2017 Global Asset & Investment Opportunities Forum

The sold-out forum featured educational workshops and panels, as well as international networking opportunities at the Jing’An Shangri-La in West Shanghai. 

More than 400 industry professionals, including U.S.-based project developers, Chinese institutional investors, and family offices, attended the 2017 Shanghai Global Asset & Investment Opportunities Forum on Nov. 8-9.

The successful two-day event, with the support of sponsors from across the industry, was held at the exclusive Jing-An Shangri-La. The forum marked the release of the second issue of The China Investor magazine.

A VIP cocktail reception kicked off the event, followed by a full day of educational panels moderated by distinguished industry professionals who shared insight about key trends in the real estate investment industry, tax strategies, and global investment trends. Featured panels included topics such as:

• Asset classes: Hotel, Multi-Family, Mixed Use, Student Housing and Senior Housing. Attendees learned about new niche asset classes, like student housing, which has shown its potential to retain its value even in an economic recession. The panel also discussed how to handle the potential downturn in the hotel market and how to still find value in that asset class.
• Commercial Real Estate Portfolio Valuation Strategies. Panelists acknowledged the risks of overpaying for an asset class, talking about how to stay away from the “bright and shiny” products. The panelists discussed the benefits of performing strict due diligence to ensure the portfolio can perform at its highest capacity.
• Fund Structure – A Strategic Tool for 2018. Panelists taught industry members the value of creating highly flexible fund structures that can react and adapt effectively to unexpected economic situations.
• Global Investment Trends: A Look at 2018. Again, this panel discussed the possibilities of a downturn in the real estate market, but in greater detail. Panelists discussed an amalgam of strategies for creating backups in the case of a downturn.

Panelists included various leaders in the industry, such as:

• Scott Barrack | Colony NorthStar
• Jianing Huang | Fosun
• Grant King | Relevant Group
• David Long | Grand China Fund
• Donna Preiss | The Preiss Company
• James Shepherd | Cushman & Wakefield

In addition to these in-depth learning opportunities, attendees also had the opportunity to build connections in a private, curated environment during scheduled breaks, including the private cocktail reception. The China Investor also introduced its exclusive new service: Capital Connections Meetings, one-on-one discussions between companies and vetted investors with the goal to facilitate overseas partnerships.

Panelist Peter Zhang of CEFC Hong Kong Financial Investment Co. praised the forum for strengthening ties between industry stakeholders and create new opportunities for expansion.
“The Global Asset & Investment Opportunities Forum provided a great platform for Chinese institutional investors seeking outbound investment opportunities,” he said. “The speeches given by the panelists gave us the most up-to-date market information, which is vital for those making outbound investment decisions.”

Panelist Jason Zhang of Cushman & Wakefield said the event offered invaluable access to Chinese and international stakeholders from a myriad of countries.

“The annual event hosted by The China Investor is like Thanksgiving,” he said. “Where members of the ever-growing China cross-border investment community come home and share their experiences and knowledge. I always look forward to it every year.”

Lidy Li of Canaan Capital agreed.

“It was a great pleasure to be invited to this forum, where I shared my experiences of Chinese corporations investing outside of China,” she said. “We met a lot of groups like us, as well as foreign project developers and other service providers. The event was really helpful, as it provided a great networking opportunity for Chinese corporations, who could shake hands with capital partners based in the United States and, in turn, helped overseas service providers build relationships in China.”

Don’t miss the next networking opportunity from The China Investor! Keep your calendars open in May 2018 for the next educational forum, which will be hosted at the Rosewood Beijing.