Tuesday 2nd March

Timings

8.30am – Breakfast, Networking and Registration

9.30am – Start of the main conference programme

1.00pm – Networking Lunch Session for speakers & attendees

2.00pm – Conference programme continues

4.15pm –  Conference Close and Offices UK Drinks Reception on the Oval Cricket Ground terraces

 

Conference Agenda

9.30am

Housekeeping and Introduction

How are the economy, government policy and changing patterns of work shaping the office market in 2027?

 

London Offices Overview

What do take-up, vacancy, rents and investment tell us about the City, West End, Docklands and emerging locations?

How much demand represents business growth, and how much is relocation, renewal or consolidation into better space?

Where are development shortages supporting rents, and where do affordability and secondary vacancy remain a challenge?

 

Regional Offices Overview

How do the major regional cities compare on demand, supply, effective rents and investment activity?

Which businesses are expanding, and how are public-sector requirements and regional employment shaping demand?

Where can refurbishment meet occupier budgets, and which cities can support the cost of new development?

 

Investors and Lenders Panel

Who is committing new money to UK offices, who is selling, and why? Give a recent transaction and explain the investment decision.

Where can offices compete for capital against other property sectors and asset classes? Compare allocation constraints, return requirements and investment horizons.

What works at today’s price in London and regional cities? Compare secure income, refurbishment and development exposure, allowing for vacancy, incentives and future capital expenditure.

Can the business plan be funded? Compare bank debt, private credit, leverage, interest cover, pre-lets, sponsor equity and environmental requirements.

What happens at refinancing or exit? Discuss valuation shortfalls, additional equity, recapitalisation, realistic future buyers and leasing downside, including the investment implications of rent-review reform.

 

Agents Panel

Where is demand genuinely expanding, and where is activity driven by lease events and a flight to better space?

What is happening to headline and effective rents, incentives and the total cost of occupation?

How far ahead must occupiers act, and when are pre-lets, regears or refurbishment the realistic options?

What will still let in the secondary market, and which buildings need a different business plan?

What do capital markets and valuation evidence show about liquidity, yields and the gap between buyers and sellers?

 

11.30am

Coffee and Networking

 

Future of Workspace Overview

What do attendance, hybrid working and peak-day utilisation tell us about the amount and type of office space businesses need?

Which occupiers are driving demand for flexibility, and how do the requirements of start-ups, SMEs and larger businesses differ?

How is the market mix changing between conventional leases, fitted, managed and serviced offices, and how do these products differ?

What does occupier research show about the importance of location, workplace design, amenities and service, relative to cost?

What do UK and international trends suggest about the future balance of conventional and flexible workspace over the next three to five years?

 

Future of Workspace Panel

What is the right balance of conventional, fitted, managed and serviced offices in a portfolio, and which buildings suit each?

Should landlords operate flex themselves, use management agreements or lease to an operator, and who carries fit-out, operating and vacancy risk?

Does flex deliver a better net return after fit-out, staffing, utilities, voids and churn, and what occupancy is needed to break even?

Can customers move between flex and conventional space as they grow, and does a mixed offer improve retention and whole-building performance?

How do lenders and valuers assess mixed income, and which model is most resilient when demand weakens?

 

Key Issues Retrofit and Embodied Carbon

When should an office be retained, refurbished or rebuilt, and how should whole-life carbon inform that decision?

How do structure, materials and building services affect embodied carbon, operating energy and cost?

What can practical office projects teach us about phasing works with tenants in place and measuring the outcome?

 

Key Issues Making Office Development Viable

What rents, yields and total development costs make an office scheme viable? Use a worked appraisal to show the break-even point.

How do new build and refurbishment compare after fit-out, finance, contingency, voids and tenant incentives?

How do planning delays, consent conditions and obligations affect cost, programme and returns, and when must the appraisal be revisited?

Which specification, amenity and procurement choices reduce cost without undermining lettability or long-term value?

 

Questions for the Retrofit and Viability Presenters

 

1.25pm

Lunch and Networking

 

2.25pm

Key Issues AI and Offices

How could AI change office-based employment and demand for space, and which forecasts are supported by evidence?

Where is AI already improving investment analysis, design, leasing and building operations? Show two practical office examples.

What measurable savings or improvements have those applications delivered, and what data and systems do they require?

What should owners prioritise now, and where do cost, reliability, privacy and cyber risk limit the business case?

 

Key Issues Rent Review Reform and Office Leases

What has been enacted and commenced on upward-only rent reviews, which new leases and renewals are affected, and when?

How could two-way rent reviews change income certainty, valuations, lending and the lease terms landlords and occupiers negotiate?

What should parties do now on new lettings, regears and underlettings? Use a worked lease example and distinguish England and Wales from Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Which other enacted or proposed changes to business tenancies, energy-efficiency rules or business rates require action before the next lease event?

 

Questions for the AI and Legislative Presenters

 

Developer and Operator Panel

Which schemes are actually going ahead? What has enabled you to commit to a new development or major refurbishment, and how does that decision differ between London and regional cities?

What should happen to older offices? When do targeted improvements, major refurbishment or a change of use offer the best outcome? Can work be phased around existing tenants while protecting income?

What can occupiers afford? Which specifications and amenities earn their cost through lettings and retention, and which can be simplified? Consider rent, fit-out and service charges together.

What will unlock planning and delivery? Which consent conditions, carbon and heritage requirements, infrastructure constraints or public-sector interventions have materially changed your projects?

What makes an office successful after completion? How do energy costs, building management, customer service, transport and the surrounding mix of uses affect occupancy and net income? Compare actual London and regional examples.

Occupier Panel

Where will the next requirements arise across London and regional cities?

How do headcount and attendance forecasts affect space, lease length and expansion options?

Which trade-offs on location, total occupation cost, sustainability and delivery decide the deal?

Why move, refurbish or use fitted or flexible space? Explain a recent decision.

After move-in, what do you measure and what would persuade you to renew?

 

Closing Remarks

 

4.20pm

Conference Close

 

4.25pm

Offices UK Drinks Reception on Pitchside Terraces at The Oval

 

7.00pm

Venue Closes