More than 400 North American Real Estate investors and executives to attend

TORONTO, April 4, 2013 /CNW/ - CIBC (TSX: CM) (NYSE: CM) - CIBC will host its 18^th annual Real Estate Conference on Wednesday, April 10, 2013, at the Fairmont Royal York.

The conference will feature three panel discussions that will focus on key issues facing the industry.

The Transaction Landscape/Property Markets Panel will look at recent and expected trends in commercial real estate related to property markets in the corporate merger and acquisition arena. 

Moderators: Scott Antoniak, Executive Director, Canadian Real Estate Investment Banking, CIBC World Markets Inc. and Melissa Li, Executive Director, Mergers & Acquisitions, CIBC World Markets Inc.

Panelists: Jon Love, Managing Partner, KingSett Capital Inc; Armin Martens, President & Chief Executive Officer, Artis REIT; Bradley Trotter, Managing Director, GE Real Estate Capital; Blair Welch, Managing Partner, Slate Properties Inc; and Paul Zemla, Chief Investment Officer, Bentall Kennedy (Canada) LP.

The Canadian Retail Landscape Panel will discuss the changes and increased competition in Canada's retail space.

Moderators: Alex Avery, Executive Director, Institutional Equity Research, CIBC World Markets Inc. and Allan Kimberley, Managing Director & Vice Chair, Canadian Real Estate Investment Banking, CIBC World Markets Inc.

Panelists: Donald Clow, President and Chief Executive Officer, Crombie REIT; Dori Segal, President and Chief Executive Officer, First Capital Realty Inc; Michael Turner, Senior Vice-President, Real Estate Management, Oxford Properties Group; and Frederic Waks, Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, RioCan REIT.

The Globalization of Real Estate and Capital Flows Panel will examine financing and investing in equity and debt securities in the real estate space.

Moderators: Jeff Appleby, Executive Director, Canadian Real Estate Investment Banking, CIBC World Markets Inc. and Dan Nowlan, Managing Director & Co-Head, Equity Capital Markets, CIBC World Markets Inc.

Panelists: Thomas Farley, President & Chief Operating Officer, Brookfield Office Properties Inc; Russell Goin, Executive Vice-President, Investments, Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited; Patrick Handreke, President & Chief Executive Officer, Northam Realty Advisors Limited; Robert Landin, Chief Executive Officer, Milestone Apartments Real Estate Investment Trust; and Michael Missaghie, Portfolio Manager, Sentry Investments.

The conference will open with a market overview presented by Chris Bell and Mark Johnson, Managing Directors and Group Co-Heads, Canadian Real Estate Investment Banking, CIBC World Markets Inc. Avery Shenfeld, Chief Economist at CIBC will also provide an overview of the global economy and the outlook for the North American Real Estate market.

The event is by invitation only. Media wishing to attend are required to register in advance by calling (416) 980-4048. More information on the conference, including an agenda and a list of presenting companies can be found at: http://conferences.cibcwm.com/login.asp?cid=REALESTATE2013 (password REIB13). A live audiocast will be available from this link on the day of the conference.

CIBC's wholesale banking business provides a range of integrated credit and capital markets products, and investment banking to clients in key financial markets in North America and around the world. We provide innovative capital solutions and advisory expertise across a wide range of industries as well as top-ranked research for our corporate, government and institutional clients.

SOURCE: CIBC