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2023 saw a year of fresh economic challenges hitting the industry.
With areas of challenge remaining on inflation, energy costs and increased economic and political uncertainty, what can we look forward to in 2024?
The Leisure Property Forum Annual Review is one of our flagship events and a must-attend event, providing attendees the opportunity to hear from our panel – major industry experts who will cover the economy, F&B market, non-food/Big Box Leisure sector and the investment market.
This year we are hosted by our generous sponsors, Gowling WLG
Our experts will review the big events of 2023 and look forward to how 2024 will shape up, tackling the economy, politics, the UK consumer and each key sector in our industry.
We will have presentations from the following:
Simon French, Managing Director and Chief Economist at Panmure Gordon
Simon returns as an LPF audience favourite – he is Chief Economist at British Investment Bank, Panmure Gordon. He leads the bank’s research in Economics and Equity Strategy and has previously held a series of high-profile roles within the U.K. Civil Service – initially at the Department for Work and Pensions and subsequently at the Cabinet Office. His background is in Applied Microeconomics and he is a full member of the Government Economic Service specialising in microeconomic analysis and its application within public policy development.
He is a frequent guest on BBC, Sky and Bloomberg business and economics programs, as well as a regular contributor to the Times newspaper. After Simon’s well-received summary and review of the economic outlook last year, we are delighted that he joins us again this year.
Tracey Pollard – Managing Director, Bruce Gillingham Pollard
Tracey is one of the founding partners at specialist retail, restaurant, and leisure agency, BGP. She heads up the leasing team and advises key landlords such as Hammerson and Landsec. Instructions include leading retail and mixed-use destinations in London and beyond. Previously Tracey was a partner at Knight Frank and a director and Markham Vaughn Gillingham.
David Bell – Co-Founder, Starka
David is a founding partner at Starka, a specialist leasing, development, and asset management consultancy in the leisure sectors. Starka covers markets globally advising investors and operators in the sector including brands such as Côte, Oxygen and Hai Di Lao as well on key sites such as Liverpool One and Manchester Printworks. Previously David was Head of Leisure for Savills.
Toby Hall – Senior Director Operational Real Estate, CBRE
Toby has worked within the licensed and leisure real estate market for over 30 years advising on capital markets and occupational advisory. CBRE are a leading global advisor and recent projects that Toby has worked on include disposing of 45 pubs for JD Wetherspoons, the sale of Springfield Quay in Glasgow, acquiring 44 David Lloyd clubs and selling 52 Gala Bingo clubs. Toby has previously worked at Colliers and Gerald Eve.
The presentations will be followed by a panel discussion expanding on key trends and challenges in our sector over 2023 and into 2024, chaired by Emma McClarkin OBE.
Emma has been the Chief Executive of The British Beer and Pub Association since 2019 and was recently awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) award for her exceptional services to the hospitality industry.
A passionate beer and pub lover, Emma is the voice for the beer and pub sector leading them through the pandemic, interfacing with Government and stakeholders to secure vital grant support and economic stimulus to aid the recovery of the Sector. Protecting the future of the Great British Pub and our world-renowned brewers. Prior to joining the BBPA, Emma served as a Member of the European Parliament for the East Midlands for 10 years. As a true beer lover, she also served as Vice President of the European Parliament Beer Club during this time. She has also held posts including Chairman of the Commonwealth Forum and Director of Global Policy for the Sports Integrity Global Alliance and is currently Chair of the Worldwide Brewing Alliance, Vice Chair of the Tourism Alliance Board and a Director of the Ivors Academy.
Networking, courtesy of Gowling WLG and The Leisure Property Forum will follow after in our central London venue – there is a maximum venue capacity of 100 so please book early as we expect to sell out.
Head Sponsors:
*Please note – our panelists confirm their availability in advance. If any of our panelists cancel due to unforeseen circumstances, we will use our best efforts to replace them, but cannot guarantee that all advertised panelists will always be in attendance.