Conference program - building Poland's future

Wednesday 18^th May 2005

19:00

Opening Gala Party - BOATHOUSE restaurant

Thursday 19^th May 2005

7:30

Business breakfast at Sheraton Hotel

9:00 - 9:20

Keynote speech

9:30 - 10:30
How will the face of retail be changing tomorrow

With one major shopping center left to go in Warsaw’s retail boom, it’s already emerging who the winners are and who’s in trouble. This year’s retail discussion will concentrate on what’s left to do in Warsaw and how existing shopping malls are adapting to the new landscape. Which strategies are working, and which aren’t? What sort of results are leisure upgrades to malls actually having? We’ll also consider the situation in Poland’s primary regional cities, looking at how much retail they can reasonably be expected to absorb. Will new brands arriving in Poland help to fill them?

10:30

Coffee break

10:50 - 11:50
Can Poland get its logistics and transport network connected?

The landscape of Poland’s industrial sector is changing quickly. Warsaw is falling out of favor with the traditional logistics companies and light manufacturers. Land prices are too high, and distributors are realizing that the city is not the best location to run operations from. Cities like Poznan, Wroclaw and the southern Silesia region are poised to see an explosion of building activity. Additionally, planned motorways are starting to have an impact on development, with the Lodz/Piotrkow axis.

11:50 - 13:40

Buffet lunch at the Sheraton Hotel

13:40 -14:40
Is the office market hotting up?

Suburban rent levels in Warsaw have hardened considerably thanks to low vacancy levels, but the center of town remains problematic. With a gush of supply due beginning next year, brokers are cautiously optimistic that the supply is there. Fortunately, there’s a growing appetite for office space in the regional cities, but inexperienced developers there are making it rough going in some cases. The discussion will center on rental expectations for Warsaw, planning difficulties developers are facing, the depth of the regional market and how Poland can best take advantage of the current trend towards offshoring.

14:40

Coffee break

15:10 - 16:10
Strong deals or candle in the wind?

Poland has been on the short-end of the stick from the point of view of major European institutions. While there certainly have been transactions they’ve been taking place under a cloud of suspicion concerning office rental levels in Warsaw and uncertainty about Poland’s economic future. This is now changing for the better, as 2005 is looking like a strong year for acquisitions across the board. Discussion will focus on which sectors offer the best opportunities, the shifting structure of possible investors, the future of yield compression and the impact of new domestic funds entering the scene.