Had an excellent time giving the opening keynote @GRIClubGlobal Offices conference in London yesterday. Smart and senior audience. Very clear that the value proposition and value pecking order is changing fast.
I think this is the critical point. Companies will be buying a smart service not a dumb product in the future. WHO delivers that will extract the greatest value. What is unclear is who that is. 
Might be Landlords but few have the scale, mindset, skills .... and commitment to do so. Many will make half hearted attempts and lose a lot of money failing to pull it off.
Property Managers, who are already the most entwined in the workplace sector might, but they largely seem paralysed by the low margin ‘down to a price’ setup of the industry. They need a new value proposition. Most likely they’ll become even more commoditised.
3rd party operators (from in and outside the traditional real estate industry) SHOULD be the big winners. BUT business models have to be right, and execution needs to be exemplary. Neither are easy.
Investors are in an interesting position. Many, like PM’s, are constrained by industry norms and mandates, so might be heading for low risk, low returns futures. ‘Bond’ like investments will become like hens teeth - so rare they cost the earth. Little growth there. But ...
Investors (traditional & new sources) might well move to remove the ‘middleman’ that is Landlords, and partner direct with Operators. Who needs a Landlord to outsource Operations when we can go direct?
Dumb box providers, undifferentiated service providers, timid ‘money’ - today make good money. Tomorrow they slide down the value curve and become increasingly commoditised. “The last shall be first and the first last.” #AllChange
As for those who asset manage via spreadsheet ...... that will not be viable anymore. The asset itself, and crucially the operator, demands attention like never before. Kicking the tyres is back in fashion:)
And finally: increasingly talking with end users (larger corporates) who are developer the tools to create great ‘user experiences’ themselves. Because the industry is not offering them joined up solutions. ‘Workplace solutions’ often seem as inflexible, cookie cutter, and boring
