Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2019 | Page 47
RE Finland: Gathering of the Tribes
RE Finland in Tampere was the place to go
in mid-November Finland, if you’re a local
real estate professional. The biggest event
for the Finnish real estate business, the
one-and-a-half-day seminar was hosted at
Tampere-talo.
T
his year, the topics of the seminar
ranged from investment and construc-
tion to the proper use of the F-word
(Fear). Executives and experts of the Finn-
ish real estate industry were treated with eye-
opening presentations, showcasing multiple
perspectives. As always, there was ample
time for networking in a fun atmosphere.
The keynote for first day, Wednes-
day 14th November, was given by Oona
Strathern who has worked for more than
20 years as a trend consultant, speaker and
author. As well as writing about building
and living in the future, she has worked on
many studies and reports for the German
Zukunftsinstitut. Strathern divides her time
between Germany, London and the “Future
Evolution House” she is building in Vienna.
There No “I” in Future
At Tampere, Strathern talked about how
understanding and exploring the megatrends
is the key to understanding how we will live
in the future. The demands today on our
homes and cities are bigger than ever before:
not just in terms of technology, but also in
terms of our longer lives, gender roles, work
and design. How will architects, city plan-
ners and designers face the challenges of
increasing technology, mobility and our
multi-biographical lives?
In Strathern’s mind, the revolution
will very much be a “We-volution”, as we
move towards a new network culture. Fur-
thermore, changing lifestyles mean that our
homes are becoming increasingly flexible,
modular and “smart”.
“Smart living will not just be about
how we can integrate technology, but also
about social intelligence, adaptability and
flexibility,” she says, adding that the home
of the future will, in a hyper-urban world,
be a more “mindful” space. In addition to
technology, such factors as layout, design
and function come to play here.
Emotional Edge
Alchemy Agenda
Gaskell gave the audience his magic for-
mula, too: Commit + Connect + Create. He
pointed out that he doesn’t run his businesses
on numbers, but on “the magic of shared
achievement”.
“You need a clear plan, and then you
need to let the team simply go out and do it.”
At RE Finland, there was a lot of talk
about digitalization, and Gaskell addressed
the issue, too, saying that it is both “the big-
gest threat and the greatest opportunity” fac-
ing companies today. l
Another thought-provoking presentation was
heard later on in the day as Kevin Gaskell
took to the stage. An accomplished entrepre-
neur, team builder and inspirer, Gaskell led
iconic brands such as Porsche and BMW to
unprecedented levels of success before start-
ing to create global businesses from scratch.
In the true “superhero CEO” mode, he
has conquered both North and South Pole,
but not for the adrenaline fix, but to raise
money for a cancer hospital. Gaskell also has
more than passing familiarity with the real
estate business, having started out his career
as a civil engineer working on buildings.
At Tampere, Gaskell talked about the
importance of capturing emotion to build
better business. “If you get people to engage,
you can invite them on a journey with you,”
he said.
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