The annual REIT Investor Relations Symposium, hosted by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nareit, was June 1 in New York City, ahead of Nareit’s REITweek: 2026 Investor Conference.
As in past years, the tenth year of the IR Symposium brought together more than 100 REIT IR, finance, and communications professionals from more than 80 companies for a half day of timely panel discussions. Topics included the capital markets landscape, different approaches to fostering successful investor engagement, and best practices for raising capital from generalist investors.
The first session examined the current macroeconomic environment and REIT performance. The panel featured Michael Reinking, CFA, senior market strategist, NYSE, and John Worth, EVP, research and investor outreach, Nareit. They discussed how geopolitical developments and the acceleration of AI are affecting capital markets, the increase in transactions and IPO activity, and REITs’ strong performance amid recent market volatility.
The second session featured experienced REIT IR professionals discussing their approaches to successfully engaging with investors. The session was moderated by Kim Callahan, SVP, investor relations, Camden Property Trust, and panelists included: Dave Bujnicki, SVP, investor relations and strategy, Kimco Realty Corporation; Art Harmon, SVP, investor relations and marketing, First Industrial Realty Trust; and Stacy Slater, EVP, investor relations, capital markets, and corporate strategy, Brixmor. The speakers discussed the importance of building long-term relationships with investors, why tailoring investor presentations is critical, how AI and real-time data have become highly effective IR tools, and how practitioners can best support CEOs in conveying the type of information that investors need to hear.
The third session complemented the second session by focusing on how early career IR professionals approach investor engagement. The session was moderated by David Corak, SVP, strategy, SmartStop Self Storage, and featured Casey Edgecomb, investor relations analyst, EastGroup Properties; Jenna McKinney, director of finance, CTO Realty Growth and Alpine Income Trust; and Alan Peterson, VP, investor relations and finance, American Healthcare REIT. They talked about the importance of cultivating relationships across their respective companies, how to address learning curves and knowledge gaps, why it is critical to ask questions early and often, their practices for preparing for earnings call, and how they’re using AI to help tell their companies’ stories.
The final session discussed the keys to successfully engaging with generalist institutional investors. The panel was moderated by Michael Fitzmaurice, CFO, Rexford Industrial, and featured panelists Sarah Cooper, managing director, head of real estate equity sales, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch; Michael Goldsmith, US REIT analyst, UBS; and Thomas Hopkins, managing director, lead portfolio manager of large cap core defensive and equity income research portfolios, Bank of America. The speakers discussed the importance of using simple language to help generalists understand REITs and their structures, why it’s critical to explain how REITs fit into broader investment themes and trends, why it’s crucial for REITs to tell a unique story that differentiates them from other companies, and best practices for engaging with generalist investors in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
The symposium concluded with a viewing of the NYSE Closing Bell, followed by a reception, kicking off Nareit’s REITweek: 2026 Investor Conference.
Attention Nareit corporate members: You may request an invitation for the annual REIT IR Symposium, which will be held in New York City, June 7, 2027. Please contact member@nareit.com to let us know that you’d like to go.