From 23–25 September, REA brought together 25 members in Zurich for the first city trip of the 2026/27 academic year. Three days of office visits, asset tours and conversations offered a close look at the firms shaping the Swiss and global real estate markets.
Members joined from Cambridge, Paris, Barcelona, Milan, Copenhagen, Munich, Zurich, Geneva-Lausanne, Rotterdam and Amsterdam. For many, it was their first time in Zurich. The schedule made sure they got to know it quickly.
Day 1: BNP, Blackstone and UBS
Wednesday began at BNP Paribas Real Estate, moving from an introduction and breakfast at the office to a tour of one of the team’s recently completed, iconic projects, Haus zum Falken.
Next came a walk through the University of Zurich campus and a private guest lecture with senior professionals from Blackstone. The conversation connected fundraising and private wealth with the firm’s real estate and infrastructure strategies: where capital comes from, flows to, and how the different parts of the global platform come together.
The afternoon continued with UBS at the former Credit Suisse headquarters on Paradeplatz. Senior portfolio and asset management professionals discussed the market in a boardroom with its own place in Swiss banking history, which hosts told the group had been the boardroom used for the Credit Suisse takeover decisions. An asset tour around central Zurich then shifted the focus to the practical work of managing the portfolio, before drinks with the UBS team.
The evening continued over a private dinner in one of Zurich’s traditional guild houses. Dinner, as it turned out, was not the final stop…
Day 2: E.d. Rothschild, Schroders Capital, Julius Baer and JLL
Thursday started early with Edmond de Rothschild at a recently acquired property. The investment lead for German-speaking Switzerland walked members through the acquisition and repositioning strategy on site, giving the group a direct look at the thinking behind a live project.
At Schroders Capital, the discussion widened to European real estate. A session with the team, including its Head of European Real Estate, combined an introduction to the platform with a case study of projects in Spain.
A session at the Julius Baer Academy gave members exposure to both the private bank, and Julius Baer Real Estate’s brokerage and valuations business.
The final company stop was JLL’s office in Prime Tower, where the team shared its perspective on the Swiss market. Drinks and conversations followed, before the group headed to dinner together and, for those still going, another bar afterwards.
Day 3: Partners Group in Zug
With some members heading home, a smaller group travelled to Partners Group’s headquarters in Zug on Friday.
The day included a campus tour, an introduction to the firm’s broader platform and a closer look at its real estate private equity business. Lunch with the professionals gave everyone time to continue the conversation. After three packed days crossing Zurich, it was a relaxed way to finish.
A strong start to the year
Across three days, members followed real estate from capital raising and portfolio strategy through to acquisitions, development and hands-on asset management. Hearing directly from the people doing that work, then visiting the buildings themselves, made the information tangible.
Just as much happened between the sessions. Shared meals, late evenings and roughly 15,000 steps a day gave people from different cities and countries time to get to know each other. The weather did its part too, showing Zurich at its best.
The trip also marked the start of the broader REA Switzerland Platform, bringing students across the country together through a national platform connected to the wider international network.
As the first of more than a dozen city trips planned for 2026–27 across the entire network, Zurich set the bar high.
