By Diana Tereshko - 2nd November, 2016

DisruptCRE Boston 2016 showcased the continual impact that technological advances are bringing to the Corporate Real Estate Industry, with experts in CRE, workplace strategy and technology highlighting best practices and case studies. Melissa Marsh joined Tom Zampini Founder & CEO at Beco and Todd A. Dundon Principal at Gensler and Jon Moeller, CEO at MACH Energy for the panel "BuildingTech: Driving a New Tenant Experience."

Their talk began with discussion about the need to analyze occupants’ behavior in order to unearth insights valuable to workplace strategy. The workforce experience as it relates to real estate has value consequences for every company. Luckily, buildings are getting more intelligent, and as a result, more data is available about the occupant experience. But in this glut of data, what are the most significant pieces for understanding how to control spaces efficiently? As the panelists discussed, tenants need to be able to filter and refine data in order to efficiently identify the important questions.

In addition to getting smarter, smart buildings are also getting more flexible. Tenants’ interaction with the buildings allow the identification and understanding of the work dynamic and preferences of employees. Teamwork and collaboration are increasingly valued in the workplace, with WeWork—which places high cultural value on the latter—offering one example of this trend. WeWork’s app, for instance, is open to all members, and works to connect people working under the same coworking brand at different locations to collaborate on ideas. WeWork also helps manage its occupant experience by letting the customers feel like they "own" where they work. WeWork signals to the ways CRE will continue to evolve in its use of technology to both improve tenants’ experience and bring value to their businesses.