The organisers themselves say that SQUARE, more than a congress, is a 'think tank'. This Anglo-Saxon concept literally means 'think tank', but to speak of literalism when referring to an event as unusual as SQUARE does not make much sense. A laboratory of ideas or a space for creation are concepts that are much closer to the spirit of this meeting.
SQUARE is an event conceived as a forum for debate, as an informal meeting place for the main players in the ever-changing real estate sector. The speakers, of recognised international prestige, will present their ideas, their perspectives and their vision of the present and future of the real estate ecosystem, but the attendees will not just be their audience, becoming instead collaborators, almost accomplices, of the speakers.
All SQUARE sessions will be in English,
but there will be a simultaneous translation into Spanish
This interactive spirit will be particularly evident at the fifth edition of SQUARE, which will take place in Ibiza between 17 and 19 May. Presentations and panel discussions will devote at least 15 minutes to open debate between those in the room and the experts on stage, and great importance will be given to networking sessions, with sufficient time and quality spaces.
The challenges of the global real estate sector
Throughout the first two days of SQUARE, topics directly related to the real estate sector will be discussed, but also issues such as technological advances, behavioural trends, global migratory flows, cultural ethics and, above all, the tense and uncertain global geopolitical scenario in which we live and work, as a result of Russia's conflict with Ukraine.
One of SQUARE's main characteristic is to dare to take on topics
and "non-mainstream" speakers
The variety and intensity of the SQUARE 2023 programme will have the perfect ally in its location. Ibiza, its beaches and the famous hospitality of its inhabitants will be the ideal complement for both speakers and attendees to feel relaxed and comfortable before, after and during the working sessions.
José María Pons, founder and CEO of SQUARE, is in charge of leading the team organising this event, with UrbanOvation, Diversity Talks Real Estate and Iberian Property as partners.
Geopolitics and economics, the protagonists of the first day
At 14:30 on 17 May, the official programme of SQUARE 2023 will kick off with a powerful and attractive starting point: the global geopolitical and economic unbalance resulting first from the pandemic and then from the Russian-Ukraine conflict and finally topped off with inflation unprecedented in the West in the last 30 years. After the opening speech by the masters of ceremonies (three world-class figures) and a brief summary of the programme, there will be two sessions, one on geopolitics and the other on macroeconomics, both with speakers of extraordinary international prestige.
At least 15 minutes of each presentation and round table will be devoted to
open and relaxed debate between the audience and the speakers.
It will be extremely interesting to confront European/Western strategic visions with Chinese ones, since SQUARE will have the presence of one of the most authoritative spokespersons of Chinese geopolitics. It will also be of great interest to hear voices from the economic "main-stream" versus those from the "non-mainstream". And that is precisely one of the main characteristics of SQUARE: daring to tackle non-mainstream topics and speakers.
A second day full of surprises
The four morning sessions on the second day of SQUARE 2023 will address some of the questions about where the global real estate industry is heading, but will also fill attendees' heads with new questions and disruptive approaches. To start with, a prestigious and renowned futurist guru will challenge the idea that Artificial Intelligence is truly the solution to all our problems.
On the afternoon of the second day, there will be a strategic planning session,
in which participants, divided into groups of 10 people, will have to think about how they would act in various scenarios
Then, until lunchtime, a series of top professionals will argue the importance of putting the human being at the centre of any business strategy. Based on the concept of 'Human-centric Real Estate', the speakers will analyse emerging social trends and present the various tools available to real estate companies to measure and, more importantly, influence human behaviour.
The SQUARE organisers have prepared a very special activity for the afternoon of the second day. This is a strategic planning session, in which participants, divided into groups of 10 people, will have to face different scenarios - some already thought out; others completely unthinkable - and share their views on how they think they would react and act in the face of them.
To conclude the second day's sessions, a panel of international investment experts will give their views on all the topics covered during the two days of SQUARE and launch their perspectives on which products and segments will provide the best returns in the future and therefore see the highest investment volumes.
The networking experience
In addition to the networking sessions that will take place over the first two days of SQUARE 2023, on the third and final day, participants will be able to extend their experience with a fun activity that will strengthen personal relationships between participants. This is lunch at one of the trendiest beach bars in Ibiza or, failing that, in Formentera, just 30 minutes by boat from the White Isle.
This extended programme also includes the possibility of organising a "professional cycling tour of Ibiza", as was done in the 2021 edition of SQUARE.