In the last issue of Perspectives in March, experts wrote about the importance of Mipim and its networking opportunities. Just over three months later, the concept of rubbing shoulders in Café Roma and drinking rosé in yacht cabins is a distant dream – and just think of all that hand-shaking.
It is no secret that Covid-19 has dramatically changed the way we live. But this collection of essays showcases examples of the industry rising to the challenge and tackling these changes head on.
With people stuck in their homes for months now, the PRS and build-to-rent sectors have had to ramp up communication with their residents remotely.
Yardi regional director Justin Harley highlights how well this has been pulled off, with operators harnessing technology to keep customers happy. “Not only have BTR operators worked incredibly hard to support their residents, they have completely pivoted on how they operate, going from having lots of feet on the street with people around their development all the time, to everything being done online,” he says.
Meanwhile the industrial sector has gone from strength to strength, coping with record-breaking volumes of ecommerce. Colliers International’s Len Rosso, head of industrial and logistics, and Andrea Ferranti, head of industrial and logistics research, say all eyes are on occupiers to keep up with the pace of change in this “survival of the fittest” scenario.
And despite deals grinding to a halt across the board, PSS London director Emre Bilgin says that by keeping in constant contact with its customers overseas to keep them up-to-date on the market, it has managed to get sales over the line.
With the UK slowly emerging from its lockdown, it is clear the industry is not just poised to build a future around the ‘new normal’ but is already hard at it. I hope you enjoy reading the following essays and learn from this snapshot of where we go from here.
Emma Shone is news editor at Property Week
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