From technology to economics, connection was the theme at Institutional Real Estate, Inc.’s 2019 Visions, Insights & Perspectives (VIP) Americas conference in Carlsbad, Calif. in January. One message from keynote speakers and panelists was that human connections with family and friends will drive economic growth and real estate demand.

To open the event, Institutional Real Estate, Inc. president and CEO Geoffrey Dohrmann shared key themes and insights from IREI’s 2018 global editorial board meetings, which are attended by institutional investors, investment managers and consultants.

One of the biggest recurring themes was “end of cycle angst.” Dohrmann explained the real estate market has been in a prolonged up cycle since the 2008 global financial crisis, in such a way that “everyone has been investing, but no one has had a good time doing it.”

One of the panelists during the follow-up discussion, Carl Gomez, senior vice president, research and