By: Elie Finegold, Real Estate and Technology Entrepreneur Congratulations! Through hard work, probably a connection or two in common, your compelling business model and execution plan and last, but by no means least, your winning personality, you’ve gotten me (or some other industry expert/influencer) to join the Advisory Board of your startup/growth company.  You and I have probably had a handful of conversations, and a couple face to face meetings. You may not realize this, but your new Advisor has probably talked to some of your investors, customers and partners, as well as sought a second opinion from other experts in the business. And we’ve reached and signed a fairly standard agreement giving me a piece of equity in your business in return for access to my experience, connections, and insights. Now what?  How do you maximize what I, as your Advisor can contribute to your company, while ensuring that I remain engaged and motivated to help your company succeed? Here are some practical tips gathered over the years. I’m guessing there are some founders out there who will recognize where they came from, for better or for worse.  Consider this my gentle nudge, or quiet applause. Also, I know the tone of this is direct, but I’m trying to write in the same, clear voice I use when advising portfolio companies.  Just ask any of them. #1 No Surprises. Ever!  I cannot overstate the importance of this tip.  As your Advisors, we expect to hear about every significant decision or milestone before it becomes public.  We don’t want to learn about it from social media, or a press release or, god-forbid, one of the relationships which we entrusted to you.  If you’re going to announce a strategy change, investment, or new partnership, take the time to inform your Advisors before it goes public.  A short simple clear note will do, delivered early enough to process the information and ask questions. This will help keep your Advisors happy, prevent them from feeling neglected and, most importantly, allow them to both advise you (see what I did there) and help you communicate your news to the market.  It can be a major asset to your company if you use us well, and it can damage your reputation if we feel surprised, because we’ve attached our reputations to whatever your company does. Yeah, sometimes we hit back – and we can hit harder than you, otherwise you’d be advising us. #2 Respect Our Relationships. One of the most valuable things an Advisor brings to the table is their network of financing, partnership and customer relationships.  These networks are built and nurtured over years through enormous efforts – by proving our value, being honest and kind, taking time to create a personal connection, adding value in every interaction, and being there to help when needed.  They are our most prized professional asset, and often our most personal professional relationships. So please, don’t screw them up. Don’t ask us to reach out to our network for something, only to change your mind after the fact. Be polite and be responsive.  Keep us informed of all significant interactions you have with the introductions we’ve made. And remember, they’re our relationships – if you screw it up, we’ll hear it from them first. That is not a good thing. #3 Stop Selling. If we’re on your Advisory Board, we’re sold.  When we send articles about competitors or the industry - unless there’s a specific note attached -  we’re just trying to keep you informed about the environment around you. We’re probably not trying to start an unstructured conversation in the middle of our busy schedules, and almost literally actually never because we want to hear you explain why you’re better than everyone else again.  We’re not hype-people when we’re talking with you. We don’t want to praise you for your strengths. Although we will certainly celebrate your successes, we really want to help you better understand the world in which you’re operating and identify and improve upon your areas of weakness.  Neither of us gets any value when you try to just sell over them. #4 Be Responsive.  This one is pretty basic to all relationships, but especially crucial in the Advisor scenario.  If we offer to do something for you, answer in a timely manner, because these things have a clock. If we spend time writing a long email to you and your team with extensive comments and analysis, do two things – acknowledge the contribution quickly, and respond thoughtfully when you have time.  We’ve just spent hours working, trying to give your company ideas to help you navigate a thorny issue, so tell us you’ve received them, then show us you’ve thought about them. #5 Understand Our Limits.  We’ve committed to helping you as an Advisor but in some cases, it goes deeper.  Maybe we’re helping you prepare for fundraising by reviewing your deck and pitch, maybe we’re hand-holding the acquisition of a customer or strategic partner, maybe helping you recruit a key position or solve a thorny management problem.  There’s a point at which we’re doing significantly more work than we agreed to. There’s no clear bright line here but, in the words of Justice Stewart, you know it when you see it. Be proactive. Ask if it is too much or offer some additional compensation for our above-and-beyond efforts.  If we have to ask you, we’re probably already pissed. Get ahead of it. #6 Keep Us Connected and Informed. One of the reasons Advisors work with startups, beyond helping you succeed, is to meet new people, be engaged with interesting ideas, and forge new creative connections.  The best thinking comes from good conversations, and if you do it right those conversations will be between each and all of your Advisors, board members, senior executives, and you.  We are Advisors to the Company, not to you the CEO – so engage us accordingly. Find opportunities to get us all together, in person occasionally, online or by phone regularly. Send out regular updates to the entire group (which also helps avoid surprises). We can do more for you together than we can alone, so when it’s appropriate, make it a group conversation. You’ll get much more from the relationships, and so will we. #7 Have an Agenda and Send It in Advance. When we sit down or get on the phone to spend focused time together, you’ll get a lot more from it if you have an organized agenda for us to discuss, along with some free-form time at the end.  Get your facts straight and demonstrate that you have begun to think it through. If you’re really on your game, you’ll get that agenda out by the night before the meeting. That way, we’ll have time to get prepared and will have thought through the issues.  Rather than getting our first reactions, you’ll get our thoughtful insights. Remember, the separation is in the preparation. #8.  Be Candid, Be Honest.  We’re here to help you with your challenges, but we can’t if you’re not open about them.  Candid dialogue will allow us to engage with you on your thorniest issues because, if we’re advising you, we’ve probably been through something similar, and have a relevant idea or two to contribute to the discussion.  Patience and communications build understanding and teamwork. Help us understand your business – you know it better than we do and our judgement, which is ultimately what you bargained for, is more useful when we appreciate the circumstances more fully.  And I know it goes without saying, but I will anyway- never, ever, ever, lie or obfuscate! That is the worst kind of surprise.  (See #1.) In summation, Advisors can be an enormous asset to the growth of your business if utilized well, but it takes thought, sensitivity and, like any relationship, continuous tending.  We do this because we genuinely want to help entrepreneurs and companies grow, and we are interested in you, your ideas, and your future. But it is also an investment, of time, relationships, our personal brands and our intellectual capital.  You are the fiduciary of that investment, and you should always treat them accordingly. Hopefully you’ll heed this Advisor’s advice. And even more hopefully, we’ll start a conversation from Founders about how Advisors can best serve them.   As your Advisor, I’m all ears. Enjoyed reading this article? Read more from Elie.  

Investors are putting their money behind industry-changing artificial intelligence applications. One exciting field with implications for commercial real estate is computer vision, specifically, in image processing. After a photo shoot, processing usually takes hours. Meero is changing that timeline. With is proprietary application, AI reduces this processing time to seconds. About Meero Meero launched in 2016 with a game-changing artificial intelligence platform tackling image editing to speed up image processing. What takes a human hours to touch-up, its program can do in seconds. Meero is delivering quality real estate photos, videos, and 360-degree imagery with a 24-hour turnaround. The platform’s computer vision algorithm is backed by a unique 25-million photograph database for learning retouching. The results of its dual-deep convolutional neural network means it can edit lighting, semantics, and capture image defects. Just two years after its launch, Meero has over 40,000 professional photographers across 100 countries. Clients include Airbnb and Sotheby’s. Investors Backing Meero Eight months ago Meero closed its first $15M financing round. Now it announced the close of a  $45M second round led by Alven and Idinvest. Other investors include Global Founders Capital, Aglae Ventures, and White Star Capital. Meero plans to use the financing to open France’s largest computer vision center and new offices in the United States and Asia. “The fact that our historical investors are renewing their confidence and new supporters are joining the Meero adventure is encouraging us in the strategy we have chosen to pursue,” said Thomas Rebaud, co-founder and CEO of Meero in a press release. “This significant fundraising will enable us to accelerate our development, both commercially and technologically, and thereby consolidate our leading position in this market.” Meero is used by professionals capturing images in real estate, e-commerce, retail, food and lifestyle.

What happens when you bring artificial intelligence into your workplace? You add tremendous potential to boost productivity. However, adding AI isn’t as simple as plug-and-play. Adding AI might drastically alter your team operations. Commercial real estate professionals must be prepared to manage and interact with numerous intelligent agents. Laying the Groundwork We often expect humans to make decisions at every stage of a process. AI requires us to release some of that decision-making. That doesn’t mean humans are less important. We are key to comprehending the data and making relevant judgments based on what the AI discovers. Adding an AI system means you will have to adjust your workflows and established task routines. This goes back to letting go of some decision-making. Think about what systems you want to reduce time or expense, and what you will gain with the time earned back. Be prepared to re-assign work or modify job descriptions because the AI took over a task. Are your staff equipped with the necessary skills to handle the change? Training for Humans and Machines It’s a misconception that AIs are programmed to do specific functions. AI is called machine learning technology for a reason. It needs programming to learn and become personalized. Be ready to teach your AIs how to interact and how to do a variety of tasks. The more the program does that action, the better it will become. Take a chatbot as an example. AI chatbots study past customer interactions to find patterns that achieve the desired outcomes. That knowledge helps AI generate the best responses, helping it improve customer engagement over time. Humans need education about artificial intelligence and how it works. Some may fear AI or robotics taking away their jobs. While our daily tasks will change, the need for human interaction will not. Focus on the skills that make people different from machines: creativity, adaptability, and interpersonal skills. These are crucial characteristics for commercial real estate success. Humans are key to the problem-solving that makes deals work. Expectations for AI Adoption When the time comes to add AI to your team, be clear about the anticipated benefits. You should be able to measure processes before and after the AI’s addition to prove positive outcomes. Generally speaking, AI should make your CRE business more competitive by automating mundane but essential tasks. Staff should have more time to handle the most essential work of nurturing relationships. Gradually introduce AI technology to the team. Adding three or four solutions at once can overwhelm team members and significantly disrupt the workflow. Bring on a solution and make the appropriate changes before adding the next level of AI.

If commercial real estate projects were easy, everyone would do them. A project’s life cycle is complex and requires numerous parties keeping tabs on its progress for an extended time period. Even shorter build-outs take weeks. Project management solutions help commercial real estate professionals tackle pain points and improve their handling. Benefits include: #1. Streamlined communications Think about how many emails, phone calls, and texts you receive in a single day. Not every email pertains to the project, nor does every email need a phone call and vice versa. Stop overwhelming project managers and sub-contractors with a slew of emails. A cloud-based project management solution keeps communication together, in one place. Any questions can be asked directly in the platform, as seen with facilities management provider Workframe. The stream of conservations keeps all stakeholders in the loop. Rather than digging through email, the answers are right there. #2. Automated task tracking and reminders Checklists allow all parties to see real-time progress and can be edited as necessary. Tie checklist items into automated reminders. These alerts keep projects moving on time. A program like Asana lets users set time-based deadlines to remind project managers on line items like contacting vendors or paying invoices. Set the reminders for weeks, days, or hours in advance depending on the task at hand. #3. Easy budgeting Project managers are under pressure to bring in new developments and renovations on time and on budget. Project management workflow platforms track the budget status with real-time information. Control invoices, see variances, and find areas for cost savings within a few quick clicks. A system like Mavenlink simplifies budgeting, forecasting, and tracking actuals in real-time. #4. Remote Access Updating records used to require a call to the office or manual entry later. Mobile apps bring project management into the tech era. Snap pictures of progress to instantly share with the team. Use a management program like Airtable to mark tasks finished from the checklist while on-site. The team can see when permits have been pulled, work begun, or new blueprints received in real-time for the latest progress updates. #5. Integrations A smart project management system needs to integrate with the other tools you’re using. That includes document storage, electronic signing, budgeting, marketing and more. SmartSheet’s platform includes Salesforce, Dropbox, and Google among is other integrations. These integrations stop the hassle of importing or exporting vital data between platforms. Everything you need is updated in real-time and ready for use.  

Starry loves the internet, but not the complicated plans, bloated bundles, and poor service. So they reinvented it from top to bottom. Our team at CREtech recently caught up with Starry to learn more about their site, strategy and vision. What does your company do? Starry is a new kind of internet service that uses next-generation technology to connect to buildings’ existing wiring and deliver a better internet experience. Using our advanced, proprietary millimeter wave technology, Starry delivers reliable high-speed internet service to homes across the country. We offer subscribers 200 Mbps down/up internet speeds for just $50/month—with no data caps or additional fees for equipment and installation. Starry also provides an elevated support service—offering white-glove installation, custom building launch events and 24/7 customer care. We are currently focused on the multifamily real estate sector and are working with building managers and owners to install our service in their buildings. What problems are you solving for commercial real estate professionals? Competition is high in the multifamily sector to attract and retain residents. Starry Internet is a minimally invasive upgrade that is a competitive differentiator for multifamily buildings. For building ownership, Starry installation is simple, full service, low-risk and cost-free, and can increase resident satisfaction and retention. Many consumers today have few or no options for their broadband provider. In a recent survey, 55% of renters said they would be more likely to renew their lease if they were happy with their internet service. An October 2017 NMHC study also revealed that high-speed internet access is the second-most important apartment feature for renters (after air conditioning), with 63% refusing to lease without it. High quality internet is looked at as an amenity—one that can attract and retain residents. What is the latest news? Starry’s beaming broadband tech is now available in Boston, Los Angeles and Washington, DC. We recently completed a $100 million funding round, which we will use to expand nationally. We are targeting several additional U.S. cities in 2018, with New York next on our list. To date, Starry has raised $163 million from a premier group of investors including FirstMark Capital, Tiger Global, IAC, KKR and HLVP. What are your views on the current real estate tech sector? We love seeing the real estate industry adopt new technologies that not only help their bottom line, but make a difference in people’s everyday lives. We are encouraged that many players in the real estate industry are going beyond adopting new technology by investing in/partnering with tech companies. Starry seeks to partner with property owners and managers who understand that exceptional internet service is no longer just a nice-to-have—it’s a necessity for any home. Prioritizing access to high-speed internet is a point of differentiation, and offering a reliable internet service option can enhance a building’s bottom line. Starry’s high-speed internet and customer service platform powers many real estate tech trends, such as work from home, resident communications, common area WiFi, security and so much more. Seamless integration is key when adopting new technologies in the real estate sector, and Starry is looking to partner with owners to leap their buildings into the future. What are your future plans? Starry is in hyper-growth mode, with a big focus on expanding our serviceability in Boston, Los Angeles, and Washington DC, as well as building out our capabilities in New York and 18 additional markets over the next year. Follow Starry on Twitter at @StarryInternet and connect on with them LinkedIn. About CREtech Our mission at CREtech is to connect the commercial real estate and tech sectors, bringing a new age of innovation, investment and growth to the industry. The platform features the largest events, most comprehensive aggregated news database and company directory in the sector. CREtech is owned and operated by The News Funnel, the leading content, connectivity and event platform devoted to the commercial real estate industry. To learn more about becoming a sponsor, a list of upcoming events and other exciting news, please click here or email kateri@cretech.com.

In Texas, they’re experimenting with the first Hyperloop “railway” which has the potential to eliminate the need for highways in the future – granted a far off future from today. But if it works at 620 mph (faster than the fastest high speed trains) from Dallas to Houston in less than a half an hour, we could definitely see it replacing air travel and eliminating much of the highway congestion plaguing nearly all 50 states. While a future that looks more like the future in sci-fi movies with elevated pods streaking above freeways may be off in a somewhat distant future, there are buildings that we’ve all grown up with that technology could make obsolete in the next several years. Here are just 5 types of real estate that could disappear. 5 Building Types that Could Disappear Below are just some of the buildings that may soon become obsolete. These 5 real estate types are already seeing a dwindling and could be the first to go away for good. #1: Parking Lots For the environment, for millennials that crave walkable cities, the move toward a future where there are fewer parking lots is upon us. However, if autonomous vehicles take off the way that many investors are banking on (add that to Hyperloop systems mentioned above) and there will be little need for massive parking structures that have been fixtures of the American landscape for decades. #2: Banks Hardly anyone takes the time to visit local bank branches anymore. Practically all banking from the simplest checking account to a multi-million dollar business account is handled with little face-to-face interaction at an actual bank. It all occurs online leading many to speculate how long these stalwart buildings will last in the face of mobile and online banking. #3: Offices Perhaps most decidedly, one of the structures we’ve gotten used to seeing and needing for decades could be going away. The standard office building from small business park structures to tall skyrise offices may soon become obsolete as the mobile workforce and co-working models continue to grow. #4: Rental Offices Even the rental office could become a thing of nostalgia soon. With all of the building management apps and websites that enable tenants to make requests, pay rent, submit an application, and upload paperwork, the need for actual front office personnel at rental properties is fast becoming redundant in today’s tech environment. #5: Gas Stations Just as millennials desiring more eco-friendly solutions are driving the future-without-parking-lots trend, they are also pushing an electric car and carless future. As future drivers opt to walk, ride, or use public transportation, the ones that do maintain their own vehicles will likely be driving electric cars that run on electricity that they get by plugging their cars into their home charging ports. All of these changes are going to have lasting effects on how commercial real estate is valued and marketed. For some real estate types, the future is still distant, but for some of the everyday buildings that sustained American life for the last 50+ years, it is only a matter of time before they go the way of Blockbuster and RadioShack.  

Apparently, the commercial real estate technology industry is full of love. Blog after blog talks about “embracing” tech concept. AI. VR. Big data. Let’s hug and move to the next base: finding how to use the existing technology tools to deliver even better service outcomes. CRM Today’s CRE-oriented customer relationship managers (CRM) deliver some excellent options to supercharge their work. Let’s look at two ways an adopter could improve their CRM use. To get the most from a CRM, it must automatically sync with one important program: your calendar. The best platforms can see when a client appointment has been scheduled via email or calendar and automatically make note of the client contact. Even better? Fully integrating the CRM across the team. When CRMs are siloed, they limit the interactions other team members have with that client. It sells the brand short of forming deeper relationships with the person. This is especially true for service providers who may have separate marketing, sales, and customer service departments. Finally, it’s all about the pipeline. A CRM shouldn’t just track the contacts you have with a person but show where they are in the pipeline. CRMs like ReThinkCRE and Apto offer a deal pipeline dashboard to See what next steps must happen to move a client along the sales pipeline. This view shows where the hang-ups are or if there’s a problem converting clients during one particular stage. Predictive analytics Got predictive analytics? Now use them! They’re useful for budgeting, like estimating the return on a real estate investment. Heat maps overlaid with data pinpoint areas ripe for development. Important: track how and when predictive analytics are used. Predictive analytics usage should be cyclical. This means data application is followed by data review. Did the outcomes match the prediction? Why or why not? The answers inform what happens next. Schedule a quarterly or annual review to analyze the accuracy of your analytics program. Facility Management Property managers have a wealth of add-ons that enhance the suite of tools. Let’s assume most PMs have technology program handles digitized maintenance and work orders and online rent pay. What tools will make the community even better? For starters, some platforms offer automated alerts for rent pay. Think about how those automated notifications can be leveraged to build a community. Bixby’s platform uses push alerts to notify tenants of emergencies. Mallcomm’s platform integrates all retail center operations communications into a mobile application. Another place to leverage the tools? Maintenance. Track the right key performance indicators to get a real handle on your maintenance expenditures. Find what systems are draining your resources and could be replaced. Set operating expense goals in the reports and work towards them every day. Marketing Digitized marketing platforms are a huge time-saver. For property managers, stop logging into multiple listing sites. Some platforms, like Buildout, push updates across multiple platforms with a single click. Commercial real estate professionals using marketing programs should look into templates as another time-saver. Explore what automations are available for email and social marketing. Other marketing programs such as LeadSquared score leads, sorting unqualified from the qualified. Save valuable resources nurturing bona fide leads. Trigger emails based on actions: downloaded white paper, clicked link, etc. This is a huge time-saver. Rethink how you use your current platforms. Are you efficiently using all the available features?  Master your software’s options and maximize business returns.

Seattle was ranked by PwC as the number one real estate market for 2018, in part because of their technology readiness. According to the survey, Seattle more than any other market is home to the largest percentage of workers in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields – double the national average. Residents are also tech smart. Nearly 95% of households in Seattle own a computer and nearly 90% have high speed internet. There are many trends that are shaping the commercial real estate tech industry over this year. Here are a dozen poised to shape the industry moving forward: #1: More Changes to Work Spaces – The millennial effect began the workspace changes, now Gen Z is bringing a tech focus to commercial real estate in the workplace, retail, and multifamily. #2: More Innovative Housing Options – There is a housing shortage growing across the country. Although far fewer GenX and millennial adults own homes than previous generations, the new trend of boomers staying at home combined with over 150 million Gen Z and millennial homebuyers entering the market, housing options are going to get more innovative including 3D printed housing. #3: The “Silver Tsunami” Hits the CRE Market – Boomers by and large have left the workforce, now they are moving to senior housing. More active and living longer than previous generations, commercial investors are eyeing multifamily assets in order to be in position when the silver tsunami soon hits commercial real estate in full force. #4: More Disruptive Commercial Real Estate Tech Coming Online – Co-working spaces, proptech firms, and many new fintech tools are going to further disrupt the commercial real estate market. #5: AI Will Transform Big Data Analysis – Big data analysis is going to continue to be enhanced and strengthened by automation and artificial intelligence. Smart leases, lead prospecting, customer management, and agent recruiting will all be impacted over 2018 by AI technology. #6: Energy Saving Smart Features Will Become Standard – Millennials and Gen Z care more about the environment but seniors and millennials also want more energy savings through Smart technology built into homes and apartments. Expect many of these features to become standard this year. #7: New Commercial Real Estate Tech Companies Offering AI Enhanced Platforms – New commercial real estate tech firms are going to continue to expand the powers of AI specifically for commercial real estate agents and brokers. Expect more platforms to come online offering increasingly detailed and machine learned analysis for sales as well as property management. #8: Blockchain Will Continue to Evolve in the Commercial Real Estate Sector – Blockchain’s complete disruption to commercial real estate appears to be at least a few years off, but expect to see the technology continue to evolve in this sector this year. #9: Data Centers in Secondary Cities Will Grow in Demand – Secondary cities will continue to attract new investors as e-commerce and the IoT require the use of more data centers. Places like Portland, Virginia, and North Carolina have become prime targets for commercial real estate investors. #10: Office Buildings Will Continue to Shrink – Office spaces are shrinking and most businesses don’t even need a building. Co-working and remote work will continue to shrink the modern office building transforming small retail spaces into office space. #11: Tenants and Buyers Will Demand Tech Infrastructure Upgrades – In order to support Smart technology, the infrastructure of buildings has to be wired for wireless. Expect more buyers and tenants to demand those upgrades rather than pay less for assets without modern infrastructure. #12: Construction and Design Continue to be Further Automated – Housing shortages, rising prices, and conservation-minded millennials will continue to push 3D home building technology over 2018 to include automated house printers, carpenters, and new design software to make incredible strides in 3D house printing.  

By:  Gabrielle McMillan, Equiem founder and CEO Amenities used to be the number one tool employers used to attract and retain great talent. But now that responsibility has shifted. Beginning at the very top of premium commercial property, communal facilities such as luxury change rooms, in-house gyms, high-end cafes and flexible co-working spaces are now commonplace in our buildings, levelling the field, and changing the way individuals and employers choose a workspace. As workspaces have become more integrated in the lives of their occupants, it’s crucial we understand exactly what people want. With over 100,000 users and +55 million square feet of real estate in our portfolio, we’ve found that the needs of even seemingly identical buildings can vary dramatically.  Last year Equiem launched two premium assets. They were similar buildings, with comparable square footage and population, but the needs of their occupants were completely different. One focussed on convenience and speed of delivery. The other turned its attention toward community events and building a sense of unity. With people working out, eating out and even socialising inside the same building, property owners have an opportunity to touch almost every part of the occupant’s life. Introducing yoga studios and boxing gyms allow people to fit more into their busy routine, while popular cafes, green areas and meeting spaces encourage collaboration between firms in the building. Only once the needs of a building are established can property managers start to develop a strategy to meet them. Equiem is helping its clients to unlock information and streamline the planning process.  One of our largest clients recently completed a portfolio-wide survey of their occupants. They found a staggering 96% of the community were interested in health and wellness. This allowed the client to confidently invest in free fitness classes for its members, curate content that helps people make healthier decisions and add luxury communal change rooms to their assets. Our data consistently shows that the key focus areas where landlords can add the most value for their tenants are with high-quality onsite food and beverage options, flexible common workspaces and by providing better access to health and wellness services. Fortunately, creating a great experience for your occupants isn’t just about having the latest and greatest bricks and mortar facilities. Soft services like pop-up lunchtime fitness classes, self-improvement workshops and even after hours events can be combined with useful content, valuable partnerships and exclusive offers to create a unique experience. These packages can be fit into almost any budget and are rolled out quickly to the community. The final piece of the strategy is putting in place a robust system to support the success of your amenities. Along with industry-leading communication, engagement platforms like Equiem’s, also facilitate event bookings, encourage RSVP’s and create a centralized location for information.  Year on year we see that buildings with an active Portal increase the usage rate of their facilities and provide more value to their occupants. While we can’t predict the next big trend in building amenities, we can leave room for organic growth and be flexible with the requirements of our community. By adapting quickly to the demands of our tenants and correctly understanding their needs, property owners have become an integral link in creating the workplaces of tomorrow.   Enjoyed this article? Read more from Gabrielle, here.