On 16th June 2009 (12:00 to 20:00hrs) the British Property Federation(BPF) annual conference, Turning Points, will be held at the QEII Conference Centre in Westminster, London.

From recession...
This year’s conference will examine the turning points in the global recession and its impact on the UK property industry. Our session speakers and panelists will look at what went wrong and how we will put it right.

...to recovery
How would a Conservative government have handled the global recession? How long will it be until normal lending levels are restored? Where is the smart money being invested? Should planning rules be relaxed to make development easier?

Event programme

12.00 to 14:00
Pre-conference lunch
Sponsored by Frogmore Property Company

Welcome: Francis Salway, President, BPF

A party political perspective
After lunch address by: the Rt Hon Michael Portillo

What lessons should have been learned from previous recessions? Is the Labour government a busted flush? How would a Conservative government do things differently?

14:00 to 17:40
The conference sessions

Facilitator: Sarah Montague, Journalist and Presenter, BBC Radio 4’s Today programme

14.00 to 15.00
Credit and debt regulation – where’s the money gone?

What is going to happen to the availability of credit in the long term? What steps need to be taken to get banks lending again? How has the growth of regulation affected the industry? Our two session speakers will provide the answers.

Speaker: Lord Myners, Financial Services Secretary to HM Treasury
Speaker: Stephen Hester, Chief Executive, Royal Bank of Scotland Group

15:00 to 16:00
Investing for the future

Where should fund managers be looking to secure a good return on their investment? What is the outlook for equity under the new regime? Our expert panel will recount their experiences and give their opinion.

Panel session chaired by: Nick Ritblat, former BPF President
Panellist: Rupert Clarke, Chief Executive, Hermes Group
Panellist: Robert Parker, Vice Chairman of Asset Management, Credit Suisse

16:00 to 16:20
Tea and coffee

16:20 to 17:20
How can we kick start development?

These are difficult times, but even so, some development is still going on. What challenges do developers face to get their projects completed? What needs to be done to kick-start development?

Speaker: Sir Simon Milton, Deputy Mayor of London for Policy and Planning
Panellist: Peter Freeman, Founder Argent Group
Panellist: Robert Tincknell, Managing Director, Treasury Holdings UK

17:20 to 17:40
Closing remarks

Speaker: Francis Salway, President, BPF
Speaker: Liz Peace, Chief Executive, BPF

17:40 to 18:30
Post-conference drinks reception

Tickets cost £300 + vat for members and £400 + vat for non members of the BPF (the price includes lunch, the conference sessions and a post-conference drinks reception).

If you would like to sponsor or exhibit at the event, or wish to register your interest in attending, please contact Alex Williamson on 020 7802 0360 or awilliamson@bpf.org.uk.