Program Overview

Every once in a while, a commercial real estate firm emerges that defines a new set of rules rather than follow the old ones. The built environment, by its very nature, needs to change with the times in order to stay relevant and more important, profitable. Historically, we have seen real estate change right before our eyes as recently evidenced by the acceleration that the pandemic has had on the changes to office, retail, industrial and multifamily buildings.

QuadReal Property Group, a Canadian based international real estate organization founded in 2016, has over $67 billion in assets under management, with 1,200+ employee. They are considered one of the most innovative real estate companies not by words but actions. While many firms speak of digital transformation, QuadReal’s senior executives have made it an integral part of their overall strategy.

We will hear from a group of senior executives who will talk about the creation of the digitally influenced strategy, executive leadership buy in and involvement, integration into all business units, assembling the right internal and external teams, and finally, the business success that has resulted from their innovative approach.

For over 20 years, Realcomm has relied on our Advisory Council and co-chairs to help us better understand what is going on in our industry and what major issues are developing. It is through the lens of these industry thought leaders representing some of the most visionary, successful and innovative companies that the trends are identified.

We are excited to welcome our Realcomm and IBcon co-chairs to the General Session stage to discuss the state of real estate technology, or PropTech, as it's also known. We will discuss the impact of the pandemic on how we operate and use buildings and its short, mid and long term impacts on the industry, hybrid, cyber, ESG, smart buildings, the talent challenge, as well as a lively debate on some of the emerging technologies that will impact the built environment!

Our industry was already going through major changes prior to the pandemic. The last two years of working, shopping and learning from home further accelerated the digital transformation taking place in our society. Yardi, as one of the largest and most influential automated solutions providers to the built environment, has unique access to data and emerging trends that are occurring in our industry. We are pleased to have Anant Yardi, Founder and CEO join us to present the state of the industry.

When it comes to digitizing physical space, IoT integrations are extremely complex and challenging. There’s a wide variety of PropTech solutions that may initially appear compelling, but when looked at more deeply, fail to meet the test of aligning with the client’s business model. Technology providers need to understand this and be willing to adapt to their client’s vision and strategy, not the other way around. In addition, vendors need to commit to working through implementation and adoption challenges, from start to successful result. In this session, we examine how QuadReal Property Group has made aligning PropTech solutions with their vision and policy an integral part of their overall strategy.

The pandemic accelerated the conversation on healthy buildings especially focused on indoor air quality (IAQ). Creating healthy workplaces was suddenly a top concern, not only because of virus transmission, but also as studies proved the negative effects of common indoor pollutants. IAQ technology that can significantly improve indoor environments not only benefits health and wellness but has been shown to positively impact productivity. With advances in sensors, monitoring solutions, analytics and a new generation of standards, IAQ technology has come a long way. The enlightening session showcases the most innovative IAQ technologies and how to use them to drive better outcomes.

Every Investment Management (IM) company has their own business objectives, investment goals, portfolio mix, application sets, data structures, and experiences. Learning from another company’s software selection and implementation experience can provide key insights on plotting a technology roadmap around known landmines. This session is designed for those companies that are evaluating any of the major vendor IM applications or are looking for proven techniques to enhance the one(s) they are using today. Join us as we explore the case studies describing how several companies upgraded their IM software, integrated multiple data sources, and enhanced their business reporting options to delight investors, business leaders, and the investment accounting team.

The tools and technologies available today enable owners of new and existing buildings to reach zero energy consumption and healthy indoor air quality without spending a premium in construction costs. Evidence-based performance is becoming table stakes in the achievement of resilient, sustainable and intuitive facilities. By integrating modeling and simulation with a traditional Digital Twin, we can accurately assess a building’s performance against its own potential and not simply against its history or other comparable buildings. An integrated Digital Twin answers the question, “Did I get what I paid for?”

The built environment dealt with unprecedented changes during the pandemic, as buildings across the globe were partially or completely shut down for extended periods of time. Real estate’s leading solution providers have been at the forefront of managing the new normal, talking to clients, assessing the impact, and responding with new ideas to navigate these uncertain times. In this session, senior executives from Yardi, MRI, Altus, REMlogics, SAP, VTS and others will share their experiences, insights and prognostications on how the built environment will adapt going forward.

From the due diligence involved in transactions, to the leasing and accounting processes, all the way down to the smallest detail of a maintenance request: these create an inordinate number of applications which generate troves of data daily. Developing a comprehensive, integrated enterprise architecture strategy that connects relevant information and eliminates redundant data can be challenging. Single stack, best of breed, open APIs, and data warehouses are just a few of the technology decisions to be considered. This session explores the strengths and opportunities of a modern real estate digital enterprise architecture.

Blockchain and cryptocurrency news has been exploding. We’re seeing more use cases pop up in residential and commercial real estate transactions. Some landlords are even taking crypto for rent payments. We’re now seeing opportunities for investors to buy into the US commercial real estate market through fractional, asset-backed tokenized ownership. This has opened up direct investment opportunities in specific existing commercial real estate or development projects which could never have been attainable for most investors and for owners helping bring to literally trillions of dollars of real estate in both the US and globally. In this session, industry leaders discuss and debate the evolving landscape for this new transactional paradigm.

Cybersecurity threats are top of mind for everyone, both personally and in our business lives. News about vulnerabilities and data breaches are hitting the wires daily. The built environment faces unique cyber challenges since many IT-focused frameworks do not work for operational technology in connected buildings. With the ever-increasing number of managed and unmanaged entry points to building systems, building owners and operators need to secure building management systems as well as other IoT devices in their facilities. This important session reviews the threat landscape for the built environment and cyber best practices for OT systems.

Intelligent building technologies are the building blocks to realizing operational cost efficiency, healthy work environments, data-driven risk management scenarios and the digital experiences that define well-designed buildings. This inspiring session explores planning and executing an intelligent building strategy to develop and successfully implement a future-ready, adaptive and scalable approach for smarter buildings. Thought leaders will discuss: the role of the network architecture; best practices for the wired and wireless building backbone; and cybersecurity fundamentals for digitally-enabled, IoT-connected facilities.

A fully digital work ecosystem is difficult to conceive, much less achieve. In a world of work from anywhere, the hybrid conversation takes the conversation of work to a whole new level. Its unique challenges include: How do we provide effective collaboration? How do we blend physical and virtual spaces? What new technologies are coming down the road? What type of security measures do we need? What does the information management process look like? How do we map out the device infrastructure? This session reviews technologies that enable and support the digital future of work and delineates what hybrid workplaces might look like going forward.

Participants in this session will explore how companies are partnering with their technology teams to move past the traditional data warehouse reporting structures to “cross the chasm” that often stifles their data analytics from reaching higher levels of maturity. During this session, you will hear how others are leveraging more modern data frameworks to achieve actionable insights that are not only predictive, but extend into prescriptive and even cognitive analytics. We’ll explore the most relevant technical solutions and what obstacles are hindering progress in multiple business processes.

Although real estate technology has been around for 40+ in the US, there has been a recent global surge of interest in PropTech. An entire segment of the market has engaged with the topic and is driving conversations and change. We are now seeing spectacular innovation from EMEA, Asia, Australia, India and Israel. Most countries have more recently started their journey, while more mature markets are into new iterations of ideas that have spanned decades. Some have made their way across borders and continents while other very compelling, innovative PropTech technologies that probably should have garnered global interest, have not yet been adapted for other geographic areas. In this session, we take a look at the global PropTech industry and focus on some of the most compelling technologies for CRE.

We typically consider BIM as managing the "construction" process; the concept of Digital Twins typically brings to mind post-occupancy real-time data visualization of "operations and maintenance." Digital Twins has become a buzzword for almost any digital representation, but in reality, they are very complex models continually ingesting thousands of data points. It provides a unified platform to visualize and apply analytical tools and controls throughout a building’s full lifecycle. Adoption has been strong in some industries (aviation, mining, transportation) and is progressively gaining traction in the built environment. In this session, we examine actual case studies for the best insights, use cases and optimization opportunities.

The real estate accounts payable team is responsible for managing hundreds of transactions, coordinating with a multitude of vendors and optimizing working capital. AP activities are often further complicated by multiple layers in the approval process. Despite detail-rich workflows, many owners are still working with legacy AP processes based on manual tasks and paper checks, likely causing regular headaches and frustrating slowdowns as they try to get work done. This session provides insights into how to overcome paper pressure, fraud flood, vendor vexations, remote ramifications and growth gridlock.

Making the decision to outsource fund administration services is one of the most important and impactful decisions that an investment gund manager can make; possibly increasing increasing efficiencies and report cycle times both for themselves and for their investors. In this session, we will discuss the rising tide of fund administation in our industry, and the impact it is having (both negative and positive) on our technology/operating platforms and business processes. Join our panel of experts (ranging from industry veterans to service providers) as we discuss the methods and approaches to this highly debated topic.

Given the complexity (and lack) of a regulatory framework, developing a meaningful Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy is like flying an airplane with just a magnetic compass. Defining and setting a course to meet decarbonization, electrification, net-zero objectives requires a cohesive plan and alignment among internal teams and external stakeholders. ESG encompasses these sustainability measures as well as ethical concerns as global citizens. Companies will need to collect and ingest multiple data streams to track performance, along with the systems to manage and report key metrics. In this crucial session, global industry leaders share their experience and discuss ESG as a value driver for real estate.

Cybercrime (especially ransomware) has grown dramatically and cybercriminals are moving their sights from the "big game" to smaller, mid-sized companies. The commercial real estate industry is not immune from threats to data and systems that keep their organizations running. Hybrid workplaces present additional challenges, as IT systems now expand to employees’ home internet environments. General IT-related breaches, real estate information management and transactions, IoT-enabled smart connected buildings and physical security/access control are all targets for nation states, maligned actors and disgruntled employees. This session explores IT cybersecurity strategies and best practices to train employees to be vigilant about cybersecurity threats.

Before data can flow or systems can talk to each other, we must establish a sound and comprehensive network infrastructure strategy. A building is comprised of many different systems; a common converged network is needed for increasingly complex buildings, yet it is still not commonplace. Whether it is traditional Active Ethernet or the less common (yet growing) Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON), building networks are the basis for additional smart technologies. Segmented or converged networks or architectures are just a few of the issues up for discussion.

What is arguably the youngest asset class in private markets, private debt is now the third-largest private asset class behind private equity and real estate. It is well poised to continue that growth trajectory as investors seek returns in a low-yield environment. That said, challenges abound: investors are asking for more succinct, clear, and transparent views on risk ratings, ESG metrics, and non-financial information. Managers need more robust systems for their portfolios and ongoing administration for reporting, overall the industry needs more clearly defined data standards and collection methods. Session attendees and expert panelists will discuss these priorities, as well as opportunities where the market can provide technology solutions to enable this rapidly evolving asset class.

The corporate world has embraced and mainstreamed ESG initiatives. More importantly, investors see the worth in using ESG metrics to calibrate a company’s value, sustainability, and ultimate impact on society. In fact, many companies (despite the pandemic) have benefited economically from being early adopters. In order to actualize ESG targets, companies need to be able to measure, monitor and manage a complex variety of inputs to evaluate and rank their ESG footprint. A number of scorecards and best practices have been developed and are continually evolving. This session examines the digital tools available and how to prioritize and employ them successfully.

The challenges commercial and corporate real estate decision makers face in today’s competitive business environment are multi-layered and complex. Using different data sources to prove organizational performance, comparing varying courses of action, generating actionable insights and employing a structured approach to business problems is crucial to achieving a clear, competitive advantage. Business intelligence and advanced analytics tools, such as AI, can have a profound impact on corporate strategy, performance and competitiveness. This session reviews compelling advanced analytics tools and strategies.

We are witnessing an ever-increasing number of devices connected to building networks which are producing voluminous amounts of data. Although that raw data holds a treasure trove of insights that can fundamentally impact operational efficiencies and occupant experience, it must first be cleaned, normalized, tagged, organized and analyzed. Well-managed data yields astute, actionable information for decision-making. In this session, we explore a sound architecture strategy that addresses methodologies for collection, transportation, normalization, integration, analysis, and protection of data.

The Smarter Stack is a framework that illuminates all the pieces necessary to make buildings smarter and make explaining smart building solutions easier. The Smarter Stack Tool is an open-sourced planning tool and guide that visually depicts requirements for buildings and is available for anyone. It is being used by building owners, operators, facility management, system integrators, solution and service providers to design and collaborate their smarter building initiatives using an open, interoperable approach. In this session, industry leaders present the Smarter Stack, go through an exercise with the tool, and share some “stack” examples.

There are thousands of new companies now offering some type of technology to the real estate industry, ranging from well-established, mature organizations to companies just starting out. For over 20 years, Realcomm has been a platform for new companies with fresh ideas to present their products to the industry. This year we’ve identified some of the most innovative newcomers who believe that they have a solution that is highly effective and in some cases - highly disruptive. This session brings together a group of startups that will each pitch their company and product. In the ensuing Q&A following each pitch, you, the audience can judge their respective merits for yourselves and decide whether or not they’re worthy of your further consideration.

The complexities of a smart building are increased substantially when larger, multi-faceted projects are involved that seek to create a streamlined, integrated network of systems. Epitomizing smart buildings at scale, smart districts emphasize the importance of developing an infrastructure based on integrated technology platforms powered by next-generation connectivity. In this built environment, data, automation, energy, sustainability, operational efficiency and occupant/tenant/guest experience converge and play a vital role in the development of highly connected, fully integrated district. This session showcases some of the most innovative smart districts in the world, focusing on the technology strategies necessary to develop digital urban neighborhoods of the future.

With increasing amounts of organization data being primarily managed by third party SaaS providers, it is more important than ever to identify, assess and mitigate risks presented by dispersed data. Creating proper classification of your data, together with assigning appropriate risk level to vendors, allows you to determine exposure and liability that you can hold vendors accountable for. It is quintessential to understand tangible and intangible impact of data loss, data breach and system unavailability to core business deliverables. In this session, we explore methodologies to systematically perform data classification, vendor risk assessments, business continuity, identity and access management, incident response and cybersecurity governance as mitigation strategies.

Real estate organizations are collecting massive volumes of data, but achieving valuable insight from raw information can be daunting. Understanding sophisticated data analytics technical tools, learning how to process ever-growing and complex data sets, knowing when to bring in external experts - and continuing to ask business questions (whether they seem relevant or not) are just some of the issues surrounding data analytics in the built environment. This session features case studies from organizations that are successfully utilizing real estate and building data to gain valuable industry insights.

Prior to COVID, experience apps and tenant collaboration hubs were gaining traction across the industry. Creating compelling experiences for building occupants now seems to be more important than ever to attract tenants back into buildings. Technology that enables access to important information from anywhere, desk and meeting room booking, work order requests, health and wellness checks and status, occupancy stats, and amenity booking are all factors in creating enriching experiences for offices and campuses. This session explores what the most innovative and creative landlords are doing to create meaningful tenant experience.

Defining and developing a comprehensive Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative (DE&I) involves more than just policies and headcounts. Creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for a global workforce is perhaps the most natural outcome from years of using human-centered design to create products and services. DE&I can reinforce employee trust and commitment, traits that increase employee satisfaction and talent retention - and the bottom line. This instructive session examines the methodology used for DE&I data collection/analysis and a compliance strategy that aligns with business objectives.

Join us at Realcomm Live as we announce the winners of the 2022 Digie Awards. These prestigious awards honor those companies, real estate projects, technologies and people who have gone above and beyond to positively impact our industry through the use of technology, automation and innovation.

Directly following the Digie Awards Presentation is a networking reception on the Exhibit Floor. Mingle and meet new colleagues and catch up with old friends! This event is open to all attendees.