Students Attend ULI Fall 2006 Meeting in Denver
On October 17th, Program in Real Estate students traveled to Denver, Colorado, to attend the Urban Land Institute’s annual four day Fall Meeting, which was attended by over 6,000 industry leader-members. The Program in Real Estate was able to promote and assist student attendance by covering conference registration fees, meals, and travel assistance thanks to generous support from Council and Advisory Board members. Those who took advantage of this opportunity had a great time and experienced first hand the energy and excitement of ULI.
Jason Moore, a first year student, particularly enjoyed hearing Jim Collins, author of Good to Great. “When I was a manager at Cargill, the whole management team studied Good to Great, and were challenged to implement many of its principles on the job, said Moore, adding, “Collins is very motivating, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to see him in person.”
A myriad of panel sessions dealing with current issues and opportunities in real estate were available throughout the conference, and student attendees were free to choose sessions that most interested them.
Second-year student Lela Borrero attended a session on “Delivering Mixed-Use: Place Making and Town Centers”. “I really enjoyed having access to these major developers. They spoke so candidly about lessons learned from past mistakes and current efforts to deliver better mixed-use developments that are more environmentally and socially conscious.”
The more than 6,000 ULI members in attendance, included leading executives, policy makers, architects, lawyers, professors, government officials, and graduate students in real estate. The conference provided many opportunities for students to interact with attendees on an individual basis and included several sessions particularly aimed at student members.
“If you are considering a career in real estate, you absolutely must consider becoming a member of ULI and attending the organization’s annual Fall Meeting,” said first year student Karen Travis. She added, “Not only will you glean powerful information about real estate trends, but you will also get a chance to meet key executives in all areas of real estate, ranging from development to capital markets, who are ready and willing to share their experiences in honest and open exchanges of ideas with their fellow members. This kind of dialogue is priceless to those of us preparing to enter the business!” Former Program in Real Estate Director and long-time industry executive Brad Olson agrees—“If I could do one thing different in my 30+ year career, it would be to join and work very closely with ULI from day one!”
The Urban Land Institute is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit research and education organization supported by its members. The mission of the Urban Land Institute is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide.
Founded in 1936, ULI’s more than 30,000 worldwide members worldwide represent the entire spectrum of land use and real estate development disciplines, working in private enterprise and public service.
As the preeminent, multidisciplinary real estate forum, ULI facilitates the open exchange of ideas, information and experience among local, national and international industry leaders and policy makers dedicated to creating better places. Members say that ULI is a trusted idea place where leaders come to grow professionally and personally through sharing, mentoring, and problem solving.