What BOMA International Confirmed About the Future of Commercial Real Estate
The biggest takeaway from this year’s conference wasn’t a single keynote or emerging technology. It was the consistency of the conversations happening across education sessions, networking events, and industry leaders—and what they reveal about where commercial real estate is headed.
Every year, the BOMA International Conference & Expo offers an opportunity to step away from the day-to-day demands of business and look at the broader direction of our industry.
The conference is known for its educational sessions, emerging technologies, and operational best practices. But what stood out most this year wasn’t any single presentation. It was the remarkable consistency of the conversations taking place throughout the conference.
Whether the topic was artificial intelligence, leadership, workplace strategy, engineering, sustainability, or tenant experience, the same underlying themes continued to emerge.
Those conversations confirmed something we’ve been seeing for quite some time.
Clarity Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage
Artificial intelligence was impossible to ignore this year, but the most meaningful conversations weren’t about replacing people with technology. They were about making better decisions.
AI is only as effective as the information behind it. Organizations with well-defined processes, consistent data, and a clear understanding of who they are will be far better positioned to take advantage of the technology than those still trying to organize their foundation.
The future belongs to organizations that communicate with clarity—not just internally, but throughout every interaction with the market.
Operational Excellence Deserves to Be Seen
Commercial real estate has always been built on operational excellence. Preventive maintenance, engineering expertise, emergency preparedness, tenant engagement, building performance…none of these priorities are new.
What’s changing is the growing recognition that exceptional work should also be communicated effectively. Owners, tenants, prospective employees, and business partners all benefit from understanding the expertise happening behind the scenes. Doing great work has always mattered. Helping people recognize that work is becoming just as important.
Leadership Means Navigating Change
Leadership was another theme woven throughout the conference. Technology will continue to evolve, expectations will continue to shift, and the pace of change isn’t slowing down. The question isn’t whether change is coming—it’s how leaders choose to respond.
That message came to life during the keynote by Mick Ebeling, founder of Not Impossible Labs. Through inspiring stories of innovation and collaboration, Mick challenged attendees to rethink what’s possible and reminded us that meaningful change often begins with one person willing to challenge assumptions.
What resonated most was the idea that innovation isn’t new—it’s part of human progress. The tools evolve, but the mindset remains the same: stay curious, work together, and keep looking for better ways to solve meaningful problems.
For today’s leaders, adaptability may be one of the most important skills of all.
Relationships Still Matter Most
One theme surfaced throughout the conference: while technology is changing how we work, it isn’t changing the importance of human relationships.
That message was reinforced in educational sessions, conversations with attendees, and BOMA International’s programming. One of the most memorable keynotes came from Dr. Kelly Monahan, who encouraged attendees to lead with humanity in the age of artificial intelligence. Her message was clear: as AI reshapes the workplace, trust, empathy, accountability, and meaningful relationships will become even more important.
That perspective resonated well beyond the keynote. Commercial real estate has always been a relationship-driven industry, where trust is built through consistency, communication, and delivering on commitments. BOMA International served as a timely reminder that while technology will continue to evolve, those fundamentals remain unchanged.
Marketability Matters
As I reflected on the conference, I kept coming back to a conversation I’ve been having with clients for quite some time: many organizations invest heavily in marketing before they’ve done the work of becoming truly marketable.
The strongest organizations aren’t simply promoting themselves. They have a clear understanding of who they are, what they do well, and how they create value. Their marketing isn’t creating credibility—it’s communicating credibility.
No one explicitly talked about marketability. Yet across keynote presentations, educational sessions, and conversations with attendees, the same themes kept surfacing: trust, clear communication, strong leadership, meaningful relationships, and the need to build a solid foundation before embracing the next new thing.
And guess what? Those are the qualities that make an organization marketable. Marketing doesn’t create credibility. It communicates them.
By the end of the conference, it felt less like I had discovered something new and more like I had watched dozens of conversations reinforce an idea I’d already been exploring. There was something reassuring about that. Sometimes a conference doesn’t change your thinking—it strengthens it. It challenges your assumptions, fills in a few gaps, and reminds you why the fundamentals still matter.