PropTechBuzz, the leading digital marketing and community platform for real estate professionals, is thrilled to present this exclusive podcast featuring Debbie Tagg, the visionary Reside Summit Chair. In this insightful conversation with host Alaviya Rizvi, Debbie Tagg sheds light on the groundbreaking Reside Summit 2024, set to transform the South African residential development landscape through collaboration, innovation, and community building.
Debbie Tagg, a seasoned expert in creating community engagement and collaboration across fragmented industries, has been at the helm of the Reside Summit since its launch two years ago. With a mission to serve the residential investment development space in southern Africa, the summit brings together over 45 industry affiliates, spanning government, finance, property development, and emerging sectors like AirBnB and buy-to-let. Through a dynamic four-day program featuring the InvestorCon masterclasses, SALGA Local Government Showcase, Reside RE-TECH Conference, and prestigious Reside Awards & Gala Dinner, the summit aims to address fundamental housing challenges, promote innovation, and foster pan-African collaboration.
When asked about her background, Tagg shares, “I’m not a property expert. I’ve actually only been within the residential space for the last two years, but in fact, what I have enjoyed is working within various industries and creating community engagement, especially when you are trying to create collaboration when it’s quite fragmented, when it’s quite broad, and especially when there’s interaction with the government around implementing change and economic development.”
Recognizing the lack of a platform that served the entire residential value chain in southern Africa, Tagg was approached two years ago to launch the Reside Summit. “We started as the residential investment and development conference and then soon realized very quickly that there were a lot of moving parts,” she explains. “After the soft launch last year, we launched extra legs and elements around it, from awards to real estate technology to even looking at your property investor.”
Under the powerful theme of “Transforming Spaces, Enriching Lives,” Reside Summit 2024 aims to tackle critical issues in the housing sector. Tagg elaborates, “Starting with the first day, where we have a collaboration dialogue between local government, we have a number of the local municipalities coming and engaging with developers. As I think in any country, but especially within South Africa, we have local challenges, infrastructure, red tape, just trying to get projects up and running. And, of course, we know fundamentally that housing is an economic issue. If there’s not substantial social housing and affordable housing close to where people need to work and live, you know, you can have individuals three hours either way on public transport just trying to make a living.”
1. InvestorCon: “InvestorCon has three streams. It is very practically focused. We have a host of each stream: buy-to-let, student accommodation, and Airbnb. We’ve invited individuals and entrepreneurs that have actually successfully implemented in any of those areas and are sharing their tools, their templates. It is very workshop-driven.”
2. SALGA Local Government Property Showcase: “SALGA stands for the South African Local Government Association. They represent all the municipalities across South Africa. We’ve decided to focus on only three provinces—Gauteng, Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal. We’ve invited various representatives within those municipalities, someone heading up human settlements, town planning, and even just actually from an investment point of view to share with private sector developers what opportunities there are.”
The showcase will also feature an eye-opening study conducted by the Center for Affordable Housing Finance in Africa (CAHF), which delves into the frustrations private sector developers face when working with local governments. This study aims to encourage an open and honest dialogue to reduce red tape and streamline the development process.
3. Reside RE-TECH Conference: “It’s not just on AI. AI has been around for a long time, so I think we’ll have some insights into that, but also even some of our speakers will be coming to bring some global insights of conferences they were just at in the US, what’s being done there. But we also want to acknowledge local real estate tech providers.”
The conference will explore a wide range of innovative trends and technologies, such as the use of data analytics to drive residential development forward, the application of modular and sustainable building methods, and the integration of smart home technologies to enhance the living experience. Attendees will also learn about the latest advancements in property management software and virtual reality tools for property showcasing.
4. Reside Awards & Gala Dinner: “We had entries in every single category. We’ve had great entries. We had 20 judges judging across the categories, and in fact, we have now finalized all the winners with a week to go. We’re very excited. We have worked on both a ratings system as well as a first, second, and third. So it’s going to be a lovely evening where we recognize close to 40 winners across 13 categories.”
The awards will celebrate excellence in various aspects of residential development, including innovative design in social housing, sustainable retirement communities, groundbreaking proptech solutions, and outstanding contributions by individuals and organizations. This prestigious event aims to showcase the industry’s best practices and inspire further innovation.
Tagg shares her personal excitement, saying, “For me, just the learning, because like I said, I’m only two years in. Last year felt like a lot of new names and faces, but I do feel now that it’s a bit of an industry and a family that we’ve gotten to know. Again, just seeing all the moving parts—there’s a very, this is a very passionate industry.”
While the Reside Summit was initially launched with a focus on South Africa, its impact and reputation have organically spread across borders. Tagg notes, “I know we launched this for South Africa last year, but we actually have a number of delegates coming from across Africa already. So really excited to grow that as well, and we hope to have a lot more. If anyone’s watching this, this is not just a South African event. I can already see the African flavor around it, so we’re looking forward to growing that as well.”
As the official media and community partner, PropTech Buzz will be providing in-depth coverage and exclusive content throughout Reside Summit 2024. “We’re very excited to partner with PropTech Buzz,” Tagg emphasizes. “I think it’s such a robust platform. You offer such value to those on it, so you’ll start to learn a lot more about this region.”
Listeners can stay updated on the latest developments by joining the Reside Summit community page, where they can access insights, event updates, and connect with fellow professionals. PropTech Buzz will also be launching a dedicated app and providing live-streaming coverage during the event.
As the countdown to Reside Summit 2024 begins, the anticipation is palpable. Tagg concludes with an open invitation, “Come if you can, and what I mentioned right up front is we want to work with bodies and affiliate bodies. So if you are aligned, even to non-South African, African bodies, let us know. We are happy to work with them. The way that Reside works is that if you as a delegate or an attendee want to be part of this, come through with your affiliate, and they’ve got literally 50% attendance rates and discounts. For us, really, we just don’t want to leave anyone behind, and as long as it’s affordable, we’re going to make sure that everyone is there next week and going forward.” This event serves as a catalyst for fostering creativity, collaboration, and the development of prosperous communities throughout the African continent. To join this innovative movement, please visit residesummit.co.za and secure your spot at Reside Summit 2024.
If you are a proptech company and want to promote your products for free, go to proptechbuzz.com and submit your products. For investors or proptech buyers, sign up on our platform to stay informed about exciting updates and trends in the Proptech Ecosystem.
Explore more Proptech news at proptechbuzz.com/news, for news tips and promotions, reach out to marketing@proptechbuzz.com.
By Proptechbuzz
By Ravi Kumar
