A more intimate group gathered in Dallas than is typical for an Editorial Advisory Board meeting of Institutional Real Estate Americas. The board meeting, held Sept. 12–14, was originally scheduled to take place in Bluffton, S.C., but once it became clear Hurricane Florence would sweep through the Carolinas, the location was changed to a venue well outside the storm’s predicted path.

The 66 attendees comprised representatives from public and corporate pension plans, foundations and endowments, insurance companies and family offices, as well as consultants and investment managers. The 17 investor board members at the meeting collectively control $673 billion in assets under management, including $56 billion in real estate.

As we often do at these meetings, we began the colloquy by shining a spotlight on our investor attendees. What we found was a willingness to change course, if needed, and a desire to shore up any shaky foundations.

Investor