Technology has risen up the agenda of most property companies recently. However, whilst there is a lot of noise about it, there is also confusion in the market about what it means and what property professionals should be doing about it.
We recently hosted round table discussions with several thought leaders from across the industry to hear their different perspectives on the property sector, technology and most importantly how the two are coming together. The topics and views within each of the round tables were wide ranging but there was a broad consensus about some of the key questions; what is happening in the market now, what does the future look like for a surveyor, what are the opportunities and challenges they face and what should we be doing now to address these? What did we learn? 1. Professionalism is vital for the future job role 2. Adoption of Standards is becoming increasingly essential 3. Required skills are changing "Real estate is undergoing a tectonic shift, with professionally trained and equipped talent defining success in this new environment." Toby Dodd, Cushman & Wakefield Overall, there was consensus from the discussions that the outlook for the property professional of the future is bright, but roles will be very different in future. They need to be flexible, adaptable and open to the change that technology is bringing about.