Realcomm Goes Global

We now search for good ideas, emerging technologies, innovative companies, best practice case-studies and industry thought-leaders, from around the world and not just in the United States. The world is changing very quickly and we have to watch the globe if we are truly going to keep paces with the advancements in our industry.

Sinclair:  Jim, how are you...it has been a while since we have caught up...how are things going at Realcomm?

Young:  Hello Ken, things are going crazy..in a good way...and there is a lot going on in our world.

Sinclair:  Can you give us an idea of what is happening at Realcomm?

Young:  Well...2007/2008 is when we went Global. While we had done tours around the world we had never done conferences outside North America. Last fall we did our Middle East conference in Dubai and our European event in London. Both events were successful with those in the region looking forward to the next event. Most importantly, these events and our other world travels have given us a global context in respect to intelligent buildings.

Sinclair:  What does "global context" mean exactly?

Young:  It means that we now search for good ideas, emerging technologies, innovative companies, best practice case-studies and industry thought-leaders, from around the world and not just in the United States. The world is changing very quickly and we have to watch the globe if we are truly going to keep paces with the advancements in our industry.

Sinclair:  How will this impact your North American (San Diego) event? http://www.realcomm.com/sandiego.htm

Young:  Our North American event is still our largest and will have over 1,500 people in attendance in June. We will have over 200 Real Estate Technology Executives at our CIO Roundtable. We believe that this will be the largest gathering of Real Estate IT Executives in the world. We have also added a Property Management Summit, Facility Management Summit and an Integrator Roundtable in addition to our 32 sessions in the general conference. Having said this, we will be sharing our international findings as well as the best practices from North America. We have also expanded our Advisory Council to include executives from around the world. This truly allows us to keep pace with the changes happening around the globe.

Sinclair:  What are the biggest changes you are seeing in our Intelligent Building industry?

Young:  The biggest change I see...which we knew would happen...is that the IT Executive is becoming very involved in Intelligent Buildings. Their experience with networks, protocols, enterprise designs and overall technical skills make them a required team member. There is still a debate as to who leads the team, IT, FM or PM, but at this point it is safe to say that they are all on the team. We believe that IT will take a leadership role based on the technical complexity of an Intelligent Building.

Sinclair:  Anything else going on at Realcomm we should know about?

Young:  Yes..in addition to our conferences, we have seminars, CIO lunches, a marketplace portal and next week we are launching our magazine, The Realcomm Edge. This magazine will focus on Technology and Innovation for the Commercial and Corporate Real Estate Industry.

Sinclair:  Jim, one final question..what keeps you awake at night?

Young:  Ken...that is a tough question...lots of things that need attention...on a personal note..Education...our country needs a "moon shot" type of focus on rebuilding our educational system to compete globally. In respect to our industry and Intelligent Buildings...Energy and Sovereign Wealth Funds. Both of these have the capacity to change our industry in ways you and I never imagined. The challenges ahead in respect to natural resources will be great and the financial influence coming from other places around the world will lead to some new ways of doing business.