Never one to miss the opportunity of an audience, especially with the European elections scheduled for June, Munster MEP Pat Cox will be the star turn at the Irish Auctioneers & Valuers Institute's annual conference in Waterford next month. Mr Cox is due to speak on Dealing with the Euro as a Reality and its relevance to the Property Industry in Ireland.

In the new era of cross-Border co-operation, the institute has invited the head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, John L. Semple, to tell its members how the proposed North/South structure will affect the Irish property industry.

The two-day conference will be officially opened by the IAVI president, Gerry Slattery, and the guest speaker at the gala banquet will be Minister for State at the Department of Finance, Martin Cullen. He may have to be airlifted out given the strong resentment among agents to the Government's bias against residential investors.