Will Asia's "Extreme" Real Estate Make You Happy?

Inventing the Future... Did you read last week's Wall Street Journal article, "Happiness Inc.," which described "a sort of happiness-industrial complex, a new convergence of science and capitalism"? ( March 18, 2006) Wow, I want to be part of that industry.

And so does Jim Young, when he leads you on Realcomm's upcoming NextGen Best Practices Tour of Asia (May 5-16). OK, I'm exaggerating. First, Jim wants to get you out of your comfort zone. Then, he wants to make you happy.

Sure, Jim wants to show you "extreme" real estate. Like "a 1-million square foot, four-story distribution facility with truck access at all levels," "a garage that slides cars onto a conveyor belt, into an elevator and automatically parks them," and "a digital sign on half an entire building that lights up with artwork or advertising."

But that's not his core motivation. What Jim really wants you to understand is the impact of Asia's booming economy on the future way your company will do business. "It's way beyond real estate technology."

When I spoke with Jim last week, he said that the most frustrating part of his Asian experience is communicating it to real estate professionals in the U.S. It's almost impossible to articulate the impact of seeing the reality of Japan, Korea, China and Singapore.

So Jim asks, "Who's leading your firm if everyone has his head down?" How can you be happy in the future if you don't know what's coming down the pike? (pun intended!)

Note... If you would like more information on the tour, contact Audrey Quinn at Realcomm. And, if you go, send me some wild stories.

-- Peter Pike