By Julie Medley, Executive Director, ULI SE Florida/Caribbean

Five hundred top real estate practitioners from across Florida convened on June 4-5 at the Sawgrass Marriott in Ponta Vedra Beach for two days of discussion and networking around the 2015 ULI Florida Summit’s theme: “Connect. Compete. Capitalize.” ULI Florida’s 4th annual Summit proved to be the best attended and most successful yet. The annual Summit  is a collaborative effort of the five Florida District Councils and is hosted at locations around the state to insure that all five DCs have the opportunity to highlight their best projects and boost membership growth through the annual event. ULI North Florida hosted this year’s conference, which attracted record crowds.

The Opening Session was launched by Global Futurist Jack Uldrich who presented 12 trends set to transform Florida’s – and the world’s – economy. Two days packed with content on the latest trends and case studies included 10 concurrent sessions on topics ranging from hospitality, resiliency, and technology to automated vehicles. Always a hot topic in Florida, a lively breakfast panel of experts currently working in Cuba brought insight about the island nation’s real estate opportunities and current political landscape.

Real Estate icons Peter Rummell of Rummel Munz Partners and Sydney Kitson of Kitson & Partners were joined by RCLCO’s Managing Director Gregg Logan to explore the changing dynamics of 21st century master planned communities and navigating new metrics. The 2015 Summit closed over lunch with four rising stars of real estate investment who discussed how they are making future sector bets and what they envision for the future of real estate investment in Florida.

Growing in number to five separate councils, the Florida Product Councils (FPC) also met just before the Summit convened. FPC members met collectively over cocktails and individually the next day with agendas exploring the latest developments and news on each of their market segments. FPC membership has grown to well over 100 members statewide who meet twice a year, with one meeting always held in conjunction with the Florida Summit.