The Halo Effect: Could a global talent hunt be on the horizon?

Plus, the quest for the ultimate drone and the benefits unique to online events. I say it every time I write a tech and innovation news round-up, but it really has been a busy couple of weeks for EG and our tech platform Halo. For a start, we have been keeping track of proceedings at this week’s four-day CREtech Reimagining Real Estate Summit. It’s still running up until Thursday 30 July, for those of you who want to check out the last couple of days, and it inspired me to consider some of the benefits of virtual events. That’s not to say we won’t all rush back to congregate in person once it feels safe enough to do so, but there are definitely some upsides that are unique to the online format. Check out my analysis of why insight into the worlds of industry leaders could prove to be a powerful and uniting force. And if it’s news you are after from the event, look no further than this little gem off the back of a conversation on the “main stage” with Prologis’ chief technology officer Sineesh Keshav. In a sector where fear of widespread job cuts is looming, it was refreshing to hear someone point out the potential benefits of widespread remote working for the industry’s next rising stars as he urged the sector to “go to the talent” rather than wait for the talent to come to it. A story a little out of left field this week came off the back of an in depth interview with Pippa Malmgren. The economist and former economic adviser to George W Bush has turned her attention to drones. For the past decade she has been building up H Robotics, a company set up to manufacture commercial drones that go way beyond simple surveillance. These models, she says, could prove to be invaluable data tools for the real estate sector as we move into an increasingly digital age. Read more >> And don’t miss the latest instalment of our new quarterly comment series on building data. This week’s piece from Andrew Bulmer, chief executive of the Institute of Residential Property Management warns the sector not to “sleepwalk” into a situation that could break trust around data ethics. Read more >> Also in this week’s round-up we are back with our Tech Talk Radio podcast as tech reporter Lucy Alderson quizzes Skwire chief executive and co-founder Elisabeth Kohlbach on how tech can be used to make savvy PRS investment decisions, demand for data centre space continues to soar following lockdown, and US tech hubs look set to thrive. For more of EG’s tech and innovation content visit www.egi.co.uk/halo   To send feedback, e-mail emily.wright@egi.co.uk or tweet @EmilyW_9 or @estatesgazette