High number of developers to attend 22nd NREC

KUALA LUMPUR: Nearly 80% of those who had signed up for the 22nd National Real Estate Convention (NREC) to be held on April 18 at the Sime Darby Convention Centre are property developers, said organising chairman Lim Lian Hong.

“Developers are now very hungry for information,” Lim said at a press conference yesterday.

“They want to know where is the next direction for the property sector, what to do next, so they are coming in numbers to the convention,” he added. The target number of participants is about 200 and so far there are already 150.

The convention is jointly organised by the Association of Valuers, Property Managers, Estate Agents and Property Consultants in the Private Sector Malaysia (PEPS) and The Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia (RISM).

The convention’s theme this year is “Transforming the Economy through Real Estate” and several prominent industry players will speak. One highlighted topic is the issue of the middle-income group and rising property prices from Dr Yeah Kim Leng, group chief economist of RAM Holdings Bhd.

“Yeah’s paper will be an interesting one because it will affect all of us,” said Choy Yue Kwong, president of PEPS.

Also at the press conference was Datuk Mani Usilappan, retired director-general of the Valuation & Property Services Department, Ministry of Finance, who explained how past conventions have helped create a greater awareness of real estate issues on a national level.

Mani will also be presenting a paper on property management, which is more than just maintenance, he said, and how different strategies are required from strategic, corporate and operational levels to ensure that property values are maintained or increase.

One of the convention’s objectives is to elevate the property sector as an important engine of growth like in the 70s and 80s. As a result, the topics are to address current issues with the hope that some relevant proposals can be considered at the national level.

The conference features keynote speaker, chairman of Rahim&Co Chartered Surveyors Sdn Bhd Datuk Abdul Rahim Rahman, while other speakers include CB Richard Ellis Malaysia executive chairman Christopher Boyd on commercial properties; Arkitek Daya Seni Sdn Bhd principal architect Chan Seong Aun on Green Building Index certification, 1MDB Real Estate Sdn Bhd senior vice-president for commercial management Saleha Yusoff on the challenges and impact of the Kuala Lumpur International Financial District project; Johor Premium Outlets general manager Jean Marie Pin Harry on the impact of an iconic project to the economy; and Iskandar Regional Development Authority CEO Ismail Ibrahim on the Iskandar region.


This article appeared on the Property page, The Edge Financial Daily, March 16, 2012.