The half-day conference, sponsored by Cal State Northridge's Center for Real Estate, will offer a focused look at the uniquely complex and critical real estate challenges facing the Valley and how they will shape its future. The conference will take place from 7 a.m. to noon on March 8 at the Hilton Hotel in Universal City.

Keynote speakers include futurist and author Joel Kotkin and Hessan Nadji, managing director of research services for Marcus & Millichap, the largest real estate brokerage in the nation.

Kotkin is author of "The City: A Global History" and "The New Geography, How the Digital Revolution is Reshaping the American Landscape." A recognized regional and international authority on economic, political and social trends, Kotkin is an Irvine Fellow at the New America Foundation. He also serves as a senior research fellow at Baruch College and as visiting lecturer at the Southern California Institute of Architecture.

One of the real estate industry's top analysts, Nadji oversees Marcus & Millichap's research division, including economic and real estate information tracking, analysis and publications.

The day will feature presentations by more than 30 real estate experts on such topics as "Land Use," "Financing the Future," "The Changing Face of Retail," "Apartments: Finding Investment Opportunities in a Sellers' Market" and "Office and Industrial Properties in 2015."

Pre-conference registration is $95 or $110 at the door. For more information about the Outlook, call (818) 677-3621 or visit the Web site http://www.csun.edu/cre/.

The Center for Real Estate is located in Cal State Northridge's College of Business and Economics. Its mission is to promote the professional growth and development of faculty, students and real estate practitioners by providing a forum for the discussion of current real estate issues, providing professional and advisory services and offering education opportunities.