues from our London, Thames Valley, Bristol, Cardiff, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle offices.
The team enjoyed a client dinner on the Tuesday at the ever-popular Sous Le Nez, followed by a hugely successful Lichfields drinks event hosted at the impressive Adelphi Pub where we welcomed hundreds of guests throughout the evening.
With around 13,000 delegates at UKREiiF and thousands more attendees at fringe events, it’s fair to say I felt slightly overwhelmed when I arrived at the site on Tuesday morning. This feeling slipped away quickly after the first talk I went to, where the audience heard the president of the Royal Town Planning Institute offer insight into reforming the planning system for our economy.
I heard several other high-profile speakers over the few days who provided thought-provoking commentary on various topics, including biodiversity net gain, the housing crisis and, of course, the looming General Election, which was announced in a very timely matter on the Wednesday.
Whilst the conference provided invaluable opportunities to network and catch up with clients and co-consultants, it also gave me the platform to network with other ‘next genners’ in the industry. UKREiiF and its organisers successfully created an event where diversity and inclusion had genuinely been considered at every stage, which fostered an environment where I felt valued for the duration of the conference.
Members of the next gen of real estate were visible and active at UKREiiF – a sentiment I hope continues in years going forward.
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