Around the Town: Events Seminars Meetings Talks.

NRC Lunch

Jan. 7 - Benjamin Fox, executive vice president, Newmark New Spectrum Retail LLC will be the featured speaker at a National Realty Club lunch from noon to 2 p.m. at the Williams Club, 24 East 39th St. (between Park and Madison Avenues) His topic will be "The New York City Retail Market." The cost is members $40 and non-members $60. (We cannot bill non-members!) Please call Tamara Beck or Burton Beck to reserve now at [phone]. Reservations are imperative. Members: Please cancel by Jan. 4 to avoid billing to your Williams Club account. Non-Members must pay in advance: Send payment ($60) to NRC 380 Lexington. Avenue, Suite 1700, New York, NY 10168.

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B'nai B'rith Lunch

Jan. 9 - Raymond W. Gastil, executive director of Van Alen Institute: Projects in Public Architecture in New York City, will be guest speaker at the next luncheon meeting of B'nai B'rith Real Estate to be held at noon at the Cornell Club, 6 East 44th St., Ivy Room. Gastil's topic will be "New York New Visions," on opportunities for rebuilding downtown Manhattan from a planning and architectural perspective. Call Daniel Shahrabani at [phone] to secure your reservation for the luncheon. Admission for members is $45 in advance and $55 at the door. Non-members' admission is $55. All nonmembers should register and send a check in advance, as there will be no guarantee for seat availability on the day of the event. Make checks payable to B'nai B'rith Real Estate and mail to Daniel Shahrabani at Chelsea Capital, 377 Fifth Ave., Suite 500, New York, NY 10016.

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ABO Lunch

Jan. 10 -- The Associated Builders and Owners of Greater New York will hold its monthly luncheon starting at noon. Richard Ravitch will be the featured speaker at the event. The luncheon will take place at the National Arts Club, at 15 Gramercy Park South. Members: $60 per person. Non-members: $75 per person. For registration and additional information please call [phone].

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IREM Luncheon

Jan. 15 - The Greater New York Chapter of the Institute of Real Estate management will hold its monthly luncheon from 11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. William C. Thompson, New York City's comptroller elect, will be the featured speaker at the event. The luncheon will take place at the New York Helmsley Hotel, at 212 E. 42nd St. The fee is $65 per person. For registration or additional information please call [phone].

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Common Ground Meeting

Jan. 17 -- The Common Ground Community organization will hold its annual meeting from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. The meeting will take place at the Prince George Ballroom, at 14 E. 28th St. For registration and additional information please call Karen Trella at [phone].

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CREW*NY Breakfast

Jan. 18 - CREW*NY (Commercial Real Estate Women of New York) and the Urban Land Institute jointly sponsor an informational panel about the events of Sept. 11 and the future of downtown Manhattan from 8 to 10 a.m., at The Regent Wall Street Hotel, 55 Wall St., New York, NY. Free to CREW*NY members, $35 non-members. Register at www.crewny.com or call 212-386-9237.

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NRC Lunch

Jan. 22 - Toby Thacher, president, Thacher Associates, will be the guest speaker at a National Realty Club lunch from noon to 2 p.m. at the Williams Club, 24 East 39th St. (between Park & Madison Avenues.) His topic is "Maximizing Security after Sept. 11." The cost is members $40 and non-members $60. (We cannot bill non-members!) Please call Tamara Beck or Burton Beck to reserve now at [phone]. Reservations are imperative. Members should cancel by Jan. 4 to avoid billing to your Williams Club account. Non-Members must pay in advance: Send payment ($60) to NRC 380 Lexington Avenue, Suite 1700, New York, NY 10168.

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NYARM Lunch

Jan.23 - The New York Association of Realty Managers (NYARM) holds its monthly membership meeting, with this month's guest speaker, United States Congressman Jerrold Nadler, discussing residential real estate and housing issues in New York City. Starts noon through 2 p.m. at Tavern on the Green, Central Park at West 67th Street. NYARM members $60; nonmembers $100. Reservations required. [phone].

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PWC forum

Jan. 24 -- Professional Women In Construction will present "Developers Forum / NJ Riverfront" from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Yale Club, 50 Vanderbilt Ave. Featured speakers include Mitchell Hersh, CEO, Mack-Cali, Inc.; Emanuel Stem, president and COO, Hartz Mountain Industries, Inc. and others to be announced. Moderator is Lois Weiss, real estate journalist, New York Post. Tickets are $75 ($10 surcharge at door if no reservation). Sponsorship and program ads are available. For reservations and information call PWC at [phone], fax [phone], email: [e-mail].

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Estate Planning Seminar

Jan. 24 -- The Israel America Foundation will hold a seminar entitled "Estate Planning Strategies for 2001" from 2 to 4p.m. The seminar will discuss such topics as the Tax Act of 2002, charitable remainder trusts, and catastrophic health insurance. The event will take place at the Workmen's Circle, at 45 E. 33rd St., between Madison and Park Avenues. For registration and additional information please call [phone].

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AREW Reception

Jan. 31 - The Association of Real Estate Women (AREW) will hold their Mid-Winter Networking Cocktail Reception from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Steelcase Penthouse Showroom, 4 Columbus Circle at Broadway. The reception is being sponsored by Quartararo & Associates, Tishman Interiors & Technologies and Steelcase Inc. The cost is $75 for AREW members and $100 for non-members. For security reasons, reservations, with payment, are due by Jan. 28. Send check made payable to AREW to: AREW, c/o Monica Rich, Swanke Hayden Connell, 295 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10012. For additional AREW information, log on to www.arew.org, e-mail to [e-mail] or call [phone].

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REBNY Course

Jan. 31 to March 21 -- The Real Estate Board of New York will offer a 45-hour qualifying course on eight consecutive Thursdays, starting at 9 a.m. The course will discuss real estate agency disclosure, finance, general business law, construction and development, etc. The classes will take place in the lower lobby of 570 Lexington Ave. Members: $250 per person. Non-members: $350 per person. For registration and additional information please call [phone].

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AREW Lunch

Feb. 5 - Larry A. Silverstein, president and chief executive of Silverstein Properties, Inc., will the guest speaker at the Association of Real Estate Women (AREW) luncheon at the Harvard Club, 27 West 44th St. (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues). A networking reception with no-host bar begins at 11:30 a.m. followed by the luncheon and program at 12:30 p.m. Caran Properties Inc. is the luncheon sponsor. AREW members may attend the luncheon at no charge. The cost for nonmembers is $75 per person. Send check made payable to AREW to Stephanie Butler, First American Title Insurance Company of New York, 633 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017-3303. Reservations are due by Jan. 30. For additional AREW information, log on to www.arew.org, e-mail to [e-mail] or call [phone].

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REBNY Seminar

Feb. 6 -- The seminar committee of the Real Estate Board of New York will sponsor "Negotiating in Today's Cautious Market" 8 a.m. at 780 Third Ave. An owner, a tenant's representative and two attorneys will be the participants in the seminar dealing with issues that have become more urgent since Sept. 11. The panel moderator will be Michael R. Laginestra, vice chairman of Insignia/ESG. The panel will include Jonathan Mechanic, chairman of Fried Frank's real estate practice; Robert Selsam, senior vice president of the New York office of Boston Properties; Kenneth Siegel, managing director of Jones Lang LaSalle and Chris Smith, a partner of Shearman & Sterling. The cost is $20 for REBNY members and $30 for nonmembers. Respond to Angela Hussain at [phone] by Jan. 30.