Property experts from four different continents will gather at the University of the Sunshine Coast when it hosts the Pacific Rim Real Estate Society (PRRES) annual conference for the first time from 17-20 January.

The conference, now in its 22nd year, will bring together about 100 property researchers, educators and practitioners from across Asia and the Pacific, as well as from countries like the Netherlands, Sweden, South Africa, Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
 
The PRRES conference, which recently has been held in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Wellington, aims to advance understanding of the real estate industry in the Pacific region.

USC Pro-Vice Chancellor (Engagement) Professor Mike Hefferan said it was an opportune time for USC to host this conference as the Sunshine Coast’s property market was undergoing a period of rapid change and development.

“It’s a major triumph for both the University and the Sunshine Coast as a region to be hosting an event of this calibre,” Professor Hefferan said.

“In planning the 2016 event, we set out with a goal of closing the gap between theory and practice in this area. Delegates from 41 different institutions will be present at the conference and we wanted to create a program that would keep them at the forefront of the sector.”

Professor Hefferan said sustainability in the real estate sector would be a major focus, with a special panel on the topic chaired by the International Real Estate Society president Professor David Parker on the first day of the conference.

There will be a full-day PhD colloquium on 17 January, featuring a wide range of international researchers, followed by a program of panel discussions, industry talks and academic presentations.

Delegates will also take part in a field trip to the planned housing developments of Oceanside at Kawana and SunCentral at Maroochydore, as well as the Sunshine Coast University Hospital on 18 January.

An official opening ceremony will be held at 8.30am on Monday 18 January with a welcome from USC’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Greg Hill.

The 2016 PRRES Conference has received support and sponsorship from Sunshine Coast Council and Stockland. More information and the full program is available at www.prres2016.net

— Gen Kennedy