The New England chapters of CRE and CoreNet once again teamed up for a joint event on June 19th. The program was a panel presentation spotlighting the Longwood Medical Area/Fenway. Over 100 CoreNet and CRE chapter members attended this event at the Landmark Center. The speakers included moderator David Epstein, president of The Abbey Group; panelists Marilyn Swartz-Lloyd, president of MASCO; Eric Buehrens, COO of Beth Israel; Peter Farnum, principal of Fallon Hines and O'Connor and Kathryn West, vice president of real estate and facilities of Partners HealthCare Systems, Inc. A fascinating review of the past and current development trends were discussed including the forthcoming changes driven by the space needs of the medical industry in this immediate area. There has been nearly $3 billion in investment and development in this immediate area.
The panel discussed the transportation access, LEED certification, the research and lab dynamics, hospital and school challenges and the impact on the development in the surrounding area. Boston received more NHA money than anywhere else in the U.S. and Longwood receives more money per district than anywhere in the U.S. The panel discussed their hospital real estate needs in this area and the current and future employment of workers. A slide show was incorporated in the presentation. The attendance included CREs, CoreNet members, brokers, corporate real estate directors, owners and developers (See photos on page 21).

The New England chapter of CRE will hold a members-only lunch event at noon on September 8th with CRE John Leary at Hunneman Commercial's offices, 303 Congress St., Boston. Leary will make a presentation entitled "Invitation Process Open Forum." This event is a national effort initiated by the CRE National Invitation Advisory Committee and the Chapter Activities Committee to educate CRE members about how prospective CRE members are administrated through the CRE qualifications. The goal of the committee is to present the program to all CRE chapters prior to the annual meeting in Boston this fall.
This session is a must-attend session. If you have ever wondered:
*How the Invitation Committee works.
*Wanted to sponsor a prospective member but weren't sure what happens behind closed doors.
*Curious on how candidates are evaluated.
*Sponsored an individual for CRE who was not invited but did not know why.
*Or just want straight answers about the process,
Then this is the event for you. Leary's presentation will include an hour of material mixed with Q&A that should be missed. This luncheon event is scheduled for noon at the offices of NAI Hunneman Commercial More information will be emailed during the month of August. The chapter would like to thank Emmet Logue for volunteering the location.

The National CRE Convention will be held this fall in Boston from October 31st - November 3rd at The Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel in the BackBay. Finishing touches are being applied and the chapter should be well represented. The convention is entitled "The Revolution In Real Estate. Will it be a Tea Party or a Massacre?" Friday, October 31st will be the opening day of the convention with a "Welcome to Boston" city tour in the afternoon. The Invitation Advisory, Chapter Activity and Ethics Committees will meet as well. Then the New Members Welcome Reception and the General Welcome Reception will follow.
On Saturday, November 1st, the Open Forum and General Sessions will be held in the morning with the Business Issues Forums held in the afternoon related to Corporate RE, Sustainability, Litigation Services, Capital Markets and Public/Private Partnerships. Sunday, November 2nd will have morning Real Estate Roundtables and two more general sessions. A Boston development tour will be held in the afternoon. November 3rd closes out the convention with the annual membership meeting and board of directors meeting.
Our chapter wants to make a strong presence at the convention as the host chapter so please consider registering at www. cre.org.

Robert Nahigian, FRICS, CRE, is the 2008 CRE chapter president, and is the president of Auburndale Realty Co., Newton, Mass.