Speaker: Steve Coulson CEO and founder, Kitt Chair: Tim Burke, editor, Estates Gazette

While capital continues to chase a narrow pool of prime trophy assets, the industry may be looking for value in the wrong place. This episode explores the "missing middle", the vast majority of the UK office market consisting of smaller, operationally under-managed buildings that represent the sector's biggest untapped opportunity.

We discuss why the future of UK offices isn’t in new developments, but in the strategic transformation of existing stock. Join us as we break down why the modern arbitrage is purely operational and how investment-grade managed space has officially arrived as the next evolution of the office model.

Speaker: Bev Craig, leader, Manchester City Council Chair: Evelina Grecenko, senior reporter, Estates Gazette

Greater Manchester has spent a decade as the UK’s fastest-growing city region, with productivity consistently outpacing the national average. This success is no accident; it is the result of a long-term leadership approach and a consistent vision that integrates investment in skills and public health to drive a genuine increase in quality of life.

In this episode, Bev Craig, leader of Manchester City Council, discusses how the city region is leveraging its trailblazing devolution powers to deliver a £38bn boost to the UK economy by 2035. We explore the launch of the Good Growth Fund, a landmark vehicle designed to pump-prime 2 million sq ft of employment space and nearly 3,000 new homes in its first wave alone.

Speakers: Nick Mumby, partner, Gowling WLG Chair: Tim Burke, editor, Estates Gazette

Real estate is increasingly an operational business rather than a passive investment play. As funding conditions stabilise and sentiment improves, private capital is gravitating toward sectors where hands-on operating capability can drive performance and create value beyond traditional financial engineering.

This episode explores how investors and operators are navigating today’s sustained capital costs defined by viability pressures, constraints and persistent planning friction. With living sectors continuing to attract capital and overseas investors weighing regulatory and macroeconomic risks, the ability to value-add and execute rather than just allocate is emerging as the key differentiator.

If returns in 2026 are shaped by delivery, execution and operational discipline, where is private capital placing its bets and what does the next phase of operational real estate activity look like?