The ninth annual REIT Investor Relations Symposium, hosted by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nareit, was held June 2 in New York City, ahead of Nareit’s REITweek: 2025 Investor Conference.
As in past years, the IR Symposium brought together more than 100 REIT IR professionals, representing nearly 70 REITs, for a half day of timely panel discussions. Topics included the political environment, market research on REIT messaging, communicating with REIT boards, understanding the criteria for being included in an index, and an outlook on the capital markets.
The first session, The Political Climate in 2025, featured guest speaker David Bockorny, executive chairman and CEO of The Bockorny Group. During his remarks, Bockorny discussed the prevailing uncertainty around trade policies, the status of the tax reconciliation bill and specific provisions that could affect REITs, and the 2026 mid-term elections.
The second session, Market Research from Capitol Hill, featured Matthew Bechard, executive vice president of communications and industry affairs at Nareit. He discussed Nareit’s market research on effective REIT messaging and its key takeaways. Bechard emphasized the importance of using simple language and telling a story that begins with the basics of investing and the reasons why investing in commercial real estate is important before discussing REITs and their benefits.
Effectively communicating with REIT boards took center stage during the third session, Lessons from the Board Room. The session was moderated by Jill Sawyer, senior vice president of investor relations at Federal Realty Investment Trust, and featured David Henry, co-founder of Peaceable Street Capital, and board of directors member of Healthcare Realty Trust and Starwood Real Estate Income Trust; Diana Laing, board of directors member of Alexander & Baldwin, Macerich Company, and Host Hotels & Resorts; and Donald Wood, president and CEO of Federal Realty Investment Trust; and member of the board of directors of Healthcare Realty Trust. Panelists discussed the key attributes of an effective IR professional, which include being persuasive, having a deep knowledge of valuation, being able to put the REIT’s performance within the context of macroeconomic developments, delivering succinct messaging, and being able to read the room and shift the messaging, as necessary.
The fourth session, Understanding Index Inclusion Criteria, was moderated by Ronald Bohlert, director of real estate for the NYSE, and featured Alexa Marymor, senior manager of NYSE, and Joti Rana, head of governance and policy for the Americas at the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG). The discussion focused on the different types of indices and their individual methodologies, the differences between active and passive investing, and the growth of passive investing. Panelists also highlighted the specific criteria that indices consider when they’re deciding whether to add a company to an index, which include company structure, market capitalization, minimum price thresholds, free float levels, and whether a company fits within an index’s specific definition of a sector.
The final session of the IR Symposium was the REIT and CRE Market Outlook, which featured guest speaker Mike Reinking, senior market strategist and head of the MAC desk at NYSE. During his remarks, Reinking discussed the capital market’s response to events over the past year, including the rise of AI, the presidential election, the administration’s tariff policies, potential tax policy changes, and higher long-term interest rates.
The symposium concluded with a reception to kick off the busy week of meetings during Nareit’s REITweek: 2025 Investor Conference. For REITweek 2025 coverage, click here.
Attention Nareit corporate members: You may request an invitation for the tenth annual REIT IR Symposium, which will be held in New York City, June 1, 2026. Please contact member@nareit.com to let us know you are interested in attending.