SIOR is gearing up for its fall conference being held Oct 29-31 at the Toronto Fairmont Royal York Hotel. Registration is now available at www.sior.com. SIORs meet each spring and fall to increase their professionalism and enhance their business networks. The meetings include sophisticated educational programming, for which real estate continuing education credit is granted in many states, and they provide a variety of business and social opportunities. The Fairmont Royal York is a luxury hotel and is "at the center of it all" in Toronto. Air flights to Pearson International Airport are available through United Airlines and Air Canada and it is best to take advantage of the lower fares before any fall season increases. The flight is a short trip from Boston with convenient times. In October, the Toronto area averages a high of 61°f and a low of 57°f. Visitors to Toronto in October should be prepared for a variety of temperatures. Pack clothing that can be layered. On Wednesday, Oct. 28, the SIOR National elective course, Build-To-Suit Development Pro Forma will be offered to any SIOR candidate seeking the SIOR accreditation and any SIOR interested in this full day course. The program will precede the convention allowing students to then attend. The New England SIOR Chapter has annually sent its RW Holmes Scholarship Recipient to this fall course and to attend the convention and meet the SIOR New England Chapter members. Additionally, on Wednesday, The SIOR Leadership Conference is held. The Leadership Conference is designed as an orientation and planning event for the 2009/10 SIOR board of directors, chapter presidents and vice presidents, committee chairs and vice chairs, committee council members, and chapter administrative staff. Greg Klemmer will be attending as our Chapter president along with the Chapter vice president Tom Farrelly. SIOR holds the annual Leadership Conference prior to the fall world conference for the 125 decision makers and leaders of the organization. The Leadership Conference establishes organizational goals and expectations for the business year. Also for the those who have just received their SIOR designation, The Young Professionals will be hosting a series of events including an Evening Out in Toronto, and the Young Professionals and New Member Reception, sponsored by Rockefeller Group Development Corporation. The convention starts Thursday morning, Oct. 29 with committee meetings as well as various programming. The opening cocktail party is held Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. for all attendees. The Thursday afternoon education sessions include: Helping Your Clients Navigate the Globe with SIOR Panelists: Chris Cuff, SIOR, Colliers International; Jim Fink, SIOR, Colliers Halifax/Colliers International and Laurence McCabe, FRICS, FSCS, SIOR, Knight Frank. This session will feature panel discussion and presentations focused on: How to protect your existing client relationships by offering a global service; global market basics including standards for commission and referral fee calculations; overcoming barriers to making international referrals including language, currencies and time zones; market highlights from key cities around the globe. The session will also provide attendees with the opportunity to meeting internationally-based SIORs. Market specific presentations will include China, Japan, Ireland, and others. Other programs include: Construction Pricing and Development Strategies and Strategic Coach: How the Best Get Better. During Friday morning, additional committee meetings are being held with afternoon programming that includes: Tenant Representation SPB: Protecting the Tenant and the Buyer during Economic Turmoil Panelists: Michael Meyer, DLA Piper; David Upshaw, Irvine Company Online Tools to Strengthen Your Network: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter Speakers: Michael Houge, SIOR, Chief Real Estate Company; Geoffrey Kasselman, SIOR, LEED AP, Op2mize How Brokers Can Make Money from Real Estate Receiverships Speaker: Stan Mullin, SIOR, CCIM, California Real Estate Receiverships. Brokers today should be calling on lenders and their court approved receivers. This session will explain what real estate receivers do; how you find a real estate receiver; how you make money with a real estate receiver; and how receivers help brokers get business with lenders. Investment Property Marketplace Panelists: Mark Goode, SIOR, Venture One Real Estate; Charles Klatskin, SIOR, Lee & Klatskin Associates; Herb Krumsick, SIOR, JP Weigand & Sons; Roy Splansky, SIOR, Venture One Real Estate. This session will prepare you for today's and tomorrow's investment opportunities. Bring your property brochures and "haves" and "wants" to this interactive and fast-paced session. Lease Negotiations in Uncertain Times Speakers: James Hochman, Esq., Coman & Anderson LLC; Alexandra Peyton, AssureLease In times like these, landlords are concerned with the credit worthiness of potential tenants. Tenants are hesitant to give up cash, use up credit, and unsecured LOCs are increasingly difficult to come by. Landlords also have trouble finding suitable tenants and cannot be assured that even the most credit worthy tenants will be able to make payments. This session will explore a lease insurance program, AssureLease, that enables landlords and property managers to protect their assets. Attendees will understand how AssureLease is underwritten and review a proforma to show how AssureLease impacts the bottom line. Liquidity and the 2010 Commercial Real Estate Market: Connecting the Dots with Today's Global Capital Flow Speaker: Robert Nahigian, SIOR, CRE, FRICS, Auburndale Realty Co. This session is a review of the last 24-48 months of investment capital. Topics covered include: 1) How have returns on other investment options compared to real estate? 2) Is real estate the investor's true choice going into 2010? 3) What two consumer debt indices served as a "tip off" in 2008 that people missed? Hint: It's not real estate. 4) What were the tell-tale signs in January 2008 that we should have seen? 5) Are we in a recovery or are we playing with "fools gold?" 6) International liquidity influence on US commercial properties 7) Where is commercial real estate in this declining market and where is the smart money headed? On Saturday morning, the final programming includes: Closing Session: A Roadmap to Economic Recovery Speaker: Marci Rossell, PhD. The description of her program is that all financial crises follow a pattern, and the current U.S. experience is no exception. As a Federal Reserve economist, Dr. Rossell followed the Asia Crisis of 1997. As chief economist for CNBC, she explained the financial market turmoil sparked by the September 11 terrorism. And now, she continues with her groundbreaking explanation of just how we got into this mess and how we get out of it. Is this the Perfect Storm for Real Estate to Outperform? Speaker: Trey Hollingsworth, The Hollingsworth Cos. We have had at least two years of minimal supply growth; fewer novice investors in the market; have an inflationary environment and have a general underwriting of cash flows by investors. While real estate is currently underperforming and is a point of fear in the market, the combination of all of these factors could lead to an environment of higher real estate returns over the next five years. This presentation will explore both the economic and practical reasons why real estate could significantly outperform over the mid-term horizon. Marketing: What Are You Saying to People When You Are Not There? Speaker: Dean Cotlow, SIOR, CCIM, CRE, FRICS, Cotlow Company. What images are you projecting to your customers? This session will discuss what you can do to project the right image and carry that message each time a client and/or potential customer sees your message. Create a long-term brand that will assist you in getting the business by branding you, your company, and your message.