WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2025 Wisconsin Club | Milwaukee, Wis.
THE FUTURE OF GREAT LAKES REAL ESTATE: Data centers, fresh water, and climate
The Vieth Institute for Real Estate Leadership's 14th annual Real Estate Strategies Conference explores the opportunities available to us in the Midwest as the envy of the country when it comes to effects of climate and the abundance of access to freshwater.
With the rise of AI, the region also stands to win as more data centers and related jobs flock to our resources.
But the path to serious growth is still uncertain.
Keynote – “The Future of Great Lakes Real Estate - Lessons Learned from the world's largest industrial real estate owner”
Jonathan Rudersdorf, President of the Central Region, Prologis
As the global leader in logistics real estate, Prologis continues to lead the nation when it comes to innovation around industrial real estate. From sustainable building methods to generating unparalleled levels of power for buildings through renewable sources to a unique focus on cutting-edge ventures, Prologis continues to be watched closely by industry experts across the world. With more than 100 million SF of industrial space owned in the Great Lakes region, they're especially important to watch as our region grows in the future.
Student Speakers
Jimena Perez Freshman, real estate & finance Topic: the real estate student experience
Charlie Clark Sophomore, real estate & AIM Topic: AI real estate sentiment index project
Panel – "The Future of Great Lakes Real Estate: data centers, water and climate"
2024 - Redefining Real Estate: The Interdisciplinary Approach to Real Estate Challenges
The Vieth Institute for Real Estate Leadership’s 13th annual Real Estate Strategies Conference was held on May 1st, 2024, focused on the theme “Redefining Real Estate: The Interdisciplinary Approach to Real Estate Challenges.” With nearly 500 people in attendance, this conference explored the unique and groundbreaking strategies used by leading figures across various sectors of the industry, including investment, development, law, and construction. This conference also announced the launch of the Vieth Institute for Real Estate Leadership, made possible by a remarkably generous gift from alumni couple Perry and Sheila Vieth.
The Center for Real Estate’s 12th annual Real Estate Strategies Conference was held on May 3, 2023, focusing on the theme, "We're Building It, Will They Come?" Nearly 300 people in attendance enjoyed discussions exploring how commercial real estate can drive population growth and position Midwest cities to win. From adaptive reuse to transit-oriented development and public-private partnerships to community engagement and cultural amenities, conference speakers discussed strategies and real-world examples that could help create a more vibrant and inclusive Milwaukee, and how real estate professionals could be part of driving population growth in the city and region.
The Center for Real Estate’s 11th annual Real Estate Strategies Conference focused on the investment strategies, building techniques, and recruiting trends that are changing the game in commercial real estate. Back and in-person for the first time since 2019, the event brought together hundreds of professionals to hear from keynote Spencer Burton, panels focused on Mass Timber and Talent Recruitment, and speakers including Tom Zale of Northwestern Mutual, CRE Vieth Director Andy Hunt discussing real estate and the metaverse, and student Annie McDonough highlighting REAP and our championship case competition teams.
2021 - Sports, Entertainment and Real Estate Development
The 10th annual Marquette University Real Estate Strategies Conference was held virtually on Thursday, April 22, 2021. More than 425 people joined to learn about this year’s theme, “Sports, Entertainment and Real Estate Development.” Held in partnership with the National Sports Law Institute of the Marquette University Law School, the event featured keynote speakers and panelists from around the sports world discussing how they think differently about investing in and developing around their main venues, and how these developments impact their greater communities.
2020 - CEO Insights with CBRE Global CEO Bob Sulentic, Diversity in Real Estate: Success Stories for Company Leaders, and 2020 Retrospective Survey Analysis
The ninth annual Marquette University Real Estate Strategies Conference was converted to a three-part series and held during September, October and November 2020. More than 700 people attended the series, which focused on three themes – CEO Insights with CBRE Global CEO Bob Sulentic, Diversity in Real Estate: Success Stories for Company Leaders, and the 2020 Retrospective Survey analysis looking at the top 10 trends of the last decade and the next.
The eighth annual Marquette University Real Estate Strategies Conference was held on Thursday, September 12, 2019. More than 350 people were in attendance to explore the theme, “The Future of the Workplace.” The day kicked off with a riveting panel exploring ideas around how workplaces are changing, the best workplace setup to support productivity, how co-working is growing and what that means for how people work, how investors should think about both amenities and services that are offered through their properties, and how buildings are being developed to help with the future of the workplace.
2018 - Autonomous Vehicles and their Impact on Commercial Real Estate
Attendees at the 2018 Real Estate Strategies Conference heard a comprehensive presentation from Deloitte about the future of mobility and a talk from Lubar Center Fellow John Johnson about changing Milwaukee demographics.
2017 - The Evolution of the City as a Place of Innovation and Efficiency
Keynote speaker Edward Glaeser is the Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University. He teaches microeconomics theory and urban and public economics. His work has focused on the determinants of city growth and the role of cities as centers of idea transmission. Dr. Glaeser is the author of "Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier."
2016 - Chasing Yield: Trends That Will Shape Commercial Real Estate Markets
Our 2016 Strategies Conference, Chasing Yield: Trends that Will Shape the Commercial Real Estate Market presented by BMO Harris Bank and CBRE National Retail Investment Group, saw record attendance of over 350 guests. Keynote speaker Robert M. White, Real Capital Analytics set the tone early with a statistical analysis of global transaction activity including a lookback through several economic cycles.
Dr. Mark Eppli, Robert B. Bell, Sr., Chair in Real Estate joined Mr. White on stage to go Beyond the Data for an in-depth discussion on how the data is impacting the industry.
2015 - Changing Demographics
The fourth annual Real Estate Strategies Conference was held on September 10, 2015, and focused on the themes of changing demographics and the effect that innovation and technology have on industrial spaces.
Dr. Mark Eppli, Bell Chair in Real Estate at Marquette University delivered his forecast on the changing economic landscape and its impact on commercial real estate.
On September 11, 2014, the Center for Real Estate at Marquette University hosted the third annual Real Estate Strategies Conference. The half day conference focused on the theme, “Managing the Horizon.”
Keynote speaker Dr. Mark Eppli, Interim James H. Keyes Dean and Bell Chair in Real Estate, gave his economic forecast presentation, focusing on the changing economic landscape and its impact on commercial real estate.
More than 300 attendees joined us on September 12, 2013
Keynote speaker Jack Durburg, Global President of Transaction Services for CBRE,focused on the changing trends he sees across the office, industrial, retail, and investment sales transaction markets.
On September 6, 2012, Marquette University's Center for Real Estate held the inaugural Real Estate Strategies conference. The half-day conference focused on, “Long Term Investing in a Short Term Market Environment.” Keynote speaker Thomas McDonald, former Chief Strategic Officer at Equity International, spoke about the importance of strategic long- and short-term thinking in commercial real estate, commercial property management, real estate investment, and how this has helped Equity International grow into a world-wide leader among investment management firms.
