Whether it’s MIPIM 2020, EXPO REAL 2020, or FUTURE PROPTECH 2020 everyone in the real estate business is reconsidering their plans to travel for business this year. Due to cancelled or postponed industry events and the impact of travel restrictions, it looks like the necessary exchange of knowledge within the construction industry at risk. But is that really the case?

E-learning online education concept school desks on laptop keyboard 3d render with event on screen

Of course, expos, large industry meetings and business trips can make up a key part of a company’s sales strategies, allowing teams to meet potential clients in a face-to-face setting. However, the cancellation of these events also saves companies a lot of money and the expense of travelling and booking an exhibitor booth. Those savings shouldn’t be viewed as a problem, but rather as an opportunity to discover new sources of income, invest any money saved into new learning opportunities and to expand your team’s industry knowledge.

We believe that you can profitably devote this time to other activities such as a thorough examination of your company processes, comparing different software programs that could save you time or money or optimizing team workflows. These are tasks that often get pushed aside and this might be the ideal time to finally get them done.

You also don’t have to discard your networking plans right away. There are plenty of ways to promote the exchange of knowledge within the industry as long as you’re flexible about the format.

Upskilling & Virtual events

In this age of Zoom and Skype, why do thousands of construction and real estate professionals travel to the south of France for 5 whole days to meet? Naturally, the stunning backdrop of the Côte d’Azure and the excitement of a trip abroad help. Most of the attendees would claim that the ability to meet new contacts in person is irreplaceable, with face-to-face meetings being necessary for building good relationships. But if we think about the real motives of such gatherings, you’ll find that a lot of the goals are possible to achieve from a distance:

1.      Get to know new technologies – Stay in the loop of current trends and potential threats

In order to get an overview of the current state of the industry, you can read the blogs of the organizers of big events and companies at the cutting edge of trends. They’re often written by experts and give great insights all year round, not only during the events. Some examples include:

  • MIPIM World Blog (expert insights into the most important trends that shape the real estate industry today, with exclusive insights and trends from experts and experts from the global real estate sector)
  • Expo Real Insights (important industry information about real estate and investments)
  • PlanRadar Blog (specific industry knowledge with helpful tips and use cases for the most efficient use of construction software)

2.      Upskilling – Find new perspectives and gain valuable knowledge

Instead of a crowded exhibition space, you can follow live product demos from the comfort of your home office. Find online events that will help you to discover the gaps in your processes and how to optimize them. Use your time to see what the industry has to offer and find out what the competition is up to:

3.      Networking – Interact with the Who’s Who of the construction & real estate industry

If you have industry-specific know-how to offer, then why not share it? By reaching out to others in your field, you can meet your ideal conversation partners target group digitally and find out whether your services still solve the current problems in the industry or whether you need to reconsider your strategy. Remember that if you find yourself with more time on-hand at the moment, it’s likely that the people you want to speak to are also going to be more open to conversation.

Connect to live webinars like these at the Festival of BIM & Digital construction. You can be sure that the topics that arise will be targeted and industry-specific and many sessions are also interactive, so you can ask all your burning questions. Find out what is being talked about and learn about the current problems in the construction and real estate sector.

 

Optimize business processes

We have compiled some helpful articles to inspire you to consider the construction apps and devices used by your company. With the right software and workflow, you can make sure that you can stay productive and remain resilient in any future crisis:

1.      Workflow

Reading tips:

2.      Software

Reading tip:

Crisis-resistant alternative events

We hope that this article has helped you to recognize the advantages of digitization and online events. There are plenty of ways to be heard within the industry and to keep up with trends without having to be physically present. The sooner you recognize this, the quicker you can react to unforeseen events, positioning yourself in the market ahead of your competitors. Nobody can say with certainty when major industry events can take place again, or to what extent they’ll look like the events of the past. It’s likely that they will have to take place with fewer participants due to social distancing, at least initially.

Here at PlanRadar, we’re happy to help you prepare for the future, no matter the uncertainty of today. To find out how PlanRadar can help you optimize your work processes, simply contact us at [email protected] and book your free personal online demo.

 

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