In our latest Member Spotlight Interview, we spoke with Bronny Wilson, Regional Head (UK & I) at Equiem, a global property technology and services company best known for its world-leading tenant experience app which is rolled out across 60 million sq ft of prime commercial real estate worldwide.

Bronny shares insight into how tenant experience technology has changed users’ perceptions of the office, how the pandemic changed the office landscape globally and how far Equiem is expecting to travel…

Q: Offering tenant engagement experiences has never been more important than now, with the return to offices after world-wide lockdowns. How are you using this technology to entice workers back into offices in this new era of hybrid working? 

A: Our entire technology suite shows employees that working remotely, or from home, is fundamentally different to working in a newly reinvigorated workplace. You might have convenience in the home office, but you don’t have a well-integrated, well-  community. You don’t have COVID-safe networking drinks and lunchtime seminars. You don’t have Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) tracking software to show you how less CO2 is making you more productive. Equiem tech makes the workplace a destination, instead of an obligation, and employees are loving that change. 

Q: Equiem has offices in Australia, the USA, the UK, and the Philippines. How have you seen the office experience change and adapt in each region throughout the pandemic? 

A: Surprisingly, the response across all regions was more the same than it was different. Lockdowns were longer and more severe in the UK than Australia or the US, but we saw a similar change in customer wants and needs in offices all over the world. For example, in all three regions, occupiers expressed interest in flexible space options, as well as smart building solutions (such as those that provide IAQ regulation and reporting). In the coming months, vaccination thresholds will likely play a big part in determining how the shared office dynamic evolves. We look forward to sharing the results of our global tenant experience research search in early autumn which will give insights into how the office experience and what we want from it has changed. 

Q: You are growing rapidly in the UK, with the acquisition of British Land’s property management platform, Vicinitee, and the adoption of your customer engagement platform for residents, workers, and visitors at King’s Cross in London. Are you looking to expand into any other markets? 

A: Greater Europe is a burgeoning market, and of course, occupiers across the continent are hybridising in the same way as those in the US, UK, and Australia, so you can expect to see more of Equiem in Western Europe, Canada, and Asia in the future. The message of good tenant experience is spreading fast. We hold the position as the world’s pioneering and most widely used tenant experience platform, and we expect this market dominance to continue. 

Q: You already have technology aimed at working from home, Remote. What are the latest trends you are seeing developing in the office sector besides a new hybrid model? 

A: For many commercial real estate owners and innovators, flex space is the next challenge and the next opportunity. We know that many of the world’s biggest and best companies (Google, JP Morgan, etc) are decreasing their office footprints. When this move to hybrid-working hits critical mass, the office will be sold as a service, or a ‘bundle of needs-based services’, as Dror Poleg puts it. Occupiers will enter short leases, take only the space they need, pay only for the add-on services they need, and move on quickly when their needs change. This shift will require an arsenal of integrated technological solutions – all of which Equiem provides.