Technology is changing the landscape of many industries, and real estate is no exception. As we head into 2017, it is apparent that real estate is impacted by the tremendous technological changes in building materials, e-commerce, crowd-funding, and online marketplaces; Airbnb anyone?
The 2016 Cornell Real Estate Conference on October 13th and 14th is aptly titled “Disruption” to capture the fact that technology is changing real estate. Panels throughout the conference will touch on the theme of technological disruption in the real estate industry. We will hear about innovation from many different players in the real estate sector, such as Mary Anne Gilmartin, CEO of Forest City Ratner Companies, but we will also have the opportunity to hear from new entrants who have come to real estate through technology in the “Shake it Up,” panel.
Looking back, we know that the Real Estate industry has already been impacted a great deal by technology, but there are always courageous, entrepreneurial, technology-oriented start-ups waiting in the wings. Disruption is the name of the game, and tech executives are looking to disrupt the real estate market. The idea of the “Shake it Up,” discussion is to get an idea of where this disruption is headed. To do this, the Cornell Real Estate Conference, hosted by the Cornell Real Estate Council, is bringing in leaders from several companies with technology that is changing the real estate business.
The panel will consist of Rama Chanani, SHA 08’, Co-Founder and COO of Global Travel Solutions; Dave Eisenberg CEO of Floored; Riggs Kubiak, CEO at Honest Buildings; and Brandon Weber, CEO at Hightower. These tech executives are changing the way that the real estate business operates, and will be able to shed light on what landlords, tenants, and 
travelers can expect in the future.
As these tech execs share their expertise, Andrew Benioff, MBA 04’, will moderate. As the Managing Partner of Llenrock group, a real estate investment bank headquartered in Philadelphia with extensive experience across multiple asset classes, Mr. Benioff is well suited to moderate a panel that could touch on many aspects of the business. Needless to say, this panel will certainly shake things up.
