Another trend seen at Realcomm 2004, which we’ve seen developing over the last 36 months, is that Commercial Real Estate owners, who have the most at stake, are taking the most initiatives when it comes to innovation in the operations of their projects. Whether it is to enhance the tenant experience or reduce operating expenses, we are beginning to see a number of exciting new ideas and concepts emerge.

It was interesting to listen to this year’s education sessions compared to those of the early 2000's (dot.com era). Back in the crazy days, everyone was talking about technology. This year, they were talking about solutions, experiences, reduced operating expenses, safety, timesaving, etc, all case studies that focused on business. What is also interesting to see is that while many people in the mainstream of the Commercial Real Estate industry do not yet understand or believe that these new concepts are viable, the early adopters are out of the gate and are already rounding the first turn. We predict that over the next 12-18 months the business models showcased this year will create a very wide operational gap between the traditional Commercial Real Estate Owner/Operator and the more aggressive and innovative. The following are some of the more obvious trends we saw uncovered at this year’s conference:

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  Owner/Operators have adopted technology and automation more aggressively than most 3rd party operators
• "Integrated Systems" are becoming the norm; disparate, nonintegrated systems are losing favor
• Data Standards have reached a tipping point with measurable results forecasted in the next 12 months
• Centralized Building Operations Centers (BOC) will become more mainstream in the near future
• Many traditional job functions will be replaced by automation and new job opportunities will be created
• Building Automation, now that the Internet has arrived, will play a critical role in building operations
• Virtual service representatives will begin to redefine on-site staff requirements
• The concept of paper-less, online leases (agreements) still lag behind countries like the UK
• The position of Chief Information Officer (CIO) has arrived in the industry and will continue to gain influence
• The role of the CIO will expand to include strategic planning, building automation and property bandwidth strategies
• The CEO will continue to be more involved defining, promoting and monitoring strategic technology plans
• Over the next 12-18 months, measurement matrices for IT initiatives will become more commonplace
• Next Generation buildings will not only operate better financially, they may prove to have higher values
• Asia is 5-7 years ahead of "Digital" lifestyle influenced Commercial Real Estate projects
• The United States is 5-7 years ahead of automating the back office aspect of our industry
• Major technology companies are beginning to market their products and services to our industry
• The emerging energy consuming populations of Asia and India will put increased pressure on energy efficiency in buildings
• Office space occupancy will continue to see pressure from mobile computing, document storage, space reduction and outsourcing

Realcomm seems to have reached a new plateau this year. The case studies were legitimate, the results real and the enthusiasm for a "better" way on the rise. Over the next five years, we should expect to see accelerated adoption of these new concepts and ideas. At the end of the day, we want our projects better serviced and our companies to be more profitable. To that end, automaton will continue to play a key role.