The second Myanmar Real Estate Summit (MRES), to be held in Yangon from September 30 to October 1, will hone in on pivotal issues, critical for investing in that country's real-estate development and property sector.

The sector is booming as investors respond positively to the country's economic and political reforms. Burgeoning demand and new opportunities are attracting investments from around the world.

The extent of this can be judged by the fact that Yangon enjoys the highest property prices in Southeast Asia. The explosion in tourism is also leading to an acute shortage of hotels, residential buildings and mixed-use projects.

Apart from new projects, old and existing properties are being refurbished and repositioned for generating incremental revenue.

New at this year's MRES is the spotlight on infrastructure developments, incentives for investments in special economic zones like Thilawa and Myothar Industrial Zone Park, the landscape of hotels and resorts in key tourist attractions such as Mandalay, plus discussions on financing and commercial terms including guidelines on land ownership and structuring joint ventures.

The summit will open with a welcoming address by the chairman of the Htoo Group of Companies, to be followed by a presentation on "Urbanisation of Yangon City: Master Plan and Outlook" by a senior official of the Yangon City Development Committee.

Then there will be another address on "Mandalay as a Tourism and Industrial Hub" by a senior official from the Mandalay City Development Committee.

Among expert speakers from the real-estate industry will be Richard Leech, executive director for retail services at CB Richard Ellis (Vietnam) Co. He is slated to speak on "Retail Sector - Futurescape in Myanmar".

Also on the speaker panel are Masaki Takahara, executive managing director of the Japan External Trade Organisation, with a presentation on "Infrastructure and Industrial Development: Thilawa Special Economic Zone", and Colliers International Myanmar managing director Tony Picon addressing the "Serviced Apartment Landscape in Myanmar".

The summit expects to draw regional and foreign property investors and developers, real-estate analysts, construction and engineering firms, consultants and brokerage firms, hoteliers, financiers and lenders, banks and financial institutions, asset managers and fund managers, real-estate funds, REITs, hedge funds and private equity, insurance firms, law firms, tax consultants, industry regulators and many more.