The REIT Center at the NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate (scps.nyu.edu/schack) has unveiled its morning program, packed with industry heavyweights, for its 19th Annual REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) Symposium. The full-day conference, this year titled "One Trillion and Counting," will tackle current issues in the REIT industry and will be headlined by keynote speaker Jonathan Gray, global head of real estate at Blackstone. NYU Schack's REIT Symposium will take place on Tuesday, April 8 at The Pierre in Manhattan. The forum brings together the industry's top leaders who will offer their keen insights and engage in provocative discussions about issues facing the REIT market. Adam Emmerich of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz will make opening remarks, while James Kuhn, chairman of the NYU Schack advisory board and president of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, will welcome attendees. This year's Visionary Award will be presented by NYU Schack divisional dean Rosemary Scanlon. The symposium will feature eight panels over the course of the day focusing on a range of important market trends, particularly the industry's explosive growth, which has now topped $1 trillion in enterprise value. The conference also will feature a one-on-one conversation with David Simon, chairman and chief executive officer, Simon Property Group, one of the nation's largest REITs. "We are excited to have such a high-powered group of industry leaders attend this year's conference and offer their valuable insight and perspective on important developments in the REIT industry," said Rosemary Scanlon. "This is a dynamic time for the REIT market, which is rapidly expanding and opening up new territory for investors. Conference participants will hear from experts to learn what's next on the horizon for companies and investors." The symposium's morning panels include: * Consolidation on the Fast Track- Is $1 Trillion of Enterprise Value Just the Beginning of a New Expansionist REIT Era? Trends in REITs and Real Estate M&A. Moderated by Michael Graziano, partner, Goldman, Sachs & Co., panelists include: Debra Cafaro, chairman and chief executive officer, Ventas, Inc.; Ronald Havner, Jr., chairman, president, and chief executive officer, Public Storage, Inc.; Michael Kirby, chairman and director of research, Green Street Advisors; and David Neithercut, president and chief executive officer, Equity Residential. * Strategy at the Mid-Cycle - Acquisitions, Development, Internal Growth, Selling Assets, Buying Back Stock, Doing Nothing? Moderated by Michael Bilerman, managing director and global head of Real Estate and Lodging Team, Citi, panelists include: Joseph Coradino, chief executive officer, Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust; David Henry, president and chief executive officer, Kimco Realty Corporation; Matthew Lustig, managing partner of North America Investment Banking and head of Real Estate, Lazard Ltd.; Joel Marcus, chairman, chief executive officer, and founder, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.; and Sandeep Mathrani, chief executive officer, General Growth Properties, Inc. * REITmagination-New Entrants, New Products, New Structure, New Ideas is moderated by Jeffrey Horowitz, global head of Real Estate, Gaming, and Lodging, Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Panelists include: Michael Carroll, chief executive officer, Brixmor Property Group, Inc.; Michael Foust, chief executive officer and director, Digital Realty Trust, Inc.; Anthony Malkin, chairman, chief executive officer, and president, Empire State Realty Trust; and Nicholas Schorsch, chairman and chief executive officer, American Realty Capital, Inc. A Conversation with David Simon, chairman and chief executive officer of Simon Property Group will be moderated by Robin Panovka, partner, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. To register for the event, please visit scps.nyu.edu/reit. If you have any questions regarding registration or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Jessica Estrada-Watson at 212-992-3618 or [email protected].