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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Summit to Combine CSUN’s Forecast, Real Estate Events

Business and community leaders will gather next month to get an overview of what the coming year will bring for the real estate market and economy in the San Fernando Valley. The Economic Summit will combine two events that for several years had been held separately the economic forecast by the San Fernando Valley Economic Research Center at California State University Northridge and the Real Estate Outlook from CSUN’s Center for Real Estate. But putting it under one umbrella will have it be greater than the sum of its parts, said Bruce Ackerman, executive director of the Economic Alliance of San Fernando Valley, one of the sponsors of the summit. “They were all first class events but to a small group,” Ackerman said. “We felt this would appeal to 400 or 500 people.” The Economic Summit takes place May 19 at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City. Having the single event was the result of conversations between Ackerman, CSUN Economic Research Center Director Dan Blake and Fred Evans, chairman of the College of Business and Economics at CSUN. Blake said that sponsors of the center’s economic forecast and of the real estate outlook conference had suggested combining the two events because they took place just two months apart. This year’s economic forecast will emphasize real estate data, Blake said. “We’ll be looking at commercial, industrial and residential properties; vacancy and lease rates and how we compare with other nearby areas,” Blake said. The forecast will also include information on how well businesses in specific industries will do in the coming year, the population and in-migration to the Valley, residential and non-residential construction and what housing prices will be in 2007 and 2008. What will be unique to the summit is a panel discussion and breakout sessions on interpreting the data presented by the speakers, Ackerman said. “It’s not demystifying the numbers,” Ackerman said. “It’s making the numbers work for you. If I don’t know what the data means, it’s less usable.” Panel members attending the summit have not been finalized although Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is scheduled to attend. Last year’s economic forecast called for growth across all sectors of the Valley’s economy. In 2004, the projections for employment figures were off by only 50, Blake said. “We were fairly close on the major industries and whether they were going up or down and by how much,” Blake said.

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