The largest industry event on student living in Europe to be held in Berlin. The Class Conference 2019: The Future is Blended will be hosted by The Class of 2020, a European think-tank that shapes the future of living, learning, and working in university cities. The think-tank will welcome real estate, higher education and government high-level professionals from across the globe at their annual conference in Berlin.

The Future is Blended – The impact and implication of the blurring boundaries of living, learning, and working for the footloose generation of millennials and Gen Zs in university-cities.

Berlin, 6 & 7 November 2019: The Class of 2020, a European think-tank will welcome over 800 real estate, higher education, and government high-level experts and leaders from across the globe at their annual conference.

The event themed Blended Living will explore: 

- The Student housing markets and the future of PBSA (models) in Europe and beyond; 

- The Co-Revolution: co-working, co-living, micro-apartments; 

- New concepts for blending intergenerational living; 

- The Urban Campus methodology; innovation hubs and talent ecosystems; 

- The rise of branch campuses: new talent geographies in post-Brexit Europe; 

- Funding the University of the Future: real estate as a leverage; 

- The digitalisation of higher education and work; the role of tech and platforms; 

- Models for affordability; fostering inclusive cities and communities.

Are our shared urban living models really blending together? What are the drivers influencing how students and young talent are living?

"Berlin is the international location in Germany where the topics of the future emerge and are dealt with. The theme of the conference is hot in Berlin and the discussion is very controversial. Increasingly scarce space is being sought after by various target groups," says Burkhard Volbracht, Head of Unit Talent at Berlin Partner.

This interactive touring conference will focus around the core theme of ‘Blended Living’ and explore all the blends the students and young professionals encounter in their urban living experience. It will be held in the spectacular ‘Arena Berlin’; an industrial monument that is situated on the River Spree, where attendees will immerse themselves in the latest urban living trends and market developments.

Brian Welsh, CEO at Nido Student and one of the speakers at the conference, highlighted the ‘blended living’ concept, "With an ever-increasing level of connectivity, the boundaries between where we live, work and learn are increasingly blurred. The demand for flexible, connected and instagrammable spaces that can be for living, working, or learning is high, driven by an increasingly digital society. Integrating tech into the fabric of buildings with fluid, adaptable design is key to future proof the spaces and communities we’re creating now."

The conference will give attendees the chance to discuss and learn about the latest trends and innovations in urban living in the European context, exploring everything from the legacy of traditional student accommodation to co-living and co-working spaces that create a new knowledge ecosystem in the university-cities, including the host city, Berlin.

"We will be looking at how disruptive smart technology can transform purpose-built student accommodation by unlocking totally new approaches to customer experience, streamlining operations and using big data to truly understand how buildings are used for living, learning and working," says Tom White, Sales and Marketing Director at Glide.

Blended living evolves around the changing needs and desires of the millennials and Gen Zs. The Student Hotel is one of the forefront players of a hybrid model that reflects the blurring of boundaries between student housing, coliving, hotel accommodation. Charlie MacGregor, CEO and Founder of The Student Hotel, who is another key speaker, explains: "Our concept is the first in the world that’s able to cater to all of these groups under one roof with short- and long-stay accommodation, co-working, restaurant areas, gyms and events programmes which connect people from all walks of life, bringing together students, travellers, freelancers, entrepreneurs and neighbourhood locals."

There will be around 100 high-profile speakers across the two days, including: Oke Hauser, Creative Lead, MINI Living; Gunther Schmidt, CEO Medici/QUARTERS- CEO; Adam Brockley, Founder & Global CDO, Scape; Prof. Dr Philipp Bouteiller, CEO, Tegel Projekt GmbH; Emmanuel Javal, CEO, Le Grand Reservoir; Rainer Nonnegässer, CEO, International Campus Group; Jill Ju, Global Investment Director, The Collective; Brian Welsh, CEO, Nido Student; Anil Khera, CEO, Node; Nathan Goddard, CEO, Student Roost; Charlie MacGregor, CEO & Founder, The Student Hotel.

Top image courtesy of The Class Conference 2019

> via The Class Conference 2019