From a small northwestern observatory…

I’m writing this from the audience at an invitation-only colloquium on real estate valuation, held at Clemson University and sponsored by a number of high profile groups, including Argus Software, the Appraisal Institute, the Homer Hoyt Institute, the Maury Seldin Advanced Studies Institute, and of course Greenfield Advisors.

This is the third in a series of such advanced meetings, begun in 1964 and held roughly every 20 years. The first was at the U. Wisconsin, and the second at U. Connecticut. The purpose of these gatherings is to bring together both top academic scholars as well as the top practitioners to discuss the future of the profession, both organizationally and methodologically. The past meetings were decidedly U.S. in focus, while this year’s meeting is co-hosted by Nick French (U.K.) and Elaine Worzala (U.S.) and has substantial European, Latin American, and Pacific Rim participation. Consistent with the rapid changes in the field, future colloquia will be held more frequently, and the next one is tentatively slated for Oxford, England.

Papers and proceedings of the meeting will be published in the Journal of Investment and Finance in the near future.