A professional secretariat appointed to run the administration of the Society under the direction of the Committee, has enabled the Society to add about 15 meetings per year to its traditional programme of four seasonal meetings. These meetings are organised by the following Forums.
The Architecture Planning Engineering and Construction (APEC) Forum was set up in 2013 and aims to support both the Department of Land Economy and the Faculty of Architecture (the latter particularly needing help with outside teaching by practising architects).
The CULS Asia-Pacific Forum is based in London and has been established with the aim of promoting inward investment into the UK from Asia-Pacific investors and to act as a network for CULS members to gain information, contacts and expertise in relation to the Asia-Pacific real estate market.
The Commercial Property Forum has 10 members, two of whom are former Presidents of the Society. It is one of the most active Forums in the Society, usually arranging at least one event a term.
The Forum “does what it says on the tin”, focusing on organising events around the commercial real estate sector, but as investors’ perspectives widen, we have included sectors such as Student Housing and residential investment in our remit.
The ESG & Sustainability Forum is a cross-sector forum that aims to engage members and guests in discussions about environmental, social and governance issues that impact the built environment. We host events on a variety of highly topical areas of ESG and sustainability where we invite thought leaders from a broad range of backgrounds including academics, industry professionals, public and private sector representatives to share their insights. Some of the topics covered last year include re-wilding, urban agriculture, sustainable finance and building resilience post Covid.
The Real Estate Finance Forum is a key forum within the Cambridge University Land Society. The Real Estate Finance Group recognises that many professionals within the industry have a particular focus and expertise on the financing of real estate investments or investing in loan portfolios backed by real estate assets, and the underwriting of risk and opportunity from a financing perspective is distinct although closely related to that of direct equity investment in property.
The Past Presidents' Council is made up of all the past presidents of the Society.
The Residential Forum was established in 2022 by 6 founding members including a leading residential market commentator, a pioneer of sustainable residential development and a leading ESG/real estate academic.
Our mission is to help change the face of the residential sector, which has for so many years been seen as somehow separate from the wider real estate industry despite being the largest asset class globally. We provide members - both current and next generation real estate professionals - with opportunities to gain market-leading insights and develop quality networks.
Our vision is to extend the Forum’s reach to all those CULS Members, young, old and everyone in-between, with a rural interest – whether it be through professional involvement with the countryside, an upbringing in the greener parts of our world, a curiosity about what opportunities (in the widest sense) exist with rural property, or all of the above.
The Silver Street Group is a forum for younger members of the Cambridge University Land Society, and includes current students, and recent graduates: the next generation of property industry professionals currently advancing in their fields, having graduated within the last 15 years.
The Sports and Leisure Forum has recently been founded to encourage activities of a sport and leisure variety. Please contact Ali if you have any suggestions. More detail to follow shortly.
The Whitehall Group is a high level, influential policy discussion forum of well-connected Cambridge alumni, who are mainly members of the Cambridge university Land Society. It pulls together a previous legacy of high quality events over the last decade which is outside the mainstream of CULS activities.