Just Do It... In the spirit of Tim Sanders' quote, "Business education without execution is just entertainment," next year's PikeNet Forum (Chicago, April 2-3) is titled, Get Real: Execute Your Strategy (Or How to Get Things Done). Sure, teamwork, vision, and (even!) technology, are important. But to thrive long term, you must actually DO business.

That's why I like to describe the PikeNet Forum as the gathering place for real estate professionals at the intersection of management, marketing, and information -- facing common challenges of execution, adoption, and technology. If you're leading your company, you're at this intersection. So remember Lee Iacocca's warning about intersections, "If you're standing still, you'll get run over!"

The PikeNet Forum features roundtable discussions with participants delivering six-minute presentations on strategy, marketing, and business models. You'll hear from senior executives at companies like AMB, CB Richard Ellis, Colliers, CRESA Partners, Equity Office, Insignia/ESG, Jones Lang LaSalle, NAI, Trammell Crow, Trizec, and USI. You'll also hear CIOs speak out in plain English (What Good Is Information Anyway?) and an extended conversation with Andy Florance, CEO of the CoStar Group.

If you have questions and comments about trends in our industry, blast away. I want the PikeNet Forum to reflect your interests and concerns -- just like the PikeNet Dispatch. And if you would like to suggest a tool or resource that should be considered as a Pike's Pick, please send e-mail.

Build Your Brand... Thanks to our sponsor, LoopNet, which recently announced the release of its new LoopLink product, currently used by over 1,000 commercial real estate firms to display listings online. ... If you would like to sponsor the PikeNet Dispatch, please send e-mail or call me at 415-485-6700.

--Peter Pike