The forty-sixth yearly SA Property Owners’ Association (SAPOA) Convention and Property Exhibition, themed Making a difference, will take place at the Cape Town International Conference Centre from June 10 to 12.

Proceedings will be started by master of ceremonies and political analyst, broadcaster, lecturer and writer Eusebius McKaiser, who has an academic background in moral philosophy – including a stint as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, in the UK.

“Part of making a difference is ensuring that the convention provides something new for everyone who attends,” says SAPOA CEO Neil Gopal.

The first day of presentations and panel sessions will focus on political lessons for property and on Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) as a local and international investment vehicle.

A hard-hitting session, titled Lessons for SA from the Soviet Union on the Savagery of Socialism, by former economics adviser to Russian President Mikhail GorbachevYuri Maltsev will be followed by the five-year review of respected scenario strategist Clem Sunter.

The two will then participate in a panel discussion about the next half decade.

Further, experts will provide insight into REITs to cater for delegates wanting more information on these trusts, which will include contributions from listed property fund Acucap nonexecutive director Professor Brian Kantor, as well as Momentum Asset Management fund manager and head of property Nesi Chetty and Investec Property Group CEO Sam Leon.

Economics will be addressed on the second day, with asset manager STANLIB chief economist Kevin Lings and the University of Pretoria’s Douw Boshoff analysing the property sector in South Africa.

They will be joined by Standard Bank Research senior researcher Simon Freemantle for a lively discussion on property in the South African economy.

A highly controversial issue in South African property – municipal rates and taxes – will be discussed in the afternoon.

The two-day programme will conclude with a look at the real estate landscape in 2020 – a global long view of the retail sector presented by Luxumbourg-based PwC global real estate leader and partner Kees Hage.

Yearly highlights of the convention include the SAPOA Property Journalism Awards 2014 and the SAPOA Innovative Excellence Awards, which spotlight exceptional contributions to property journalism and property development.

SAPOA is a member-driven organisation, formed to promote the collective interests of its members, as well as the commercial and industrial property sector as a whole. The convention is a key part of its yearly programme of networking and professional development.

“SAPOA was founded in 1966, with 20 members, and has grown to 1 200 members of the industry’s most powerful property owners, investors, lenders, developers and service providers and the SAPOA convention is our premier gathering for these leaders,” says Gopal.