It is an exciting time in Milwaukee, especially for the commercial real estate industry.
Downtown has boomed in recent years with several new apartment buildings, hotels, the Northwestern Mutual Tower & Commons, Fiserv Forum, the BMO Tower, the conversion of a historic movie theater into a new performance hall for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the redevelopment of the Shops of Grand Avenue and many other recent or ongoing projects.
The suburbs have also been active with major projects in recent years including Drexel Town Square in Oak Creek, 84South in Greenfield, major changes at Brookfield Square Mall and at Bayshore Town Center in Glendale, The Corridor in Brookfield, The Corners of Brookfield and many others.
In addition, the eyes of the nation seem to be on Milwaukee more than ever. The Democratic National Convention next year will bring unprecedented attention to the city. And two of the nation’s biggest sports stars, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Christian Yelich, have led the Bucks and the Brewers deep in the NBA and Major League Baseball playoffs, bringing even more new excitement and exposure to Milwaukee.
Milwaukee has arrived, or so it seems. But now what? Even with all of this excitement, there are still significant challenges for the community and problems to solve. Can Milwaukee take advantage of this momentum and the spotlight it will be in during the 2020 DNC?
The 17th annual BizTimes Media Commercial Real Estate and Development Conference will examine where the industry stands at this dynamic time in Milwaukee’s history, and what challenges need to be overcome to create more prosperity in the region. The event will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 15, at the Italian Community Center in Milwaukee.
It will begin with a keynote presentation by innovation futurist Michael Perman. He helps large and small organizations to perceive emerging innovation waves and develop strategies to benefit from early foresights and insights. Perman has worked with several major brands during his career including Nike, Adidas, Williams-Sonoma, Levi’s, Gap, Starbucks, Del Monte, General Mills, Google and Hyatt Hotels.
A Milwaukee native, Perman will talk about the future of experience design. In the next 5-10 years, we will see changes in consumer expectations and cravings for new experiences in their spaces for living, learning, working and playing. These emerging changes may influence the physical design, services, value propositions and modes of transactions that are relevant to real estate developers and associated business.
Perman will first share his perspectives on how we can train our minds to perceive what is coming over the horizon. Then, he will share foresight and emerging innovation waves that may appeal to future participants in new spaces based on changes in culture, lifestyle, technology and design.
Following Perman’s talk, there will be a panel discussion with prominent local real estate professionals who will talk about the opportunities for economic growth in metro Milwaukee, as well as the significant challenges facing the region and how it will all impact the commercial real estate development in the area. The panelists will include:
- Kalan Haywood Sr., president of Haywood Group LLC
- Juli Kaufmann, president of Fix Development
- Steve Palec, chief marketing officer of Irgens
- Blair Williams, president of WiRED Properties
The panel discussion will be moderated by Andy Hunt, director of the Marquette University Center for Real Estate.
The BizTimes Media Commercial Real Estate and Development Conference is sponsored by CliftonLarsonAllen, Husch Blackwell and Wintrust. Exhibit sponsors are Acoustech Supply Inc. and Innovative Signs. Event partners are Marquette University and the Commercial Association of Realtors Wisconsin (CARW).
Click here to register for the event.
