Wednesday 6th December 2023
09:30am - 4:00pm
Virtual Conference
With the student accommodation crisis mounting and the balance between housing supply and demand widening, this virtual event will examine what real system-wide solutions look like to tackle chronic shortages in student accommodation.
The event will go beyond the recognised challenges and explore the core steps for university leaders, local authorities and the private sector in delivering a coordinated response to supply.
Participants will gain fresh insights on understanding their accommodation market and capacity, how core pressure points are evolving and what effective long-term planning looks like. Those in attendance will also consider action points on international student demand, the role of private partners and how to address the tough questions on managing student expectations.
This solution focussed conference will allow you to take-away key action points for your institution in addressing student accommodation.
Headline Speakers
Martin Blakey
Former CEO, Unipol and Commentator on Student Housing
Sarah Jones
Chair
British Property Federation, Student Accommodation Committee
Sam Bailey-Watts
Consultant in the UK Student Housing Sector
Agenda
9:30 am
Chair’s Welcome Address
Victoria Stanbury
Deputy Residential Service Manager, Anglia Ruskin University
South East Representative, Association for Student Residential Accommodation (ASRA) (CONFIRMED)
9:40 am
The State the Student Accommodation Crisis and How to Develop a System-Wide Response
The state of the student housing market and what chronic shortages mean for future planning and recruitment
How the lack of appropriate accommodation provision is holding back progress on student experience, belonging and wellbeing?
How can students be meaningfully supported as housing costs far outstrip maintenance loans?
What actionable short- and medium-term solutions can be delivered to address the supply and demand imbalance?
What does a system-wide approach look like that supports strategic alignment between providers, local government, developers and the private rental market?
What responsibility do universities have for wider housing stock availability?
Sarah Jones
Chair
British Property Federation, Student Accommodation Committee (CONFIRMED)
Timothy Owen
Associate Director Student Accommodation
University of Birmingham (CONFIRMED)
Katy Lemmon
Accommodation Manager
University of Liverpool (CONFIRMED)
10:40 am
Understanding Your Accommodation Market: Capacity, Supply and Interventions
Exploring the changing landscape on supply and demand of student accommodation
Bridging the market intelligence deficit with robust evaluation of system capacity, service availability and how operation interventions can be designed
Working with all partners in a university town to examine the pressures on housing stock, beyond just first-year intakes
Delivering a reality check on the disconnect between international recruitment targets and accommodation supply
How institutions can proactively seek to manage supply and demand through controlled recruitment strategies
Martin Blakey
Former CEO, Unipol and Commentator on Student Housing (CONFIRMED)
11:10 am
Break and Networking
11:30 am
The Continuing Challenge of Student Housing in Scotland
The purpose built sector and possible urban futures
Student HMOs and wider private rental market difficulties
2023 is better overall but the structural challenges remain
Policy tensions and ways forward
Professor Ken Gibb
Director and Principal Investigator
UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE) (CONFIRMED)
12:00 pm
British Property Federation: I Love it When a Plan Comes Together!
The current planning landscape
How to better plan for PBSA
What does good look like at a local level?
Other policy constraints on supply in the sector
Ian Fletcher
Director of Policy
British Property Federation (CONFIRMED)
12:30 pm
Break and Networking
1:10 pm
Students of the Future and What This Means for Accommodation
Jenny Shaw
HE External Engagement Director
The Unite Group (CONFIRMED)
1:50 pm
What about Developers and PBSA? Solutions in Developing Student Housing Stock and Overcoming the Barriers to Progress
Managing the obstacles on joined up partnership between developers and universities
Balancing capital investment to ensure accommodation growth reflects the service capacity of the academic estate
What successful partnership with investors and private developers looks like and how to support meaningful engagement to meet student demand
How to support developers to deliver diverse and multi-functional supply that prepares for evolving needs, rather than just the top-end of the market
Driving thinking on long term investment and planning that matches the wider strategic aims of an institution’s growth
Sam Bailey-Watts
Consultant in the UK Student Housing Sector (CONFIRMED)
2:20 pm
Break and Networking
2:40 pm
The Challenging Questions on Provision and What it Means for Expectation Management for New Cohorts
In the short-term demand is far outstripping supply in many housing markets, placing a need on institutions to manage expectations and have challenging conversations with future intakes. This panel will consider some of the difficult questions the sector must ask itself when working with students:
Can we still offer accommodation guarantees and who to?
What is the role of accommodation supply from commutable locations and what does this mean for the student experience?
How can we manage conversations around affordability and accommodation preference with new students?
Should institutions re-evaluate their role in accommodation provision and how can that be balanced with recruitment levels?
Laura Maclean
Head of Accommodation and Customer Services
University of Kent (CONFIRMED)
Ed Naylor
Head of Accommodation and Student Living
Liverpool John Moores University (CONFIRMED)
3:20 pm
Wellbeing, Belonging and Financial Drain: How Do We Support Students Navigating the Accommodation Crisis?
Embedding accommodation crisis concerns into student interventions across all student service touchpoints
Joining the dots on accommodation challenges with action on engagement and continuation
Exploring innovative approaches to belonging and developing a sense of community amid a more fractured campus life
Katy Lemmon
Accommodation Manager
University of Liverpool (CONFIRMED)
Christopher Tucker
Director of Residence Life
The University of Edinburgh (CONFIRMED)
Conference Close
4:00 pm
* Programme subject to change
Audience
Directors of Strategic Planning
Heads of Student Services
Chief Operating Officers
Directors of Estates
Directors of Student Services
Heads of Student Wellbeing
Pro Vice Chancellors
Registrars
Directors of Student Experience
Heads of Student Recruitment
Vice Chancellors
Director of Residences and Residential Services
All local authority and private sector leaders concerned with student housing supply are also encouraged to attend.
Pricing
Public Sector
£395 + VAT
Public sector attendance
Private Sector
£595 + VAT
Private sector attendance
HE Professional
£395 + VAT
Access all events and content
For group discounts and enquiries about your registration please contact us on 020 3770 6580 or enquiries@heprofessional.co.uk
What is a HE Professional Subscription?
HE Professional is a new subscription package allowing you to attend all our events over the next 12 months for just £395 + VAT.
As a member you also gain exclusive access to our premium content, allowing you to explore the latest practice, innovation and ideas for professional service leaders in higher education.
