2026 Programme

LREF 2025 showed what’s possible when the right people come together. In 2026, we’re taking that further. Our theme this year – Connectivity – explores how the links between people, places and sectors will define London’s next chapter.

London is already one of the most connected cities in the world – through its global networks, diverse communities and position at the centre of international trade, investment and innovation. But as the city faces generational challenges – such as AI, climate change and shifting geopolitics – the question is no longer whether we are connected, but how well those connections work.

This is where those connections turn into real-world outcomes.

Explore the LREF 2026 agenda below:

Filter: All stages Keynote Stage Interactive Stage Place Stage Innovation Stage The London Centre

Keynote Stage

Great Hall
Hear from industry leaders tackling the biggest challenges shaping London’s built environment, with perspectives from policymakers, investors and developers driving the sector forward.

Interactive Stage

Old Library
Join expert panels and lively discussions exploring the sector’s most pressing issues, with opportunities for audiences to contribute ideas, perspectives and solutions.

Place Stage

Livery Hall
Explore the future of London’s key locations, with insights into major regeneration projects, emerging districts and the partnerships delivering growth across the capital.

Innovation Stage

Print Room
Discover new ideas, technologies and solutions transforming the built environment, with sessions showcasing forward-thinking approaches to development, design and delivery.

The London Centre

Connect with borough leaders shaping London’s neighbourhoods, gain insight into local priorities and explore opportunities for partnership and collaboration across the capital.

Safe haven, resilient returns: London’s office market as the anchor in uncertain times

10:00 - 10:45 | Keynote Stage

In an era defined by geopolitical volatility and economic uncertainty, one investment thesis is crystallising with remarkable clarity: London’s office market represents a rare combination of stability and opportunity. This session examines why international capital is returning to London with office transactions surging over 50% to £9.5bn in 2025. We’ll explore how London has emerged as the “flight-to-quality” destination, with investors identifying London offices as one of the most resilient sectors for 2026.

Key discussion points include:

Why geopolitical uncertainty is strengthening London’s investment appeal
The return of large-scale transactions: 24 deals over £100million completed in 2025, double the previous year’s total
How investors view offices as one of the most resilient sectors through 2026, with exceptional fundamentals
Where smart capital is positioning for the new cycle

Join us to understand why, when the world feels uncertain, global investors are finding certainty in London.

In association with JLL

Building Above the Network: delivering London’s transport integrated development

11:00 - 11:45 | Innovation Stage

Drawing on McLaren’s experience at Angel, Bank and Bond Street, this panel will share insights from delivering complex schemes above and around live TfL infrastructure. The session will explore the practical realities of building over operational assets – from safety, logistics and phasing to design and programme strategy – while examining why these locations have become increasingly attractive post-pandemic. It will also consider how overstation development can create commercially successful, well-integrated destinations that enhance local character, support London’s global competitiveness, and generate vital income to reinvest back into the transport network.

Such developments are now recognised as a critical tool in strengthening London’s economic growth, enhancing local character and supporting the capital’s global competitiveness, while generating vital income to reinvest in the transport network and enable further sustainable, high-density development.

In association with McLaren

Built on Partnership: 10 Years of Broadgate

12:00 - 12:45 | Interactive Stage

With over £1 billion invested by British Land and GIC across six schemes, each conditional on the success of the last, the framework relied on a one-team approach between client, investor and delivery partners. Lessons learned on earlier sites and digital construction advancements informed later phases, improving design decisions and identifying opportunities across the programme.

The panel will unpack what made this partnership work in practice: the principles that underpinned collaboration, the conditions that enabled a global investor to take a leap of faith, and what the industry can learn, including what could have been done differently and why this approach has yet to be adopted more widely.

In association with Sir Robert McAlpine

Housing for Every Londoner: lessons from Stroudley Walk

15:00 - 15:45 | Keynote Stage

The session will explore how the scheme balanced ambitious affordable housing targets with commercial delivery, and how design decisions from housing typologies to public realm, were shaped by local priorities. It will also open a wider conversation about how housing providers are responding to the need for adapted homes across their portfolios, and what lessons projects like Stroudley Walk offer for future developments. Crucially, the scheme demonstrates that responding to specific community needs does not have to come at the expense of viability, showing how developers can still deliver successful, commercially sound projects while making meaningful interventions that support local communities.

At a time when London urgently needs more homes, this session asks how the city can ensure those homes are designed for everyone.

In association with Muse