Highlighted Events
The MIT Center for Real Estate regularly hosts, produces, and links to a wealth of special events that extend the Center's programs and strengthen our relationships with members of our community. The Highlighted Events below are regular features and special events that bring special value — keeping our members up-to-date on issues and trends in real estate. Watch our events pages during the coming months for new opportunities to learn, network, and participate!
Graduation Weekend
One of the high points of the year at MIT/CRE, this weekend event includes graduate receptions and alumni reunions, and also research talks, thesis presentations, and panel discussions from distinguished faculty and practitioners. The September 2007 graduation weekend Commencement Address was presented by legendary NCREIF founder and CEO Blake Eagle.
Partner Meetings
This annual event brings together MIT/CRE partners from around the globe to network and to discuss important issues in real estate. Our April 2006 annual meeting focused on energy with the theme “Powering the Future: Energy and Its Impact on the Built Environment.” The 2-day event explored the impact of energy challenges on the real estate industry.
FIRE Events
Our Forums on Issues & Innovations in Real Estate series engages real estate professionals worldwide on issues of pressing interest. Topics have included capital markets, investment vehicles, and trends in global development. The October 2006 FIRE event brought academic and industry experts together in Berlin to discuss the current state of real estate and its potential role for inclusion in the family office portfolio.
Real Deals
Almost as old as the Center itself, the Real Deals series provides a forum for students, researchers, and industry professionals to consider the inner workings of actual real estate transactions. Real Deals presentations in the Fall of 2006 included the rebuilding of New Orleans (9/29), and alum David Marvin’s Embassy Suites project in Atlanta (10/27). Presentations during the Winter of 2007 will include Tony Green of The Pinehills (2/8) and Samuels and Associates’ Trilogy Project in Boston's Fenway (2/9).
Housing Affordability Conference
An annual event inaugurated in 2005, this MIT/CRE conference considers the serious housing affordability issues in the Boston area, and presents research findings. Our 2006 conference focused on the housing affordability index, which considers rental and owner-occupied units in the Boston metropolitan area, as well as new measures for quality of life. Participants exchanged ideas on a variety of topics, including the Center's new work on Chapter 40B, suburban land use, and key worker housing. The index is currently poised for expansion to include other parts of New England.
Open House / Information Sessions
MIT/CRE routinely invites potential candidates for our Master of Science in Real Estate Development (MSRED) “into our living room" to informally share what the Center offers. Our internationally-held open houses and information sessions let interested people from around the globe learn more about MIT/CRE programs.
Bursting with Real Estate
MIT/CRE invites real estate professionals from around the U.S. to speak candidly about their career paths and their companies in a day of presentations and discussions. Many Harvard GSD and MIT graduates have participated in career panels, and our most recent event featured three career panels open to all Harvard GSD, Kennedy School, and MIT Center for Real Estate, Urban Studies and Planning, and Sloan students. The panels were followed by small group discussions. There were opportunities to network with speakers throughout this event.
ULI Trek
MIT/CRE routinely participates in the Urban Land Institute's worldwide conferences – most recently at the October 2006 conference in Denver, Colorado. Speakers included Robert Redford, Jim Collins, Bill Emmott, Donna Shalala, and General Colin Powell.
