Program Overview

As the intelligent building market matures in adoption, there is still not a clearly defined path to achieving success. There are so many variables for each project including input from design team, integrators, manufacturers, and ownership stakeholders. Most people agree that a design is needed to clearly articulate the expectations. What are the key ingredients that are required in any intelligent building design? In this session, our panel deep dives into the key elements that are required, along with different models for achieving this success. Objectives include defining the client’s business goals and developing metrics to measure success and understanding the foundational infrastructure to support the integrated systems.

Enlightened building owners understand that achieving a building’s financial, social, and environmental goals requires leveraging both building science and data science. Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are increasingly becoming a top priority. The tools and technologies available today enable building owners of new and existing buildings to reach zero energy consumption and healthy indoor air quality without spending a premium in construction costs. This session discusses early onboarding of MSIs on Tier 1 contracts to support design decisions. MSI value is reviewed for Operational Technology programming, verification of “open” standardization for Operational Technologies, and detailed control estimating to verify budget. Scope of work bundling for the MSI is discussed relating to multi-disciplinary Operational Technologies, Div. 25 System Integration and Div. 27 Communications.

Converged Managed Networks are on-prem full IP networks dedicated to building controls with many different systems (Mechanical, Lighting, Safety, Security, Energy) working together to offer the building operators new operational efficiencies and the occupants exciting new experiences. With new technology and MSIs that can bring it together, we are seeing a Converged Network adoption growing into most new projects. This session explains how these Converged Networks are being brought together from design to construction to being utilized by the facility managers and occupants. Our expert panel debates over hot topics which drive new designs of IT and OT managed networks. They discuss how building owners are moving more and more IT resources towards facilities to support these changes with new operational efficiencies while ensuring on-going cyber security.

This session explores the value of the independent data layer in smart building infrastructure deployment. A generic definition of the IDL is a real-time, time-series historian for cross platform data storage and whole-building data analytics for performance-based analysis and advanced notification systems comparing trended operational data against either historical or simulated context. The session discusses many options for incorporating an IDL, best practices for connecting building technology to the IDL, and ways to consider connecting the IDL to advanced data analytics and visualization platforms. Simulation is the missing link to establish the proper context, utilizing physics-based modeling, to assess and manage building performance over the life of the building. By integrating modeling and simulation with a traditional IDL, building owners have the tools to assess a building’s performance against the design intent for new building or performance potential for existing buildings. An integrated IDL answers the question, “Did I get what I paid for?”

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!

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.

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.

The idea of smart buildings and cities has been around for over 70 years. Ironically, the first attempt at creating a futuristic city happened just 20 minutes away from Lake Nona at EPCOT, Walt Disney’s Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. In addition to EPCOT, Disney was also experimenting with other early visionary ideas such as monorail transportation, prefabricated construction at the Contemporary Hotel as well as other innovative ideas. It is one thing do attempt one smart building and quite another to develop what people are calling a smart district. It is larger than a campus and smaller than a city, but just big enough to try innovative ideas at scale.

Dubbed “A Community of and for the Future,” Lake Nona is an example of one of the most advanced digital districts in the United States if not the world. With over 17 square miles, this community is poised to rethink how we live work and play in the future. Some of the differentiating innovations include a robust and comprehensive telecommunications strategy which includes both fixed and wireless technologies; a world class autonomous vehicle testing lab; the Wave Hotel, one of the most advanced hotels in the world; and the Whit House, a look into tomorrow’s home and much more.

While many would argue that the technology is in place to create a more futuristic live, work, learn and play community, it is not always as easy as one would expect. Apart from defining the correct strategy, engaging the right partners and choosing the appropriate technology, developing an organization that is in sync with an overall vision and aligning all aspects of the company with that vision is critical.

Tavistock is a unique developer that fully understands what is required to bring a project like Lake Nona to reality. Lake Nona’s advanced infrastructure and commitment to collaboration have attracted global visionary companies and startups, such as View, to turn cutting-edge ideas into realities. Senior executives will provide an overview of this groundbreaking project, outlining the vision, describing the features and technology of this forward-thinking community as well as the challenges encountered when delivering innovation at this type of scale.

Technology has had more impact on our lives in the last 50 years than any other factor. Computers, the internet and mobile technology have fundamentally changed our lives. This holds especially true for the built environment. Those called to support the technology required to operate real estate in an efficient, safe and engaging manner are a special breed. Long gone are the days of only managing e-mail and accounting systems! There are a rare few that rise to the top of any profession. Those leaders are visionary, good communicators, open to risk, focus on the business and are accepted as peers by senior leadership. We are fortunate to welcome Jim Whalen, one of our respected technology executives.

Immediately following the precon events, join us for a fun evening of great food and and drinks. The Welcome Reception is a great opportunity to mingle with your peers and make new friends.

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.

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.

Understanding the status of leasing activity is one of the most important functions in a real estate company, as leasing space and building occupancy provide the income stream for the asset. Throughout the years, there have been many approaches to lease process automation. With the advent of COVID-19, forward-thinking real estate organizations have developed newly automated processes for deal management, including lease renegotiations, defaults and downsized renewals. This valuable session brings together thought leaders representing various approaches to lease process automation and addresses integrating these processes into an overall enterprise strategy.

An enterprise no-code development platform makes flexibility a reality and puts the control of your business in your hands. It raises the bar for business solutions that pave the way toward desired outcomes. No-code takes on new challenges swiftly, propelling your mission. Under IT governance, leading real estate companies are building communities of no-code developer business experts to customize existing enterprise applications. Additionally, they are building all-new enterprise applications to seize new business opportunities and fill that elusive 'last mile' of real estate management functionality. This session demonstrates how a no-code development platform and a community of no-code developers can differentiate your business without stranding yourself into a single point in time.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Join your peers, technology advisors and vendor Partners for a highly interactive session designed to influence the technology selections and operating platforms of a newly-established investment management firm. You’ll be in on the ground floor with full authority to make design decisions that will impact investor returns – and the company’s global reputation! Attendees will work in small groups to explore key investment management functions, identify competitive differentiators to attract capital, establish an achievable data strategy, and more. Put your skills to the test as you focus on the critical partnership between business and technology. Our expert panel will evaluate each design and award valuable prizes! This session is open to all owner, operator and investment management companies.

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.

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.

In an attempt to stay relevant in the ever-changing real estate industry, corporate innovation programs are finding their way into the digital transformation fabric of commercial real estate. Beyond hiring a chief digital, transformation or innovation officer solely responsible for driving digital disruption within their organizations, other internal approaches have proven to be very effective. While some companies established cross-departmental teams to foster new ideas, others merely changed the name of existing committees - or turned over the leadership of a previously IT-driven task force to someone on the business side. This extensive session presents organizations who have implemented various innovation programs to discuss their successes and challenges.

Billions of dollars, numerous capital sources, thousands of companies, dozens of reports, conferences everywhere, some fact, some fiction and a fair amount of confusion define the times. Friends and family, angel, VC, investment banks, private equity, sovereign funds and real estate companies have all made investments in PropTech looking to disrupt how we design, build, lease, manage, transact and use buildings. Real estate companies are not only bringing financial support to the deal but also their domain experience and the ability to test new solutions in their own environments. This important session includes the real estate Operators, VCs and successful PropTech vendors each weighing in on the status of PropTech for our industry and presents some of the most interesting, new and little-known solutions they’ve come across recently.

Networks, IoT, operating systems, applications and data are the PropTech tools we use to develop the automated processes that carry our businesses forward. Past and emerging tech combined with disruptive external forces will continue to radically alter almost every business process over time. With all these forces converging, how do organizations quickly change and adapt at scale? Experts conjecture that organizational culture and personal habits that have developed over years are the biggest inhibitors of change and innovation. In this session, James addresses these obstacles and presents a future leadership roadmap in five key steps with practical advice gleaned from researching over 200 global real estate innovators.

The war for talent is real, global and has never been more competitive. As a result, recruiters and placement services in the smart building and CRE space have needed to adapt to this changing paradigm. Although the market is exploding, top talent is still difficult to find and place. This fast paced session will offer a crash course in how to win the war for talent and ensure that you and your business are at the top of the list for exceptional candidates. You’ll learn strategies, hacks and best practices from a veteran recruiter in the space and will leave this session with a head full of ideas along with a fresh vision on how to compete and win the critical war for talent.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has long been at the forefront of higher energy efficiency in buildings and engaging in various groundbreaking research projects focused on smart building technologies. These include energy management information systems, solar PV, HVAC and mechanical system innovation, fault detection and diagnostics, indoor air quality and a growing focus on moving buildings to low- and zero-carbon. In this extensive session, DOE representatives share various smart building programs that can help the private sector. Additionally, they present their most recent group of best practice case studies of next generation, highly efficient, innovative smart buildings.

Digital electricity promises the safe transmission of electricity at high levels for long distances using data cables, with the ability to digitally control high-tech electronic devices. It takes Power over Ethernet (PoE) to an entirely new level. Although AC is currently the standard, low voltage DC is gaining momentum, and a number of innovative projects including hotels and casinos have successfully employed state-of-the-art infrastructure using digital electricity. This exciting session provides an overview of this emerging form of electricity and highlights some of the best performing case studies.

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?”

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.

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.

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.

Innovation in the HVAC Market has dramatically accelerated as the world suddenly became much more aware of indoor air quality and building automation systems. The most common industry requests have been for innovation in interoperability, ease of use, cybersecurity, and standards. There are several technologies and practices that are finding their way into HVAC including BACnet Secure Connect, Node Red, ASHREA Guideline 36, embedded web, MQTT, NFC and much more. This session will explore the factors driving innovation in the HVAC marketplace by looking at enabling technologies, market factors, the customer perspective as well as some of the potentially disruptive technologies on the horizon.

We traditionally evaluated smart buildings simply from the perspective of having the data, analytics and controls to monitor, measure and manage energy and work orders. Now we can instrument IoT devices and sensors that yield structural, environmental and human-centric information. We now have data that can be applied to not only keeping our workplaces safe, healthy and comfortable, but also maximizing the utility of our spaces while optimizing seamless efficiency of our building systems. The industry’s top minds on the subject discuss and debate what happens when the "back of the house" building automation is integrated into the "front of the house" occupant experience.

Once the basic communications layer in a building is established, it's time to address plans pertaining to the BAS and IoT platform. Does the data reside in local closed environments? Is it sent to the cloud? Can it be shared or integrated into other applications? Should it be a single stack or part of an open, integrated point solution ecosystem? Who owns the data? Is it cyber secure? Can we safely and securely affect command and control? As we move to the next generation of smart, connected, high-performance buildings, the capability and type of Building Operating System (BOS) becomes even more critical. This comprehensive session addresses all relevant issues on the topic.

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.

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.

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.

The complexity of an intelligent building is increased substantially when multiple projects are combined to create an integrated network of building systems. A portfolio of such buildings requires an even greater level of technical coordination and strategy. The value proposition of a smart portfolio is high as at-scale operations typically result in reduced expenses, higher revenues, and elevated tenant satisfaction. This session highlights the best smart building portfolios, presenting the technical, financial and organizational alignment requirements to achieve the most successful at-scale implementation.

Wireless technologies are poised to transform the wireless landscape inside buildings, as 5G promises to deliver significantly better network performance. Vastly increased speeds and very low latency capabilities offer the promise of more impactful wireless strategies. 5G presents incredible potential for the vast amount of interconnected devices (IoT), have strong implications for virtual and augmented reality, and will enable deeper data analysis. This informative session features industry experts who will review 5G technology, timing, financial issues, and the overall impact to buildings as they present use cases for building owners and operators.

Advancements in wireless technology in recent decades have fundamentally changed the way societies communicate and engage. Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) is an emerging wireless technology making its way into the built environment, offering efficient additional capacity for overburdened networks as well as a channel for private, secure communications. CBRS access points deliver wide indoor/outdoor coverage for many in-building applications and it is one part of a robust 5G spectrum strategy. This session presents the current state of the technology and potential opportunities for building owners and operators.

The 11th annual Smart Building Best Practice Showcase returns to Realcomm | IBcon. For this super-session, we've assembled some of the world’s most progressive and successful implementations of smart buildings, portfolios and campuses. These projects represent the next generation of open, interoperable, integrated and IP-centric buildings.

In this showcase setting, attendees will have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with representatives for each project who will share their strategies and address topics such as energy conservation, operational efficiency, enhanced occupant experience, sustainability achievement and financial optimization.

There are myriad processes and prodigious amounts of data involved in developing, operating and transacting commercial real estate. Although we have increasingly sophisticated applications and platforms that help us collect, format and report on that data, we often still need to resort to manual data entry and manipulation to get the required results. In our inaugural Realcomm Process Automation Showcase super-session, we’ve assembled some of the world’s most creative and innovative examples of commercial real estate process automation.

The case studies you see here will enable you to learn to shave thousands of hours from existing workflows. In this showcase setting, attendees have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with the technology architects for each unique automation project who share what they did, and how they did it.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Dubbed the next generation of the internet, the Metaverse can include virtual and augmented reality technologies but do not exclusively have to be accessed via VR or AR devices. A virtual world accessed through digital walls, teleportation units, PCs, game consoles, and phones could also be metaversal. Extending beyond the obvious gaming applications, the Metaverse also translates to a digital economy where users can create, buy and sell goods. Ideally, it's interoperable, allowing you to take virtual consumer items (like cars) from one platform to another. This exciting session assesses the Metaverse in-depth: the hype, the promise and the possible dark side as we explore how it could potentially impact our industry.

A new generation of automated tools are hitting the market. From printing full scale drawings on floors to printing full scale buildings on slabs, this new wave of tech development and adoption is driven by labor shortages, advances in robotics and venture capital – allowing robotic tools to be brought out of laboratories and directly onto jobsites. These robotic tools are extending careers, attracting new talent and taking people out of harm’s way. As with all new technologies, there is risk associated with early adoption. This session shares insights on how to vet and take advantage of these revolutionary tools.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A successful hybrid workplace environment faces a unique set of challenges: How do we provide effective collaboration? What type of security measures are necessary? What does the information management process look like? How do we map out the device infrastructure? Technology plays an integral part in creating secure, healthy workplaces and experiences for onsite and offsite workers. This session examines how the pandemic has fast-tracked digital transformation and explores new hybrid workplace models, strategies and amenities that provide an all-encompassing, secure onsite and mobile work experience.

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.

To operate a healthy building, owners and tenants are evaluating behavioral, spatial, material, and operational strategies to protect the welfare and privacy of building occupants. Over the past two years, the tremendous influx of wellness technologies include individual health screening and reporting, indoor air quality (IAQ) protocols, touchless technologies and surface sanitization. This informative session showcases how best-in-class health and wellness strategies and technologies have been successfully implemented by both landlords and tenants.

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.

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.

With the pandemic impacting office density and traffic patterns, building owners and tenants are looking for comprehensive digital solutions - IoT and sensors, in particular - to efficiently operate a healthy, safe, sustainable building that is well positioned to thrive in the current environment. This session examines the traditional way sensors have been used and discusses future valuable benefits. In addition, we’ll evaluate the pros and cons of specific sensor technologies and take a critical look at potential liabilities of a fully sensored work environment. Different approaches to occupancy analytics will be presented.

Most professionals have learned to work remotely and many are not going back to commuting to the office five days a week. Technology now plays a central role in keeping employees connected and creating a company culture that supports both in-office and mobile workers. Seamless experiences and access to information from anywhere are key for successful collaboration models. But how do you create an equitable, enjoyable and valuable collaborative experience for both the in-office and remote meeting participants? This valuable session showcases the most innovative solutions to create compelling experiences and collaboration opportunities for everyone.