For the first time, the Real Estate Board of New York partnered with MetaProp NYC, a real estate tech development program, on April 6 in Midtown Manhattan to showcase new technological developments in the real estate field.
The all-day RETEch Expo — exclusive to REBNY members — held panels of New York and national real estate tech experts, moderated by MetaProp Co-Founder and Managing Director Aaron Block.
“The NYC RETech Expo 2016 participants are some of the best and brightest in our space, and this event was a great opportunity to help share their expertise with REBNY’s membership,” Block said.
Keep reading for event highlights.
- Kate Daly, senior vice president of the New York City Economic Development Corp. (NYCEDC) — a non-profit working to promote economic growth across New York City — remarked on the importance of incorporating REBNY and Metaprop NYC into her organization’s fundamentals, given NYC’s footing as the “real estate capital of the world.”
- Industrial design group Thyssenkrupp showcased a system allowing multiple elevators to operate independently in the same hoist way. However, permits for efficient elevators could face headwinds — something Mark Schroeder, director of New Construction Sales at Thyssenkrupp outlined to the audience.“Our city governments must adopt codes to permit the installation of these new technologies that will preserve space, more efficiently move people and increase value for property owners,” he said.
- John Gilbert of Rudin Management highlighted an operating system his team developed called Nantum OS, which successfully integrates subsystem data for NYC buildings.
- Radiator Labs presented opportunities to building owners and operators for heating cost savings. Marshall Cox, CEO of Radiator introduced low-cost radiator covers that the company says can reduce heating expenses by 25 to 35 percent. The product also allows for temperature control in steam-heat buildings.
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Ryan Coon, co-founder of property management software company Rentalutions, provided information on how his product benefits both apartment management and advertising. Since 20 percent of Rentalutions’ clients are located in New York City, the event was a strong opportunity for Coon to expand his already large local network.
- SiteCompli overviewed best practices for property operations and regulatory compliance.“In just a few short years, the SiteCompli platform has fundamentally changed the way New York City building owners manage and operate their investments, saving them significant time and money,” said Rose Goldenberg of SiteCompli.
- Fotis Merakos, president of Clean Cube, spoke on residential building trends and how smart storage systems in urban lobbies add value for tenants and landlords.“We were very happy to speak about the latest trends in residential amenities, how we followed them to develop our product, and what real estate professionals should be looking for in order to spot the next big thing,” Merakos said.
President of REBNY John H. Banks III sad he believes events like RETech are a vital aspect of the real estate industry, especially as the industry works to operate buildings in a more sustainable manner.