At Future of Downtown Event, FutureCast Forum Panel is Announced
On August 24, Realogics, Inc, in partnership with Bisnow, announced the FutureCast Forum and their headlining panel participation at the annual “State of the Market” event in September. The panel and its participants were revealed during the morning networking event held at the Four Seasons to a crowd of approximately 200 real estate professionals.
The news was particularly relevant, as the event topic focused around the future of downtown, the challenges and the promise of urban explosion as it relates to destination making, affordability, intelligent design, and transportation. The FutureCast Forum’s participation is highly anticipated, as their discussion, led by industry experts, is centered around the future of Seattle and what they believe it will look like in 2020, while other discussions at the September event will focus on the current state of affairs.
Approximately 200 industry leaders gathered at the Four Seasons Hotel for the networking and panel event.
Bisnow Business Manager, Tom Woodcock, kicked off the morning event by announcing just-released Forum members, who will be leading a stimulating morning panel discussion on September 26, and will also co-host an evening cocktail event with Bisnow, a first for the networking company, on September 28.
This comes on the heels of the thought-provoking discussions around the downtown forecast featuring Matt Griffin (pine Street Group), Kristin Ryan (barrientos RYAN), Erik Mott (Perkins + Will), Steve Banfield (ReachNow), and Rob Swartz (moderator, Kilroy Realty), which mainly focused on the design and accessibility of downtown commercial space.
The “Future of Downtown” panel takes the stage (from left: Matt Griffin, Steve Banfield, Kristin Ryan and Rob Schwartz).
“We need to encourage people to look into their future,” Griffin said. “Less happens in the next three years than expected, but more happens in the next decade than anticipated.”
As a Bisnow partner, Dean Jones, President of Realogics, Inc. and CEO of Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty (RSIR) attended the event to generate further interest in the two groundbreaking events featuring six founding members, with additional industry leaders contributing content. The FutureCast Forum hopes to serve as a portal of information covering subjects such as commercial and residential development, evolving demographics, wealth management considerations, government policy, lifestyle trends, and international influence.
Dean Jones and Whitney Heffernan, of RSIR, attend the “Future of Downtown” to announce the FutureCast Forum, as well as present information on current and future condo projects such as NEXUS and KODA
Jones led introductory discussions, flirting with some topics to be featured in September, as he shared information on new condo developments that are sprouting up within the city, such as NEXUS and KODA Condominiums. Referencing the change in the skyline as the city welcomed over 15,000 new residents in 2016, Jones noted a cause for the surge in new construction, especially as continued growth is anticipated.
“As Seattle has made its mark as a city of superlatives, one of which is the fastest growing large city in the country,” said Jones, “we are monitoring trends that relate to demographics, government policy, lifestyle, and beyond, and reporting real-time analysis by our FutureCast Forum members to help consumers sort through what’s real and rumored, as we all try to plan ahead for the next decade.”
The FutureCast Forum will feature founding members Trevor Bennett of Caliber Home Loans; Brian Bushlach of Feedback Media; Christian Chan of Burrard Group, Brian Evans of Madrona Financial Services; and Brian O’Connor of O’Connor Consulting Group.
“Residents are asking these questions, they just don’t know where to find the answers,” adds Jones. “We are hoping to serve as a portal of expert information that spans across several industries and continues to develop as we hit benchmarks for years to come.”
The FutureCast Forum’s first event will be held at the Westin Seattle on September 26, 2017. More event details to come.
Can’t wait to hear more? Check out this press release.