RealShare EXCLUSIVE: Series Kicks Off its First Boston Conference Next Week

Hosted by Real Estate Media, publishers of Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com, the conference begins at 7 a.m. with a welcome breakfast followed by opening remarks by Jonathan Schein, president and chief executive officer of Real Estate Media. Rich Kelley, director of the RealShare Conference Series for REM, tells GlobeSt.com that Boston was selected to host the event, one of a series of Real Share Conferences offered this year, because of the area's market activity. "When you think about what is going on in the market, plus all the real estate talent here, it was a logical choice for us to come and do a RealShare Conference in Boston," Kelley says.

Word of the upcoming conference has drawn excitement from Boston's real estate community, Kelley says. "The Boston-area market is responding emphatically and enthusiastically to RealShare Boston. Our combination of a great program and great speakers has created a lot of excitement and our attendance is rising accordingly."

"Boston will be impressed by and really enjoy the RealShare Boston experience," Schein tells GlobeSt.com. "Having looked closely at who has registered so far, if you are a player in the Boston-area market, you'll want to make sure you are at the event because all your peers and competitors will be."

Kicking off the conference as keynote speaker will be Eric Sheffels, president and chief investment officer for Leggat McCall Properties LLC, who will discuss his views on where the metro-area market stands at present and where it is going. He also will discuss how a company needs to evolve in a challenging real estate market.

Conference attendees also will get a chance to hear from a number of prominent area figures, including John Fowler, executive managing director of Holliday Fenoglio Fowler LP; Andrew Hoar, president and co-managing partner with CB Richard Ellis New England; Bill McCall, Jr., president of McCall & Almy Real Estate Advisors; and Kyle Warwick, New England regional director with Spaulding & Slye Colliers, who will form the first panel of speakers at a Town Hall panel to discuss the future challenges in New England's real estate market. Attendees also will get to choose from a variety of panel discussions on topics including tenant-in-common investing, debt and capital markets, and the outlook for the city's Downtown market.

Michael Desiato, editorial director of GlobeSt.com and group managing director of Real Estate Media, will quiz James Rappaport, vice chairman of New Boston Fund, during the popular "Inside The Real Estate Mind" when he speaks on a variety of topics ranging from his political aspirations to the interaction of the political and business constituencies in the state and how they can be more effective. The day's events will wrap up with a networking luncheon featuring focus group roundtables on subjects that include Downtown development opportunities, multifamily investment, and leasing and joint venture and equity financing.