The Berg Seminar took place at the Drakensberg Sun Resort from 7 – 8 August in the beautiful mountains and valleys of KwaZulu-Natal.
Day 1 of this two-day seminar saw five presenters taking to the stage to share with delegates pertinent points on key topics within the property sector. Over the years, The Berg Seminar has moulded into a bespoke seminar characterised by enlightening presentations on property trends and highly interactive discussions amongst speakers and delegates.
‘Redefining the Valuation of Commercial Property in a World of Disruption’ was the first presentation on the programme and this was delivered by Thireshen Govender who is an architect and urbanist. He was followed by Eileen Andrew, Vice President at MSCI and she moved the conversation towards the ‘Current Trends in Real Estate Investment and Returns’. Head of Technical at the Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA), Georgina Smit, tackled the topic; ‘Built Environment Trends, ESG Legislation and Factors influencing Investment Returns’. Thobeka Cele, Associate Attorney brought a legal twist to the line-up as she addressed the attendees on ‘Understanding the Value-defining Interface of MPRA Legislation and City /Town Byelaws’. Sean Godoy, Co-Founder of Proptech closed off this main event segment with his presentation on the ‘Introduction to Proptech – Technology and the Property Value-Chain’.
Following the presentations, the audience enjoyed a heart-warming moment as Mr Ken Davies was presented with a certificate for his elevation to Life Member of the Institute. The delegates cheered as SAIV President, Di de Wet, marked this momentous occasion. Ken Davies has more that 55 years in the field and his immense contribution to the Institute as well as the valuation profession has led him to this much-deserved prestigious award. We’d like to thank Ken Davies for his unwavering commitment to our common mission and to congratulate him on a job well done.
The day concluded with a delightful dinner and a relaxed networking session with entertainment by SAIV Member Colin Abbood before delegates called it a night.
The second and final day of the Berg Seminar saw the return of our guest speakers for more presentation sessions on the 8th of August.
Delegates took their seats at 8am to listen as Georgina Smit kicked off the presentations with her topic on the ‘Risks and Rewards of ESG Compliance in the Property Sector’. Following her was Sean Godoy, who spoke about ‘AI and Valuations’. Eileen Andrew joined virtually with her engaging presentation on ‘Assessing Risk Factors in Property Portfolios’ and handed over to Thobeka Cele who opened the conversation about ‘Reimagining Lease Agreements to Minimise Inherent Risks”. Architect and Urbanist, Thireshen Govender closed off with his presentation on ‘Designing Commercial Space for Efficiency, Aesthetics and Value’.
We’d like to thank all the speakers and delegates for their attendance and invaluable contributions to the robust discussions.
