Setting our sights on the best for 2020

Welcome to the new year, and a fresh new decade. And welcome back to your weekly digest of the best, most useful and, hopefully, entertaining real estate intelligence, carefully curated just for you by all of us here at EG.

Tradition tells us that every time a new year rolls round we must resolve to be a bit better. To get fitter, give back a bit more, learn something new. That’s all well and good, but every resolution comes with the dare to fail. So, instead of setting resolutions, I’m going to suggest we set ourselves the task of delivering on a year of big ideas. Things we want to do that will make a difference.

I have numerous promises that I will make to you this year – things that we at EG will deliver through the pages of EG, through Radius Data Exchange and through our packed events schedule. But I also have one grand plan that I want to deliver on for you. A plan that will require us to be your friend, guide, teacher, and sometimes a stick-poker – a caller-outer. But I promise it will be worth it.

But first, what does EG promise to do for you this year? We resolve to:

1. Continue to deliver the most in-depth, informed and accurate source of real estate intelligence in the market. News, interviews and data that provide you with fresh knowledge and greater power to do your job.

2. Make sure the real estate community is equipped to deal with the challenges of transformation, from the impact of technology, dealing with a changing workforce, managing and retaining talent, and making the most of global best practice, to delivering the tools necessary for business and individuals to deliver a more sustainable work environment.

3. Be objective, helpful, hand out rewards where earned, and give advice on how to do better when standards are not met.

4. Create inclusive environments where you can meet, mingle with and learn from the greatest thinkers and doers in the real estate and the wider business world.

That, of course, is business as usual for us here at EG – it’s what we love doing for you every day. But business as usual isn’t good enough, is it? We have to do more than that. Which brings me to my big idea. The challenge I am setting myself and us here at EG to make a difference.

My idea for 2020 is that we at EG will prove to the world that real estate is a superhero industry, and not the villain that so many outside the sector seem to think it is.

We will prove it is an industry that has a positive impact. That creates jobs and delivers places where everyone can live, work and play in a healthy, happy and sustainable way. An industry that is professional, attracting the very best people from all backgrounds. That has a vast skill base and sees talent in many forms. An industry that boosts the economy. An industry that provides and gives back to people and the planet. An industry that is proud. An industry of which the world is proud. 

It is a big idea, but I hope you’ll agree, a worthy one. We’ve already started on the journey. We’ve been (very) vocal on real estate changing its behaviour – and we know we need to do more ourselves on many of the initiatives we are advocating, starting with sustainability.

And given that 2020 will be the year Brexit gets done – or at least moves forward – EG will be doing all we can to drive inward investment into UK real estate around MIPIM. More on that soon, too.

And if you have any of your own big ideas for 2020 that you want share, or any we can collaborate on, please do get in touch.

To send feedback, e-mail samantha.mcclary@egi.co.uk or tweet @samanthamcclary or @estatesgazette