THE NAMAsaga will be chewed over yet again tomorrow when the Irish Auctioneers & Valuers Instituteholds its annual conference in the Burlington Hotel – an appropriate location given that the hotel is likely to end up, like many another, with the Government bad bank.

Economist Colm McCarthy, who made his name through An Bord Snip, heads up a panel of speakers which also includes Alan Aherne, advisor to the Department of Finance and solicitor Imelda Reynoldsof Beauchamps Solicitors.

Former Savillsboss Aidan O'Hoganis also likely to spell out the problems facing the property industry and he doesn't pull any punches.

Delegates are likely to hear that the market is at best bumping along the bottom. He’s unlikely to share the view that pension funds should start investing in commercial properties given that the slippage in rents is likely to continue for some considerable time yet.

The conference was for many years run as a full weekend knees-up, but this year's format is a lot more modest – a half day event with plenty of time afterwards to discuss the vast amount of distressed properties likely to be put on the market by Namain 2010.