Programs

A fresh and unusual proposal especially created for the leading players of the property industry in Europe, with the participation of infrequent world-class speakers.

An event designed to meet, learn, share experiences and network in a different, distended, and friendly way in a unique place like Ibiza.

SQUARE is more think tank than conference, designed for the fast-changing world of real estate and built to address across the board issues.  Attendees are not an audience, they are contributors. All sessions at SQUARE devote at least 15 minutes to an open and lively debate/discussion between the floor and the stage.

And this year SQUARE will be more interactive than ever before, as you will discover when reading down below what we have prepared for the afternoon of Day 2.

* All sessions are in English, but simultaneous translation into Spanish will be available.

Download the SQUARE program.

SQUARE will devote its first day (May 17th, from 2.30 pm on) to give “food for thought”, especially regarding an issue of paramount importance these days: “geopolitics” and “economy”.  Is anybody capable these days to figure out which global geopolitical shifts are underway as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine? Which are and, what’s most important, which will be the macroeconomic consequences of such a war and of such geopolitical developments?   What may be Russia’s next move?  Which are the EU’s plans?  How is the EU to play the game in between the two world leaders, China and the USA?  Is China to be the big silent winner of it all?  What’s going on in the international banking industry?  Which will be the effects of it all on the global property industry in general, and on the European one in particular?  Again, lots of food for thought derived from these turbulent times.

And within this absolutely disruptive environment caused by the war in Ukraine, is there still room for hope in the RE industry?  Any extra threats beyond those coming from the war?  What to expect when thinking of the property industry in the next 10 years?  In short, cheers and fears for the next decade.  That’s how SQUARE will get rolling.

And within this absolutely disruptive environment caused by the war in Ukraine and some worries in the financial world, is there still room for hope in the RE industry?  Any extra threats beyond those coming from the war and the banking industry? What to expect when thinking of the property industry in the next 10 years?

Trying to answer all these questions is how SQUARE will get rolling.

And it will be up to the SQUARE participants trying to figure out how this will affect RE and their own companies.

SQUARE is proud to focus on the long-term rather than on the short one, and also is proud to be bold and non-mainstream. That’s why we believe that a great way of kicking-off Day 2 is through a most provoking address, challenging the idea that AI is to solve all our problems and make everything easy and better.  

And in our approach to the future, we are convinced that humans are to be at the very center of successful societies and therefore also at the center of the RE business.  And in the pursuance of such success we understand that it is key anticipating where society is moving to, foreseeing the emerging social trends are and how to cope with them.  And we believe it is not just about understanding social or mass behaviors, but also individual behaviors.  Learning which tools exist to both measure and influence human behavior is to help RE companies make better decisions.   

And that’s also why we have designed a world-class session on human-centric real estate to end the morning of Day 2.  A session not to be missed at all.  A session that will unveil what have in mind some of the most world-renowned designers/creators of spaces when it comes to this vision of placing humanity at the center of the RE business.  But also this session will disclose the ideas/visions in this regard of one of the world’s largest RE development and investment companies. 

And then, after lunch, it will take place, for the first time at SQUARE, a strategic planning session.  An interactive exercise (in break-out groups) meant to get participants to share their views on how they would react when facing some thought or unthought scenarios.

Nevertheless, even if strategic planning is key for long term success, the truth is that at the end of the day, at the end of the year, real estate companies must make money, must pay back their lenders and investors. And that’s why there is no better way to close SQUARE than listening to large savvy and successful investors and learn: 1) where and in what products/segments they are to bet on in the very coming years (short-term), and 2) what their opinions are on all the issues dealt with in the previous sessions.

For those willing to extend their networking (and fun time!!) with peers, on our last day we always organize a fab luncheon at one of the hottest “chiringuito” (Spanish word for a restaurant “very much on” the beach) in Ibiza or on the neighboring island of Formentera (30 minutes away on a motorboat ride).

Also, on our extended networking day we may organize (as we did in 2021) a “professional cycling tour of Ibiza”.

For those willing to travel to such an appealing place as Ibiza together with his or her “better half”, SQUARE will deliver a special program to experience different aspects of the island, from lunching at an exclusive beach club to go shopping at the Dalias hippy market in San Carlos, or from visiting the lovely little village of Santa Gertrudis, to shopping around the Ibiza “old town”.