Remit Consulting’s Charlie Bolam reflects on the key takeaways from Space UK, the one-day conference for property professionals, held recently at the London Stadium.
Last month, Remit Consulting’s team attended SpaceUK 2025 at the London Stadium, a day filled with a spectrum of hot topics in real estate and an impressive roster of hosts and speakers. Here are the key insights from four standout focus areas of the day.
Placemaking
After initial greetings and an obligatory photo of the magnificent stadium interior, we dived into a keynote on placemaking by Simon Carter, CEO of British Land.
Key Insights:
Successful placemaking is broader than people often believe, encompassing both the space between buildings and what occurs within them.
Big players like M&S are moving away from high street stores in favour of the increased sales seen in accessible and spacious retail hubs.
Human-Centric Regeneration
A panel featuring James Saunders (Quintain Living), Morwenna Hall (Related Argent), and Tom Bloxham (Urban Splash) explored human-centric regeneration.
Key Insights:
A building's efficiency does not necessarily equate to a pleasant place to work or live.
Building and maintaining community through small events is effective.
Progress is not always linear and relies on early adopters, creatives, and storytellers to share a vision.
Return to Office (RTO) and Flex Strategy
We were given the opportunity to split into ‘tribes’ for more intimate roundtable discussions. Esteemed hosts from the likes of Avison Young, Network Rail and Ericsson brought valuable insight on RTO and Flex Strategy.
Key Insights:
'Team WFH' advocated for flexibility, improved father-child relationships, and liberated working mothers.
‘Team RTO’ raised concerns about the productivity paradox, limitations on innovation when working from home, and declining soft skills.
The new generation of WFH recruits are suffering from “Disability in collaboration”, potentially impacting company profits.
MindSpace noted a shift in take-up from small offices for five to six people to companies leasing entire floors to maintain a sense of place while enjoying best-in-class amenities.
Integrating AI
The roundtable discussion on integrating AI was standing-room-only, with representatives from L&G, The Crown Estate, Savills IM, Greystar and Digital Trees igniting the discussion.
Key Insights:
Rushing to complex solutions before mastering simple ones often leads to failure.
AI outputs should be treated like a junior team member's work.
We will see more AI innovation in the next four months than in the past four years.
Conclusion
In summary, SpaceUK 2025 offered invaluable insights into key areas shaping the future of real estate, from placemaking to AI integration. As the industry continues to evolve, staying informed and adaptive is crucial for success.
Contact Charlie Bolam for more information