Leading the Charge: #DisruptCRE Boston 2014

Last week, T3 Advisors was fortunate to attend DisruptCRE as a platinum sponsor. So what is DisruptCRE and why should everyone take notice? [tweetable alt=””]DisruptCRE represents, at its core, the natural evolution of the commercial real estate industry that is so sorely needed.[/tweetable]

Hopefully the first of many, this event was held at District Hall in Boston’s Innovation District. The founder of the event, Stephen Hopkins, did a phenomenal job of bringing together industry leaders who are working on disruptive platforms that will ultimately change and support the way tenants, landlords, and brokers interact.

Some of the companies in attendance included Hightower, View The Space, Pivot Desk, CompStak, and YouBiq, to name a few. Duke Long, the broker/owner of The Duke Long Agency, also has some great insights to share about his experience at DisruptCRE and we were thrilled to give him a tour of the T3 Innovation Studio while he was in Boston.

At T3, we are keeping a very close eye on where the commercial real estate industry (#CRE) is headed. As we look at some of the technology that’s being introduced, like 3D tours as an example, we see a huge opportunity to incorporate it into our client experience. This technology is on the horizon, and we need to drive awareness and adoption – only then can we embrace the changes needed in the commercial real estate industry.

There were a couple of key takeaways from this incredible event. In the next five years, 2 things are very apparent to me:

[tweetable alt=””]Information and technology is growing to help advance the CRE industry.[/tweetable]

• Technology, especially mobile applications, will continue to be more readily available to the brokers and the end users (tenants and landlords).
• Information is becoming more relevant, empowering the end user to make better and more informed decisions.
• Those who adopt the technology and grow with it will flourish and those who don’t will be left behind. 

Advancement is needed in order for real change to take hold.

• In order to make this disruption a reality we need advancements such as: more streamlined tours, virtual tours, follow up mechanisms, and more/better information for clients.
• This is not a simple transition. As CRE leaders, we must educate through content and context, shepherd our clients through the process, and negotiate between landlords and tenants.

Neither of these trends is groundbreaking in and of themselves, but for CRE, an industry that tends to be a technology laggard, these will have massive implications.

At T3 Advisors, we have embraced these concepts since our founding in 2001. We have always believed in educating our clients and providing real estate experiences that transcend industry norms. In this regard, we are incredibly excited to see the initial impact that DisruptCRE is having and look forward to these positive shifts for CRE going forward. We are going to continue to stay laser focused on providing a highly tailored and efficient experience for our clients.