Dear Members,

Welcome to your latest RICS e-news.

Since our January update there has been a great deal of RICS activity across Europe and even more is planned – as you’ll find out later. Highlights of the last few months include:

	The new RICS Europe Board has been set up. To check out the new Board, click here. This Board will meet for the first time during early May 2011.
	As part of our realignment exercise, RICS Europe has now become part of the bigger RICS EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Business Unit. This change will help us to match employers’ global needs more closely, and share experiences and resources across the EMEA region. The move will not affect member governance.
	‘Regulated by RICS’ Firms regulation is proving to be a great success in continental Europe. Since its launch at the end of 2010, it has attracted over 100 firms that are regulated across Europe. For more details on this free, voluntary service, go to www.ricseurope.eu/regulatedfirms.
	We are working closely with the RICS Valuation Professional Group and the Regulation Department to launch the Valuer Registration Scheme (VRS) in continental Europe in the near future – we’ll update you on progress in our next e-news.

For now, have a great spring season!

Kind regards,

Luciano Capaldo FRICS Chairman RICS Europe

Make sure you are found

About one third of RICS members in continental Europe have now updated their details on MemberSearch@RICSEurope, our new online directory for RICS Europe members. Launched in partnership with PropertyEU – the leading pan-European real estate publication – this easy-to-access service offers you free exposure to the global business community and is available both at www.ricseurope.eu and www.propertyeu.info.

IMPORTANT - To be sure you can be found by potential clients or partners for the areas in which you specialise, do make sure when entering or updating your details that you select your area of specialisation!
Not listed yet? Click here

Knowledge at your fingertips

RICS Europe has recently launched a 'Knowledge' area on ricseurope.eu. This new section allows you to stay informed on the latest and most relevant publications produced by RICS in Europe and worldwide. Thanks to a simple search function, you will be able to quickly find surveys, books, research papers, guidance notes, and more.

Visit the new section on www.ricseurope.eu/knowledge

Europe
2011 RICS member and trainee subscription fees

LAST CHANCE - If you have not paid your 2011 subscription fees by 30 April (payment was due on 1 January) you will lose your RICS membership!

To pay please urgently contact Marina de Nevares at renewalsineurope@rics.org

Austria
RICS Europe members welcome at next IPD conference in Vienna

The next IPD/PIE Central & Eastern European Real Estate Conference will take place on 29 June 2011 in Vienna. This year, the event will focus on analysing real estate prospects and trends in the CEE investment and occupational markets, which are returning to strength in the aftermath of the global crisis. Key speakers include Holger Schmidtmayr MRICS, Sparkassen Immoblien, and Dr Eduard Zehetner, Chief Executive Officer at Immofinanz AG. As part of an agreement with IPD, RICS Europe is pleased to announce a 10% discount for its members.

For more information and registration, visit www.ricseurope.eu/events

Belgium
Belux networking lunch at Realty 2011

On 24 May 2011, RICS Belux will kick off the Brussels Realty Fair with a networking lunch gathering 160 professionals. The event takes place at the Tasso restaurant at Tours & Taxi, Brussels, and RICS will also have a stand (number 3602) at the event. We will be presenting the new RICS standards, as well as the upgrade of the Belgian Measuring Code by RICS (BACS). This event offers a great opportunity to meet other professionals and make valuable contacts, so book your place now!

To book your table at this RICS lunch or register for the fair, go to www.ricseurope.eu/be

Denmark
Members’ meeting

RICS Danmark is inviting all members on 24 May 2011 at KPMG in Copenhagen to present the new RICS Real Estate Agency and Brokerage Standards and Technical Due Diligence in continental Europe guidance. There will also be time to discuss membership needs and to welcome new members at a diploma ceremony.

To attend, contact Mikael Wadsten at mwadsten@rics.org

France
Real estate in a global perspective

On 3 May 2011, IEIF (Institut de l'Epargne Immobilière et Foncière), in partnership with RICS France, is organising a conference on the current state of affairs in real estate in France and Europe. In light of a troubled economic recovery following the financial crisis, the American debt situation, political uprisings in the near East and natural disaster in Japan, the conference will aim to assess the impacts of the new geopolitical, economic and financial context on real estate markets across Europe.

Find out more at www.ricseurope.eu/fr

Germany
Shape your future

The 2nd German University Symposium for RICS trainees and students will be held in Frankfurt at the Westend Campus of the Goethe University on 21 May 2011. The event, organised in collaboration with IZ-Karriereforum, will present a great opportunity for young professionals to attend informative lectures and discussion panels, and to meet their peers. The main topic this year will be career paths and opportunities in the real estate industry. In addition, the results of an ongoing survey conducted by RICS Deutschland with 1,500 students and trainees will be presented.

For further information and to register, please contact Christoph Georg Schmidt at cschmidt@rics.org

Greece
First RICS Hellas conference in Thessaloniki

RICS Hellas’s first conference was successfully organised in Thessaloniki, North Greece, on 7 April 2011. Guest speakers included RICS Europe Chairman Luciano Capaldo FRICS, RICS Hellas Chairman Ioannis Ganos MRICS and a number of other well-respected members of the profession. The speakers discussed the real estate market conditions in 2010 and the trends in Greece and the international markets. More than 100 property professionals, bankers, developers and engineers actively participated – all highlighting the need for high professional standards in the property business.

Read more about the speakers, themes and output at www.ricseurope.eu/gr

Hungary
RICS Tea & Talk, an update on the Red Book

The RICS Valuation Professional Group in Hungary has launched a series of small-scale, informal and interactive CPD events, called “Tea & Talk”. All RICS members have an open invitation to these seminars, which aim to encourage professional networks and discussion of important issues. The next Tea & Talk evening will take place on 10 May 2011 at KPMG in Budapest and will focus on the latest update of the RICS Red Book. Key speaker György Rábai MRICS will discuss, among others, the Red Book Hungarian translation ‘in a nutshell’, English expressions vs Hungarian translations – as well as Red Book updates and topics specific to Hungary.

For more information, visit www.ricseurope.eu/hu

Italy
Meet RICS Italia at EIRE, Fieramilano

This year will see the 7th edition of Expo Italia Real Estate, EIRE, in Milan. It’s the most important Italian fair for the real estate sector and, this year, its focus will be ethical issues, sustainability, social housing, and stadium and logistics developments. RICS Italia will be displaying the new RICS Italia Members Directory. RICS members benefit a discounted fee of 204 Euros VAT incl. (standard fee 306 Euros).

For more information, please contact Philippe Cros at pcros@rics.org

Netherlands
RICS standards promoted at Provada

On 7-9 June 2011, RICS Nederland Board members will be present at Provada (stand 9-10), offering a valuable meeting point to discuss and promote new RICS standards, including the Red Book, the Real Estate Agency and Brokerage Standards and the Technical Due Diligence in Continental Europe guidance note. RICS Nederland will also organise a diploma ceremony for its new members on 8 June.

For more details and to set up meetings at the stand, please contact Ed Nypels at enypels@rics.org

Russia
Big Consulting 2011 Forum

RICS will be one of the key stakeholders at the annual Big Consulting Forum 2011, taking place in St Petersburg on 6–9 July 2011. The forum is organised by the second largest self-regulated valuation association in Russia, SMAO, and the Russian Ministry of Economic Development. RICS will be running a dedicated panel, followed by Q&A on valuation standards and the current challenges facing financial markets. Key speakers include RICS President Robert Peto FRICS, RICS Europe Chairman Luciano Capaldo FRICS, Paul Sanderson, Chief Executive of the UK Valuation Office Agency, and David Rusholme FRICS, Director of the RICS Valuation Professional Group.

For more information, please contact Vera Rukina at vrukina@rics.org

Spain
Valuation in times of uncertainty

RICS España is holding its first Valuation Conference on 18 May 2011 in Madrid. The conference will focus on the hottest issues in the market: “Can we rely on valuations? Does green valuation exist? Are current models accurate? What is the role of valuation in contributing to a country's financial stability?”. Luis Martin MRICS, RICS España Chairman, and RICS President Robert Peto FRICS will deliver the opening speeches, and panel discussions will be taking place including some members of the European Valuation Board.

To find out more and to register, check at www.ricseurope.eu/es

Sweden
Meeting investors at the Real Estate Forum

Taking place on 23 May 2011 in Stockholm, this forum will look at international investor strategies in the Swedish real estate market, new sources for alternative financing and refinancing, and current transactions in the market – for example who is buying and who is selling. RICS Eminent Member Lennart Sten FRICS will be among the speakers and RICS members benefit from a 15% discount on the entrance fee.

For more information, contact Mikael Wadsten at mwadsten@rics.org

Switzerland
RICS Switzerland key partner of realSite

In 2010, realSite fair attracted 3,000 visitors and over 100 companies participated. The event organisers are expecting even greater numbers for the second outing of this event. RICS Switzerland will again be a key partner, with its Chairman, Oliver Hofmann MRICS, moderating the opening forum – a podium discussion on the effects of greater regulation on the Swiss market. With Solvency II, Basel III and changes to IFRS all affecting real estate activities in Switzerland, it’s the hot topic at the top of the agenda in Switzerland.

For more information, please contact Mary Ann Reynolds at mareynolds@rics.org

Living spaces: taking control of energy performance

On 12 April 2011, RICS organised a conference within the framework of the EU Sustainable Energy Week focusing on the challenges, potential and feasibility of involving users and occupants in improving the energy efficiency of building stock. The greening of the built environment is not solely a question of technology, and so the conference aimed to explore wider issues like occupants’ needs, expectations and behaviour, all of which have a key impact on the final energy performance of buildings.

Read more at www.rics.org/euaffairs

Regulation on mortgage credit on the horizon

The European Commission has published a proposal to regulate residential mortgages. Member States will have the opportunity to extend the scope of the proposal to include commercial property transactions, as well as valuation requirements. Commercial property developers that offer mortgages to purchase their property are seen as intermediaries, and also fall within the scope of this proposal.

Find out more at www.rics.org/euaffairs

RICS Sustainability Task Force Europe

RICS is establishing a new task force dealing with sustainability in the property sector and the built environment. The group will promote RICS sustainability agenda and ensure we play a leading role in the transition to a sustainable built environment by providing impartial expert advice. Registration for the task force is closed, but members are invited to become a corresponding member and stay in touch with progress.

Please contact Sander Scheurwater at sscheurwater@rics.org

RICS Americas
RICS present Global Property Trends

In partnership with DePaul University, RICS is delighted to present a panel on global property trends in Chicago on 5 May 2011. RICS President Robert Peto FRICS will present the RICS Global Property Survey, and leading experts will discuss insights into the North and Latin American markets. The panel will also engage in a Q&A discussion moderated by RICS Americas Chairman Tom Justin FRICS.

Read more about RICS Americas events at www.ricsamericas.org/event

RICS Asia Pacific
Hong Kong Annual Conference on Sustainability

RICS Hong Kong organises a half-day conference on “Why, what and how: the truth behind sustainability – building towards a vision” on 14 May 2011. Carrie Lam JP, Secretary of Development, Hong Kong SAR Government, will introduce the session and RICS Asia Chairman Chris Brook MRICS and President-Elect 2010–2011 Ong See Lian FRICS will respectively moderate panels on “Is there a value proposition to sustainability?” and “People power: are we forgetting the human dimension to sustainability?”.

To find out more about the conference and to check out our events, visit www.ricsasia.org

RICS India
Construction workshops in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru

Organised on 17, 18 and 20 May 2011 in three major Indian cities by RICS India together with international law firm Pinsent Masons, these workshops have been designed to offer a wide spectrum of information on construction contracts and risk management. The programme will look at 'contract management for success' with a focus on procurement strategies, use of international contracts, risk management, time and money claims.

To find out more about the workshops, visit www.rics.org/india

RICS Oceania
RICS President’s visit

On 11-16 April 2011, RICS President Robert Peto FRICS visited the Oceania region, where he met with industry stakeholders and government representatives in Australia and New Zealand. Peto was also a key note speaker at the RICS Oceania Global Property seminars in Auckland, Wellington, Melbourne and Brisbane. He also spoke to a capacity audience of over 100 industry specialists in Sydney, where he also presented the RICS Oceania Commercial Property Awards.

To read more about RICS Oceania events, visit www.rics.org/oceania

Over the past eight months, RICS Europe has increased its visibility and generated 1,600 press articles across a wide range of dailies, web, business and financial publications in continental Europe. Once again, RICS Europe has focused its communication efforts on enhancing the organisation’s reputation, with campaigns based on corporate and profile, RICS at MIPIM, the 2011 European Housing Review, Firms Regulation in continental Europe, and RICS and Macdonald & Company European Property Market Remuneration Survey.

These campaigns generated numerous articles in key publications such as Le Monde (France), El Pais (Spain), Il Sole 24 Ore (Italy), L’Echo (Belgium) and Frankfurter Allgemeine (Germany). Further coverage also promoted RICS’ top priority areas such as sustainability (including RICS research “Sustainability and the Dynamics of Green Building”), valuation and commercial property. To learn more about the RICS Europe media programme, contact Laura Lindberg at LLindberg@rics.org

For more details, please contact the relevant National Groups
(see Contact section on www.ricseurope.eu/contacts)