12/01/08

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CBRE cancels 2009 international conference

CB Richard Ellis canceled its 2009 World Conference, a gathering that has drawn headline speakers such as Al Gore and Colin Powell.

The company cited a poor economy as a reason to halt the event, which in the past has attracted sponsors such as Oxford and BH Properties.

"This was not an easy decision, but one that will relieve our clients, sponsors and exhibitors of a significant expense at a time when the business community faces a challenging economic environment," the company said on its Web site.

There was no conference planned for 2008, but in 2007 former vice president Al Gore was the headline speaker at the gathering in Toronto. The three-day event included a concert by singer Sheryl Crow. The top sponsorship was advertised at $100,000 on the company's Web site.

The 2006 event was held in San Fransisco, with former defense secretary Colin Powell as the headliner. The 2005 conference was held in Las Vegas, where the headline speaker was Herb Meyer, special assistant to the director of Central Intelligence, in the Reagan administration.

The most recent conference attracted several thousand people worldwide from CBRE and other real estate firms such as Jones Lang LaSalle and Bank of America.