A Vision for ARES in the Twenty-First Century: The Virtual Community of Real Estate Thought Leaders

In the twenty-first century the American Real Estate Society (ARES) is a virtual community of real estate thought leaders, electronically interconnected and linked through the International Real Estate Society to counterpart organizations on all major continents as well as numerous country-specific societies. ARES growth is attributable to its emphasis on rigorous applied microeconomic decisionmaking and an inclusive, open style. The initiatives of the Strategic Planning Task Force, whose report was enthusiastically endorsed and implemented at the 1996 Lake Tahoe meetings, have led to an expansion of activities and services. Further, the “Great Water” location strategy continues to attract strong meeting participation, which meetings emphasize special tracks for the corporate space user, global portfolio investing, micro property strategies and transactions, property analytic advances, improving cognitive skills to overcome bounded rationality, and learning innovations as well as ethical and aesthetic issues, property rights and quality of life topics. As valuable as the electronic access to critical real estate research resources is, the ARES Annual Meeting continues to be the one must attend gathering for real estate thought leaders throughout the world.