Last week, CoreNet Global’s EMEA Summit returned to Amsterdam, and with it, the familiar rhythm of connection, conversation, and the occasional déjà vu. I’ve attended a handful of these, and every year I tell myself I pretty much know what I’m in for… and yet, I keep coming back. Why? Well, let me unpack. First, let’s talk about the setting. Amsterdam is one of those cities that feels like it’s permanently on the front foot. It’s forward-thinking, relentlessly innovative, and always busy shaping the future. From cycling-first urban design to a thriving HQ and campus workplace scene, it’s a natural stage for a conversation about “Innovate to Thrive”, this year’s conference theme. I’ve always had the sense that the city itself lives that mantra.
So why do we all keep turning up? The content doesn’t change that much. Agendas get a fresh coat of paint each year, but the foundations are suspiciously familiar. The learning is nice, yes, but the real reason CoreNet persists isn’t the official programme of the summits or interim events. It’s about being part of something bigger.
Groucho Marx once said he wouldn’t join any club that would have him as a member. But in the workplace world? We all seem to want a club, and for many, CoreNet is that. Missed it? Maybe you’re feeling FOMO (fear of missing out). Or maybe you’re revelling in JOMO (joy of missing out) and reading this instead. Either way, connection is the heartbeat here, importantly: not a conference theme, but a lived experience.
And connection comes in shades. There’s the buzz of collaborative conversation, sure, but also the quieter kind. The being in the same space, around your people, without needing to say much (but no doubt we all said plenty). It’s why I still prefer an office to pure remote. Online collaboration? As a global organisation, we nailed that years ago. But presence, that is different.
Keynotes and Tropes
Opening keynote duties went to Anders Sörman-Nilsson, global futurist, founder of Thinque, and professional decoder of “megatrends”. He’s worked with Microsoft, Apple, McKinsey, and Lego, and he delivered with all the polish you’d expect. The content? A bit of a tropefest, honestly, but that’s part of the fun.
We got Dagen H (the day Sweden switched to driving on the right), a reminder that change is messy but manageable. Growth mindset became “growth AI mindset.” Tesla batteries ran out while fleeing hurricanes. And then the UPS trucks: famous for avoiding left turns to save time, fuel, and accidents. The point: strategy is as much about what you don’t do as what you do.
Was it scripted? Probably. Was it engaging? Yes. Did it tell me anything radically new? Not really. But hey, isn’t the workplace industry itself basically one long tropefest? And it gave us plenty of armour to go forward into the 2-day programme with enough small talk to make us all comfortable-ish.
UBS: Change at Scale
The UBS session was worth a note. A fireside chat explored the integration of Credit Suisse – arguably one of the most significant corporate events in Europe’s recent financial history. We heard about how UBS aligned people, assets, and strategy during this monumental (and speedy) transition. It skimmed the surface despite being told it wasn’t being recorded so it would be a ‘tell-all’, but still offered a reminder: change management isn’t just “nice to have,” it’s survival. Too often, workplace projects fail here.
Data [That] Matters
Being an experience-data geek, I joined the Wise and Leesman session. This case study showed how pre-occupancy survey data shaped Wise’s workplace strategy, then translated into HLW’s design. Think central staircases for movement, communal hubs for connection, flexible work settings, and design cues lifted from Shoreditch parks and markets. Perhaps all things that the designers would’ve arrived at anyway, base on experience and stakeholder engagement, but it was still interesting to see how the experience data was considered.
I doubt many of us can argue in 2025 that the model is strong: measure, translate, design, test, repeat.
Beyond the Office Walls
The session on real estate’s impact on business, community, and well-being was also refreshing. Drawing on Cushman & Wakefield’s research across 44 EMEA cities, it explored how inclusive design shapes more than just workplaces – it shapes whole communities. We should all care deeply about the impact of our work on cities, society and the wider economy, and I find this perspective essential. The workplace debate can get stuck inside four walls; this pulled us back to the bigger picture.
Hard Truths for CRE Leaders
One of the stronger closing sessions was tied to Knight Frank’s (Y)OUR SPACE research, launched in its 4th edition. A subject that should make its way into the agenda every year, but with hope that the topics discussed evolve. With a heavyweight panel from Arcadis, Securitas, Knight Frank, dsm-firmenich, and others, it tackled the unvarnished realities facing corporate real estate: AI disruption, hybrid complexities, sustainability demands, and those all-important employee expectations.
The emphasis was on moving past the noise and actually making decisions. A few that we’ve heard before: Right-sizing. Embedding AI. Delivering true business value. The discussion was sharp, candid, and nicely collaborative – a reminder that while the pressures are always mounting, so are the opportunities!
The CoreNet Equation
So, back to my opening question: why do we attend? It’s not the novelty of the content (sorry, keynote). It’s not the glossy slides. It’s the connections we make, have made in the past, the conversations in corridors, the collective sense that we’re in this evolving landscape together.
Amsterdam gave us the perfect backdrop. The sessions gave us a mix of tropes, insights, and provocations. And CoreNet gave us (once again) the excuse to gather.
Will I be back next year? Probably. Because despite myself, I still believe in this: to innovate and thrive, you need your people.
… Perhaps it’s me turning the tropes into cliches.
September 16, 2025
Just one more CoreNet? Give it to me.
by Esme Banks Marr • Comment, Property
So why do we all keep turning up? The content doesn’t change that much. Agendas get a fresh coat of paint each year, but the foundations are suspiciously familiar. The learning is nice, yes, but the real reason CoreNet persists isn’t the official programme of the summits or interim events. It’s about being part of something bigger.
Groucho Marx once said he wouldn’t join any club that would have him as a member. But in the workplace world? We all seem to want a club, and for many, CoreNet is that. Missed it? Maybe you’re feeling FOMO (fear of missing out). Or maybe you’re revelling in JOMO (joy of missing out) and reading this instead. Either way, connection is the heartbeat here, importantly: not a conference theme, but a lived experience.
And connection comes in shades. There’s the buzz of collaborative conversation, sure, but also the quieter kind. The being in the same space, around your people, without needing to say much (but no doubt we all said plenty). It’s why I still prefer an office to pure remote. Online collaboration? As a global organisation, we nailed that years ago. But presence, that is different.
Keynotes and Tropes
Opening keynote duties went to Anders Sörman-Nilsson, global futurist, founder of Thinque, and professional decoder of “megatrends”. He’s worked with Microsoft, Apple, McKinsey, and Lego, and he delivered with all the polish you’d expect. The content? A bit of a tropefest, honestly, but that’s part of the fun.
We got Dagen H (the day Sweden switched to driving on the right), a reminder that change is messy but manageable. Growth mindset became “growth AI mindset.” Tesla batteries ran out while fleeing hurricanes. And then the UPS trucks: famous for avoiding left turns to save time, fuel, and accidents. The point: strategy is as much about what you don’t do as what you do.
Was it scripted? Probably. Was it engaging? Yes. Did it tell me anything radically new? Not really. But hey, isn’t the workplace industry itself basically one long tropefest? And it gave us plenty of armour to go forward into the 2-day programme with enough small talk to make us all comfortable-ish.
UBS: Change at Scale
The UBS session was worth a note. A fireside chat explored the integration of Credit Suisse – arguably one of the most significant corporate events in Europe’s recent financial history. We heard about how UBS aligned people, assets, and strategy during this monumental (and speedy) transition. It skimmed the surface despite being told it wasn’t being recorded so it would be a ‘tell-all’, but still offered a reminder: change management isn’t just “nice to have,” it’s survival. Too often, workplace projects fail here.
Data [That] Matters
Being an experience-data geek, I joined the Wise and Leesman session. This case study showed how pre-occupancy survey data shaped Wise’s workplace strategy, then translated into HLW’s design. Think central staircases for movement, communal hubs for connection, flexible work settings, and design cues lifted from Shoreditch parks and markets. Perhaps all things that the designers would’ve arrived at anyway, base on experience and stakeholder engagement, but it was still interesting to see how the experience data was considered.
I doubt many of us can argue in 2025 that the model is strong: measure, translate, design, test, repeat.
Beyond the Office Walls
The session on real estate’s impact on business, community, and well-being was also refreshing. Drawing on Cushman & Wakefield’s research across 44 EMEA cities, it explored how inclusive design shapes more than just workplaces – it shapes whole communities. We should all care deeply about the impact of our work on cities, society and the wider economy, and I find this perspective essential. The workplace debate can get stuck inside four walls; this pulled us back to the bigger picture.
Hard Truths for CRE Leaders
One of the stronger closing sessions was tied to Knight Frank’s (Y)OUR SPACE research, launched in its 4th edition. A subject that should make its way into the agenda every year, but with hope that the topics discussed evolve. With a heavyweight panel from Arcadis, Securitas, Knight Frank, dsm-firmenich, and others, it tackled the unvarnished realities facing corporate real estate: AI disruption, hybrid complexities, sustainability demands, and those all-important employee expectations.
The emphasis was on moving past the noise and actually making decisions. A few that we’ve heard before: Right-sizing. Embedding AI. Delivering true business value. The discussion was sharp, candid, and nicely collaborative – a reminder that while the pressures are always mounting, so are the opportunities!
The CoreNet Equation
So, back to my opening question: why do we attend? It’s not the novelty of the content (sorry, keynote). It’s not the glossy slides. It’s the connections we make, have made in the past, the conversations in corridors, the collective sense that we’re in this evolving landscape together.
Amsterdam gave us the perfect backdrop. The sessions gave us a mix of tropes, insights, and provocations. And CoreNet gave us (once again) the excuse to gather.
Will I be back next year? Probably. Because despite myself, I still believe in this: to innovate and thrive, you need your people.
… Perhaps it’s me turning the tropes into cliches.
Esme Banks Marr is Strategy Director at BVN Architecture