Brick and Mortar, PostCOVID Programs

Urban Design Committee presents…
Trends: Post-COVID, New Programs for Brick and Mortar

This is a virtual event.  Zoom information will be emailed directly to registrants 24 hours before each event.

The global pandemic only accelerated disruptions that were already in motion – and the real estate industry is facing strong headwinds:

Today:

+ 78% of CEOs think remote work is here to stay

+ 50% of consumers are doing more than 75% of their shopping online and 25% do more than 90%.

+ 215 million square feet of office space will be lost

+ Only 1% of workers want to go back to the office full time after the pandemic

How can architects, real estate professionals, designers, and planners redirect their practices, policies, investment and cities to respond to these dramatic changes.

Join us for a talk about how our industry must innovate to survive.

Bart Higgins, the founder and creative director of Future Perfect X will tackle the issue of how the real estate industry has been impacted by changes due to COVID19, and how it must re-imagine its foundational business models in order to thrive.

He will tap into core shifts in consumer consciousness and need that will redefine real estate’s role in people’s lives and will dispel the notion that things will “go back to normal” after a vaccine is widely available. In his discussion, he will discuss the need to embrace the human need for personal interaction rather than the desire for purchasing products as a key driver for getting consumers back to physical locations.

A frequent contributor to publications chronicling the evolution of real estate including Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and CNN, Bart worked with Wired Magazine–leading global operational and organizational expansion–and A+I Design Corp leading workplace and retail strategy and development prior to founding Future Perfect X. His full bio is below.

Bart Higgins
Future Perfect X – Founder

Leading his own Experience Innovation Practice, Future Perfect X, Bart partners with clients globally to enable and activate brand design and experience innovation. Focusing on the development of new services, programs, environments, technologies, and branded offerings, Bart’s work helps build meaningful and lasting relationships between brands and the communities of customers they support. With Future Perfect X, Bart has helped develop new business models, invent groundbreaking services, places and experiences, and drive business growth for some of the world’s leading companies.

Whether creating a new retail concept for CVS Health, developing a service model for Four Seasons, re-imaging the beauty experience for Chanel, or driving workplace transformation for GlaxoSmithKline, Bart’s relentless quest to help brands empathetically connect with people is at the center of all of his work.

On his way to creating Future Perfect X, Bart worked with Wired Magazine leading global operational and organizational expansion and A+I Design Corp leading workplace and retail strategy and development. He also served as a Partner at the groundbreaking creative agency, Pompei A.D. creating global retail, cultural, and hospitality brands and experiences, and more recently as a Partner at ?What If! Innovation building a global retail innovation practice that developed new strategies, business models and platforms for some of the world’s leading retail and hospitality businesses. Bart is also a frequent contributor to publications chronicling the evolution of real estate including Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and CNN.

Borrowing from Wired Magazine’s patron saint Marshall McCluahan, Bart’s mantra in his work is “The medium is the message.” The place where we engage people, the way we communicate with them, and the emotional and empathetic relationships we build with them are quickly becoming as important as the products we develop for them. Working to this end helps brand focus on the most important stakeholder, the customer.