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Conference Day One: Tuesday 5th May 2009
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8.15am | Registration and refreshments
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8.50am | Chairman’s opening remarks
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| Infrastructure opportunities in the Middle Eas |
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9am | Keynote: infrastructure investment and its national impact
- The role of infrastructure in driving economic growth and fostering sociopolitical development in the Middle East
- How current developments impact the region’s future
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9.30am | Infrastructure as the new global asset class of choice – and why the current climate brings opportunity for investors and assets
- Are we all Keynesians now – will governments spend their way out of recession?
- How is the downturn of the West affecting the Middle East?
- Will GCC economies maintain their shine in 2009?
- Which sectors you should focus on in 2009/2010
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| | Dr Fabio Scacciavillani, Director of Macroeconomics and Statistics, Dubai International Financial Centre Authority (DIFCA)
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10.15am | Morning refreshments and networking
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10.45am | Credit markets in turmoil - the impact on infrastructure
- How immune is the GCC infrastructure pipeline?
- The billion dollar question: how many projects will actually be completed?
- Key macro-economic conditions affecting investors’ decision-making
- Is too much money chasing too few deals?
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| Project financing – bridging the liquidity gap |
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11.15am | Is project finance dead?
- How are GCC projects dealing with fundraising challenges?
- What is the commitment of government to project completion?
- What options are available now that debt is more expensive?
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| | Mr Mark Lemmon, Chief Executive Officer, MENA Infrastructure Fund (UAE)
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12pm | PPPs as a vehicle for increased investment in infrastructure
- What needs to happen for PPPs to work?
- When are PPPs the most attractive option?
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| Integrating infrastructure in your portfolio |
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12.30pm | The development of infrastructure Investments in the MENA
- How have these assets developed in the East vs. the West?
- What has been the role of private equity firms
- What lessons can be learned from Asia?
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| | Mr Rauf Diwan, Chief Executive Officer, General Partner and Manager IDB Infrastructure fund, Emerging Markets Partership
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1pm | Networking lunch sponsored by Nur Advisors
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2.15pm | Investors’ panel: why do the world’s largest investors invest in infrastructure?
- Is infrastructure recession proof?
- Cash rich and option short: what is the new reality for infrastructure funds?
- How can investors gain access to funds?
- Do increased debt levels affect investor confidence?
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3pm | SPEED Networking
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3.30pm | Afternoon refreshments and networking
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| Private equity: the only REAL option? |
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4pm | The distressed investment phenomenon – how distressed
assets offer big gains
- What challenges and opportunities has the credit crunch created for investors?
- How are regional funds influencing global investing?
- How dependent are regional private equity firms on leverage?
- Opportunities for more market responsive fund structures
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4.30pm | Special focus: what do infrastructure funds offer private
equity investors?
- Which sectors offer better returns?
- Can there ever be a secondary market for infrastructure funds?
- Managing overpriced deals and inflated expectations
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| | Mr Abu Chowdhury , Partner - IDB Infrastructure Fund, Emerging Markets Partership Mr Mark Lemmon, Chief Executive Officer, MENA Infrastructure Fund (UAE)
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5.15pm | Close of Day One
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Conference Day Two: Wednesday 6th May 2009
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8.30am | Registration and refreshments
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9am | Chariman’s opening remarks
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9.15am | Special focus on Qatar – Why Qatar? Why now?
- How is Qatar opening its market?
- What infrastructure opportunities are available?
- Which sectors are the most attractive for investment?
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9.45am | Going “green” – the increasing demand for sustainable
infrastructure
- New risks and opportunities fuelled by an increasing demand for sustainable projects
- Integrating “green” assets in your portfolio
- Self sustainable – eco projects: achieving higher returns
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10.15am | Water, wastewater and energy
- Understanding investors’ motivators for investing in water and energy
- Exploring opportunities for investing in traditional and alternative energy – upstream and downstream
- LNG projects - extremely expensive and extremely lucrative
- Is privatisation the way forward?
- What are the risk factors involved?
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11am | Morning refreshments and networking
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11.30am | Transportation
- Examining the opportunities in urban (re)development in the GCC
- Transportation projects in the region – costs, risks and returns
- If money is not a problem, what are the reasons for developing PPPs?
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12pm | Property
- Examining the GCC as the property haven - what are the current investment prospects for properties? Residential, industrial, leisure
- Where to invest - choosing the location with the highest returns
- Examining how generating high level of rental returns can attract significant investment interest in retail spaces
- Comparing land values, approval processes, construction costs and market demand for real estate across the region
- What prospects are there for midmarket/affordable housing?
- How will buoyant private equity flow into leisure real estate properties?
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12.30pm | Networking lunch
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1.45pm | Greenfield vs brownfield – where do the opportunities lie?
- Could greater competition for brownfield investments steer investors towards greenfield projects?
- Does the anticipated higher return of greenfield investments outweigh the additional risk?
- Why do greenfield projects not always imply less predictable cash flows than brownfield?
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2.15pm | Interactive discussions, between 15 to 25 participants, moderated by an industry expert. High level brainstorming and networking
Round Table 1: Project financing - Anthony Pearce, Honorary Director General, International Roads Federation, Switzerland
Round Table 2: Private equity - Simon Monk, Managing Director, Instrata Capital, Bahrain
Round Table 3: Emerging markets - Joseph C.F. Lufkin, Managing Director, Infrastructure Finance Corporation, Philippines
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3pm | Afternoon refreshments and networking
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| Investments for “tomorrow” - emerging markets for infrastructure |
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3.30pm | Searching beyond borders – are we witnessing the
globalisation of infrastructure investments?
- Why are investors searching beyond their borders?
- Which markets offer the best opportunities on a risk/reward system?
- How should wise investors be altering their exposure to each geo-region?
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| Risky business: what do investors need to look out for? |
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4pm | Open discussion: emerging and re-emerging markets:
opportunities and risks for today’s infrastructure equity
investor to consider Moderated by the conference chairman
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4.30pm | Chairman’s closing remarks and close of Day Two
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