ICREMV 2024: A Grand Success!

The International Conference on Real Estate Management and Valuation (CREMV) 2024, organised by the Centre for Real Estate Studies (CRES) Department of Estate Management and Valuation, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, concluded with great success.

ICREMV, known for its commitment to promoting advancements in real estate management and valuation, aimed to address contemporary challenges and explore innovative solutions under the theme, ‘SMART Real Estate Towards Unmet Socio-economic Needs”, with the timely sub theme of Charting the Future: Synergies in Tourism and Real Estate for Sustainable Development.

This annual conference, held for the eighth consecutive year, conducted virtually and both at the university premises and Galle Face Hotel during 10, 19 and 24 October 2024. ICREMV 2024 provided a platform for the exchange of ideas and experiences, fostering innovation and collaboration in the sector by bringing together academics, practitioners, scholars, and industry experts in the field of real estate management and valuation.

The conference featured esteemed guests, with the Former Chairman of the University Grants Commission Senior Professor (Chair) Sampath Amaratunge, serving as the Chief Guest, and the Vice Chancellor of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura Senior Professor Pathmalal M. Manage attending the event as the Guest of Honour. Further, the Dean of Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce Dr. Dushan Jayawickrama, deans of other faculties, heads of departments, and academic members of many departments took part in the event as special invitees.

The Keynote Speakers of this year were Mr. Nick Talbot who is Chief Executive Officer, International Valuation Standards Council and Mr. Alex Aronsohn, FRICS member, Director of Technical Standards – Tangible Assets, International Valuation Standards Council. The three Plenary Speakers of academic sessions were, Professor Suranga Silva from the University of Colombo, Prof. Sanjay G. Patil who is Director and Head of Institution, RICS School of Built Environment, Amity University, Mumbai, India and Mr. Stephen Ballesty, FRICS, Chartered Surveyor of In-Touch Advisory Pty Ltd, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

During the Academic Session of the conference, over fifteen scholars and experts from academia and industry, representing diverse disciplines showcased their revolutionary research findings and captivating case studies. The Undergraduate Poster Session of the conference was also an exciting event where over 30 students studying B.Sc. Honours in Real Estate Management and Valuation showcased their groundbreaking research findings and Ms. F. S. Shibly won the best poster award. Prof. K.S. Lasith Gunawardena and Plnr. Indu Weerasoori joined as poster evaluators.

Further, the two crucial segments of ICREMV 2024; Industry Dialogue and Real Estate Talk, both of which were designed as interactive and insightful discussions between academics and industry practitioners.

The Industry Dialogue segment focused on the theme, “Valuation Dynamics in the Tourism Industry: Navigating Economic Challenges and Enhancing Property Values” and Mr. P.W. Senarathne from Government Valuation Department, A.S.W.K. Nanayakkara, Chief Valuer of Government Valuation Department, Mr. Hemantha Bandara, Chartered Projector Manager & Senior Lecturer at the SLIIT Malabe Campus, S. Sivaskantha,  Chartered Valuer and Ms. Chamila Sirisena, and Mr. S.I.P. Indika who are Valuation officers, Colombo Municipal Council joined as resource persons and delivered very insightful presentations.

The panel discussion of the Real Estate Talk involved experts from different sectors discussing the conference theme. Associate professor of RICS School of Built Environment, Amity University Dr. Deva D. Dubey (FRICS), Principal Architect of Damith Premathilake Architects Archt. Damith Premathilake, Deputy Director of Investor Relations Unit of Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority Ms. Bhagya Mahavithanage and Chief Operating Officer of Colombo Port City Economic Commission Mr. Revan Wickramasuriya joined as panelists to develop the discussion on the theme, “Charting the Future: Synergies in Tourism and Real Estate for sustainable development“. The session was moderated by Dr. Prathap Kaluthanthri, Head of the Department of Estate Management and Valuation.

The Silver sponsorships were provided by the Sunil Fernando & Associates (Pvt) Ltd and Abeygunawardene Associates Chartered Valuers and Real Estate Consultants (Pvt) Ltd, while Bronze sponsorship was undertaken by WikiFrank Chartered Valuers Pvt Ltd. Mawubima and Ceylon Today newspapers served as print media partner of ICREMV 2024.

With over 150 physical participants and 400 virtual attendees from diverse real estate- related institutions, professional bodies, and academia, ICREMV 2024 provided a constructive platform for dialogue, contributing to national development in challenging times.

The Conference Chair Dr. Chameera Udawaththe and the Conference Secretary Ms. Hashini Wickremasinghe teamed up with Head of the Department of Estate Management and Valuation Dr. Prathap Kaluthanthri and the Director of the Centre for Real Estate Studies Dr. Upuli Perera, along with all the other members of the department and representatives from collaborative institutions to organize this international conference.

We wish to see you all at ICREMV 2025!

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