It’s May and that means Las Vegas Baby and ICSC RECon 2012.

Flight and hotel booked. Liver checked. Comfortable shoes packed and teeth whitened. I’m READY!

I will be spending a fair amount of time in the Marketplace Mall and the Social Media Pavilion.

Here are some quick details.

Technology and Social Media Pavilion

Booth 221 at Marketplace Mall-

The business world is waking up to the incredible selling power of social and digital media—and for the Retail Real Estate industry this entire genre of communications platforms has more potential than ever before.

Learn directly from the experts how a smart, creative social and digital media strategy can breathe new life into every area of your business. Swing by the Technology & Social Media Pavilion to:

- Meet one-on-one with key social media and digital experts.

- Learn how social media and digital strategies impact the retail industry.

- Attend targeted, 20-minute sessions on a variety of topics.

- View case studies highlighted integrated campaigns, cools apps, new technologies and out-of-the-box thinking.

- Hear is a link to the entire social media pavilion schedule.

- My session is on Monday at 10:00 p.m. Please drop by if you have the chance and see for yourself how pretty I am in person

- Myself and Sarah Malcolm will be doing videos and interviews of any and all. The idea is to showcase attendees and their companies. This is a great way to help promote yourself and your company at the event. We will be posting them straight up to the  ICSC You Tube Channel. Once we post them up hit download or link from You Tube and send them out. EASY!

- Remember to use the hashtag #REConSocial

- I will be live blogging at the event and will try to post up as often as possible.Video audio commentary link love fluff and who knows. Well you know me so…..you do know.

I already have a few friends:

Make a Deal:

I because of no fault of my own have become some what of a magnet for commercial real estate start up and technology related companies. Which is fine with me because I love that kind of stuff.

So I sat down and thought what if I were a hot shot venture capital player and could look into the commercial real estate technology space.

Where are the real opportunities?

Aggregate the potential tenants/users.

Broker to Broker Apps that are real tools that engage the client/ user and not just analytic tables for brokers to play with.

The building talks markets and sells itself and I don’t mean without a broker so get off my ass already. Quit looking at you own ass.

All services or related transactions around commercial real estate.

Put together a true and accurate marketing and data platform.Do not rely on brokers to provide the information.They LIE!

How about no marketing platform at all?

Face the user and give them tools to engage and make commercial real estate decisions.

Want my money? Think about this.

Value revenue not just the process.

Value production today. Do not rely on past production.(Albert Pujols, Adam Dunn)

Build users and revenue.

Show a model that solves a problem.

Resumes mean nothing.

So you failed at your last three start ups and you call it experience. I call it failure. Be a winner.

Create investor confidence. Do not show me examples of companies that only generate revenues  of 1%  of their market cap. I’m no genius and I know it’s working in Silicon Valley right now but get real!

Yes, people are the company. The company needs to generate revenue or there will be no people.

Have a true (legal) company structure and plan. Who invests in a dream?

Get out of your own back yard.

Form partnerships.

Build and sell and do nothing else.

What’s Next?

It’s already happening.

It’s not the technology it’s the people.

It’s five people sharing a house with no rules and no reason to fail.

It’s two brokers who see the simple way to get clients to react to a building.

It’s a broker who wants the building to have an opinion.

It’s a broker who sees marketing property as a form of art.

It’s a broker who looks at a building and sees only emotions.

It’s not always about the money…………of course it is.

Venture Capital and Commercial Real Estate. All In!

Photo Credit:http://www.flickr.com/photos/waxorian/

Oh the Twitter it is a never ending stream of commercial real estate goodness.

I was sitting there with TweetDeck up and poof up pops www.buildsondemand.com

A few clicks later and a invitation to connect from Kevin O’Reilly President/Founder and a new beautiful way to market commercial real estate.

Kevin and I jumped on the horn and had a fun and ADD fueled conversation. I’m the ADD part.Wait what uh what yes that’s me.

If a picture is worth a thousand words then what is a great video worth? I think we are beginning to find out.

Check out the intro video and see what  happens when you combine commercial real estate brokers who know what the hell they are doing with great video production.

I just love this business because everyday something interesting and amazing hits me right in the face.

With a shout out to Palmer Bayless in Atlanta. I feature the Retail Bus Tour.

Hey,let’s all be honest here you know that I know that you know that I know that you clicked on this post because of the headline and picture.

I have been hearing a lot about online burn out and fatigue. Maybe it’s the fantastically robust market that we are all experiencing. Too many deals and not enough time. No need to do anything online because it all about face to face and offline networking anyway.

Well maybe so but it is very interesting to me that the more I “create” online the more business opportunities I CREATE.

It never fails when I talk to,email,interact with someone they always ask “How much time does it take and how do you do what you do online?” “Is it really working and could you give me a couple of tips”?

There are thousands of sites and posts out that have been written about online activities and probably thousands of more to come. Ironically that’s part of the problem thousands and thousands of people doing the same thing over and over and accomplishing what? NOISE!  That’s what!

So how do you stand out from the crowd or do you even dare stand out at all. Well here is some of how I do it.

1. Dominate LinkedIn and the Groups.

Said it one hundred times and will say it one hundred more. Get on there at least twice a day. I check it first thing in the morning. I am the admin for some of the groups so I spend a little time filtering the crap (lenders and MLM) but I also take a few minutes to read the relevant articles. At the very I least hit the like button or make some quick comment. Almost every time that person will ask to connect and hey guess what they check out my profile and see what’s up.

By far LinkedIN is the major source of traffic to my blog and you say I don’t blog so who cares. If you are posting links to articles or commenting you are at least micro-blogging so it does help people find you and give them a reason to see what you and your company are all about. The ones who don’t are…the ones nobody pays attention to.

2. Influence the “Influencers.”

There are several ways  to” influence” The first and easiest is E-MAIL. Yes that old stand by. I get several a week from people saying hi hello how are you all the way to inquiries about stuff you would not believe. It still is a personal way to get in front of someones face.

Hit the comments section of personal company blogs websites and “Pages.” People spend a lot of time money and effort to get their brand out there and really appreciate feedback opinions and flat out gushing compliments.

Get on Twitter. Get on Twitter Get on Twitter. Go ahead and look at my profile. How many people follow me and how many do I follow. I have filtered thousands of people. If I follow you I am paying attention. How do I pick them out? Simple, they are real people in commercial real estate. Need some examples click here and here. Tweet interesting relevant content and I will pay attention. Be a douche bag and say goodbye.

3. Promote other people to promote yourself.

Sounds simple and it is. We all love a little love from our friends and colleges. How many lists have I created promoting people in commercial real estate? Love your customers stuff is sales 101 is it not. As I am writing this I get an email from someone asking for a recommendation for two brokers for a speaking gig. Who do you think I will pick?

4.Give it away.

Tell me what possible content information or secrets you feel the need to hold back. Obliviously there are some personal “things” that are nobody’s business. Most of you and your companies info is out there already. What are you really hiding? In today’s world hiding behind the logo and the “persona” only raises suspicion. Do I hide the fact that I have a wife two diva daughters and a boxer. Why should I they are still letting me sleep inside the house.:) How much is too much? You tell me!

5. Secret Sauce.

This may sound a little out there but here me out. The secret  sauce for getting attention and connecting online and off is….Opinion and Attitude.

Some of us have it in spades and some need to cultivate it. It is without a doubt the number one thing that helps me get connections inquries speaking presentation gigs deals and commercial real estate business.

How do you get it? Hell if I know but posting up a picture of some lady’s nice rack on a commercial real estate blog just comes naturally to some of us!

Photo Credit:http://www.flickr.com/photos/malingering/

The building of the future is already here. Many structures are smart networked green and sustainable.

What does a smart building do?

Creates a environment of safety and security.

Takes into consideration the health and well being of users.

Allows flexibility of space that changes and adapts for the users.

Monitors the flow of people and manage via mobile device for security and efficiency.

Simple Systems.

All systems monitored in real time.

All systems networked with other buildings to create a building cluster with an IT backbone.

All system integration provides a sustainable building model.

Integrated systems make the building become a living organism.

Future Is Now! 

And This Means What……

1. Data…. real time data…. nano second data.

2. User/Tenant information about actual use and needs.

3. Value creation for the owners.

4. That BIM thing.

5. He who owns the real data owns the market.

6. The data can and will become it’s own market.

7. Aggregators of data …Good Bye!

8. The data markets itself…..Good Bye marketing platforms.

9. Brokers of space or data……..I’m picking DATA!

10. Your Future Your Thoughts!

Photo Credit:http://www.flickr.com/photos/44742231@N03/

Building Information Modeling.

It is certainly not something that is entirely new or unknown in commercial real estate. Take a quick look at the video to get the basics of BIM.

Ok, so how will this change commercial real estate forever?

3-D Visualization:

1.Marketing inside outside upside and backwards. Think I-Pad and touring or….. maybe not touring.

2.All tours available anytime anywhere online.

3.How does the building look and compare to the structures it sits next to now?

4. What will the space look like for the potential tenant?

4. Possibilities are endless.

Data or Change Management:

1.What if you have a space that needs a build out? The data already exists and is…Oh No I’m not going to say it …. TRUE and ACCURATE.

2. The building will be able to access the data and adapt and create a $$$ scenario for both the tenant and owner.

3. Engineers,Contractors, Maintenance,Managers help keep the data…OH NO…TRUE and ACCURATE.

Building Simulation:

1. Yes it makes perfect sense to simulate what may happen before it is built.

2. The bigger and more compelling possibility is to use the same data set on existing buildings.

3.Creating a TRUE and ACCURATE Data Standard. Just for the record. I want to own the company that does this. Maybe I already do!

Data Management:

1.The data can and will be used during the entire life cycle of the structure

2.It has more value to the owner of that data than the actual structure itself. I want to own that company.Maybe I already do too!

Bigger Picture.

1. BIM technology and or the use of it and the data created equals low risk low cost high reward.

2. This is not just a software program that creates pretty pictures and helps contractors and architects get deals.

3. Everyone asks me what is “The Next Thing” for commercial real estate.

4. BIM changes commercial real estate forever.

5. It not only is the next thing for commercial real estate…it may be the last thing for a long long time.

Photo Credit:http://www.flickr.com/photos/atelier_pro/5594783493/

It’s not uncommon for me to get a few phone calls from vendors seeking a little peek into the commercial real estate space. This week I received a call from Matt at www.roambi.com. He offered to give me a demo and wanted to discuss his products and what they are doing for commercial real estate. Well….. WOW! What an incredible interface and app they have.

Roambi features two main products:

Roambi Flow.

http://www.roambi.com/flow-overview.html

Roambi Analytics.

http://www.roambi.com/analytics-overview.html

Roambi App Tour Videos.

http://www.roambi.com/iphone-features.html

FAQs

Contact and Support.

I will let the apps do all the talking. I do encourage you to contact the company and get a demo. By the way I am not sure why this is necessary but…. I do not get one little penny for posting this stuff up!

Want to know how “green” your building is? How about the building your boss is looking to move your company into? What if someone who actually occupies the building has an opinion about the space the management the owners and the people in it? Sound far fetched? Well, it’s already here and it’s called Honest Buildings.

1. What is Honest Buildings?
Honest Buildings is a software platform focused on buildings. It brings together building service providers, occupants, owners, and other stakeholders onto a single portal to exchange information, offerings, and needs. It provides a voice for everyone who occupies buildings, works with buildings, and owns buildings globally to comment, display projects, and solicit business with the macro goal of creating a more sustainable environment.

2. Who can use Honest Buildings?
Everyone! Honest Buildings is available for anyone who occupies buildings, works with or in buildings, and building owners and managers.

3. Why should I use Honest Buildings?
Creating a profile on Honest Buildings is quick, free, and comes with great resources and tools.

For Service Providers

• Increase company exposure and build brand awareness.
• Share completed projects and highlight team members across popular social networks including LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
• Drive business by attracting new clients with your showcased projects and networking with the Honest Buildings Community.
• Profile information will be included and searchable in the Honest Buildings directory.

For Owners and Managers

• Provides an easy way to connect with local service providers to complete building projects.
• Attract new tenants by highlighting innovative projects and building upgrades.
• Increase exposure for space to be leased in all market types.
• Get real time valuable feedback from occupants.
• Profile information will be included and searchable in the Honest Buildings directory.

For Occupants

• Provides a safe, secure place to leave positive or negative feedback on the spaces they occupy.
• Allows potential occupants the opportunity to review a buildings projects, occupant comments, and ratings.