Trends have changed. Have buildings changed?
Cushman & Wakefield to Host Webinar on “Office Trends and Repositioning Strategies”
Cushman & Wakefield Korea, a global full-service real estate firm, announced that it will host an online webinar titled “Trends Have Changed. Have Buildings Changed? – Office Trends and Repositioning Strategies” on Thursday, October 29, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Targeted at landlords, asset managers, and real estate development and operations professionals who own and manage office assets in major business districts in Seoul and elsewhere, this webinar will explore specific directions for office renewal and repositioning through the lens of changing lifestyles and leading domestic and international case studies. Consumer insight experts and space planning specialists will participate to present key insights that can be applied to practical strategies, ranging from branding the lower floors to repositioning aging office buildings to enhance their asset value.
It is projected that within the next five years, more than half of the offices in Seoul’s Central Business District (CBD) will be over 20 years old. The asset competitiveness of aging office buildings can no longer be maintained through simple exterior improvements or physical remodeling alone. What experiences do employees expect from their office spaces, and why do external visitors specifically seek out retail spaces on the lower floors of certain office buildings? Accurately understanding these user expectations and visit purposes—and reflecting them in the space—is what determines the value of office assets.
This webinar will analyze actual user demand using social big data and examine domestic and international case studies of proactive responses to office aging. Based on this, it will present strategies for office asset branding and revenue-generating operations that utilize lower-level spaces and common areas.
The webinar consists of two sessions and a Q&A.
Part 1, “Design Strategies for Today’s Successful Offices,” explores lifestyle trends among workers as revealed by social data and successful office renovation case studies in Korea. It analyzes why even offices located in the same Gwanghwamun business district can have completely different visit purposes and user experiences, and proposes branding strategies for lower-level spaces that create environments people want to visit and linger in.
In particular, using case studies—such as an office where social media mentions increased by 322% after renovation and another where weekend retail sales surpassed those on weekdays—the session will examine in detail the virtuous cycle in which changes to the lower floors lead to increased interest in office assets and actual space utilization.
The presentation will be delivered by Lina Lee, Director of the Retail Consulting Branding Solutions Team at Cushman & Wakefield Korea.
Part 2, “Aging Offices: Repositioning, Not Remodeling,” will focus on the recent global trend in which the competitive criteria of the office leasing market are shifting from a focus on physical specifications (“Flight to Quality”) to a focus on spatial experience (“Flight to Experience”).
The session will examine case studies from cities such as New York, London, Chicago, and Tokyo, where aging office buildings over 50 years old still occupy prime downtown locations, and introduce repositioning strategies that transform common areas—such as lounges, wellness facilities, and brand collaboration spaces, which were once viewed merely as part of the total leasable area—into “operated asset products.” By examining both the success factors and lessons learned from global cities that experienced office aging before Korea, the presentation will offer practical solutions for redefining an asset’s target audience and market positioning, starting with the fundamental question: “Who should we attract, and why?”
The presentation will be led by Aaron Choi, Senior Manager of Development Consulting at Cushman & Wakefield Korea.
Following the two sessions, a 10-minute live Q&A session will take place starting at 2:50 p.m. to address pre-submitted and real-time questions. Registration for the webinar will be accepted via the online registration form from Thursday, October 8, through Thursday, October 22, and a webinar access link will be sent individually to each registrant.
Photo – Invitation to the Cushman & Wakefield Korea Office Renovation Webinar>
