Day 1 of Asia Real Estate Summit 2019: prioritising human experience in technology innovation and property development

Industry experts discuss how to “transform the way we work, live, and play”

More than 30 leaders, innovators, tech disruptors, and developers from around the globe gathered for the fifth edition of PropertyGuru Asia Real Estate Summit on Thursday, 21 November 2019 at The Athenee Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bangkok.

Centred around the theme, Connected Technology, the first day of the summit focused on the importance of designing innovative solutions that value human experience, whether it’s through robots, 5G, smart cities, or the sharing economy.

To kick off the first day of the conference, Jules Kay, managing director of PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards and Real Estate Summit, delivered the opening remarks, encouraging leaders — the people who will be shaping the future — to “create what’s next.”

Sylvester Wong, vice president for strategies and development of AECO and honourary chair of this year’s summit, set the ball rolling with his keynote address on “Global Vision: a look at the rapid growth of the Asian property market” where he talked about redefining resiliency in Asia through diversity, inclusivity, and innovation to counter urban challenges and climate crises.

Tēmi, the world’s first personal robot, was then introduced by Lim Wee Chiang, its co-founder, VOV, and exclusive partner. Through its mobility, scanning, and safety features, he said that it can cater to the many needs of the elderly, as well as the daily convenience of residents.

Sharing his thoughts on the importance of human behaviour in design was Tim Kobe, the founder of Eight Inc and creator of the original Apple store concept, advising developers and innovators that “People care about things that make life better.”

Day 1 also featured Charles Reed Anderson, founder of CRA & Associates, who spoke about the possibilities (and complexities) of building Asian smart cities in the future as long as developers, government, and industry associations work together.

The six-panel discussions for the day revolved around 5G, sustainable consumer products, innovative digital marketing strategies, the sharing economy, Asia’s tech hubs, and young innovators, moderated by industry leaders, including Wendy McEwan of Knight Frank Asia Pacific, Adam Dollner of HubLearn, Ben Hamley of JLL, Tom Mitchell of Treacle, David Nugent of SAMVADA, and Joelle Chan of Beca Singapore.

The final keynote of the day was presented by the global editorial director of The Economist Corporate Network Andrew Staples who spoke about socio-political trends in the region, as well as the US-China trade war.

For the second day of the summit, Kim Rellinger, Google’s Head of Agency & Performance in Thailand, will open as the innovation keynote speaker. Two panel sessions on cyber risks and fintech, an interactive session on the future of real estate, and the recognition for the PropertyGuru Tech Innovation Award will then conclude the two-day conference.

The PropertyGuru Asia Real Estate Summit 2019 is supported by our innovation partners Foyr, FlySpaces, and One to One Displays; official video partner Treacle; official MICE partner Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau; official magazine PropertyGuru Property Report; supporting associations RICS, APREA, and Prop-Tech; official data partner Unissu; official podcast partner Techburst Asia; media partners Techsauce, Oxford Business Group, BrandNow.Asia, APAC Real Estate, CMO Asia, The Wall Street Journal, Nikkei Asian Review, Pacific Rim Construction, APAC CIO Outlook, Asia PropTech, Robb Report, CHG Toda, Mingtiandi, and Disruptive.Asia.

For more information, please visit AsiaRealEstateSummit.com