Omega RE took part at South Coast Commercial Show at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton, on 11th November 2021.
This is the first time Omega RE joined the event’s line up of expert speakers in the property industry, providing an update on the current Office Market trends.
Nella Pang, Omega RE’s managing director, focused on the question of ‘What should the post-pandemic future of offices on the South Coast look like?”
The audience got challenged to rephrase that question to “What do you want your office to be?” By doing so, the whole direction of presentation changed and took on a new dimension.
Read our blog post about ‘What to you want your office to be?‘ HERE.
As much as we love the Work from Home concept that majority of us had to adapt to, it’s also becoming increasingly challenging to sustain this as a long-term solution. We are social animals. We crave human interactions. We thrive to be part of a community and likeminded people.
The future look of our office looks different now to what it did pre-lockdown. We care more about the importance of quality over quantity. Work smarter, not harder.”
As expected, the presentation highlighted the reality of recent market analysis, suggesting that the 2021 figures for office take up has increased since 2020, however, it continues to be below pre-lockdown interest.
To summarise, what we are witnessing is a shift in businesses’ strategies, analysing the amount of space they actually require as part of their daily operational rhythm. The majority of South Coast’s local confirmed that most of received enquiries were due to downsizing their footprint.
This has generated a greater competition within the office market with the additional options of flexible offices and co-working space along the South Coast.
To understand the future of offices we need to understand what individuals will want and need from their place of work.
A place to connect, a community, reduced occupational costs, health focus and pandemic proof to name a few.
Nella concludes “It is clear that we are navigating the unknown and it is easy to make bold claims of what the future will be, but based on the endless studies that have been carried out – employees are driving the change and whether you are a business owner, manager or a landlord, you have to listen to your end user – the employees and embrace an adaptive approach that allows an office to learn right alongside the people inside.”
We’d like to thank the event organisers, Collaboration360 for giving us the opportunity to speak alongside other expert speakers, as well as the sponsors, and audience for supporting us before, during and after the event.
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