Key Themes from UKREiiF 2025: Insights on Property, Technology and the Evolving Workplace

The UK's Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) once again brought together people, places, and businesses to foster sustainable and transformative investment across the UK. For Squaredot, UKREiiF 2025 offered a valuable opportunity to connect with industry leaders, explore emerging trends and market sentiment as well as sharing insights on the future of our built environment. David Kramer, Squaredot co-founder and director, and Joseph Huddleston, our Business Design Development Executive enjoyed attending, and below have summarised their key takeaways and experiences from this year's event.

Day 1: Tuesday - Connections and Conversations

The atmosphere on Tuesday was buzzing with energy, the good weather providing a welcome backdrop to a day filled with productive and informative discussions. Squaredot engaged in a series of insightful sessions, including JLL's compelling "Adapt or Die" presentation, and Bidwells' exploration of "Building and Funding Thriving Life Sciences". The role of prop tech in government workspaces was a hot topic, alongside JLL's vision for "Delivering Office Space for the Next Generation" which links into our recent publication of “The Sticky Workplace”. The day concluded with a relaxed and valuable networking opportunity at the Avison Young drinks reception, held just outside the main venue in a suitably convivial and creative setting. 

Day 2: Wednesday - Insights and Innovation

Despite a chilly start, Wednesday saw a productive breakfast meeting set amongst the picturesque waterways and industrial redevelopment of Leeds, followed by a return to UKREiiF for day 2. While the crowds seemed to gather a little later, perhaps due to the initial overcast weather or the late-night fringe events, the day was packed with informative and innovative discussions. Highlights included TB&A’s session, "The Future is Now: Shaping Tomorrow’s Workforce Today," and a series of presentations from UK Government representatives on "Paths to a Smaller, Smarter Property Estate". UK Government and its various department representatives demonstrated a joined up and coordinated vision for a more efficient, productive and empowered workplace with a recognition of the ground to be made up, as well as diverse building stock to address. Cushman and Wakefield presented creative ideas around selecting the most appropriate building use through early-stage design studies paired with robust market data, in their session titled "Rethinking Reality: Repurposing and Repositioning the Built Environment". Later in the day British Land wrapped up the talks, emphasising the value and need for more carefully considered amenity, with a move away from flash to functional design. The day concluded with three evening fringe events across the city and a satisfyingly high step count of approximately 20,000.

Day 3: Thursday - Reflections and Future Focus

Kicking off and wrapping up the day at the West Midlands Growth Company stand, Thursday was punctuated by some great talks and a palpable sense of cautious positive industry sentiment. Fine Grain Property's session, "Make Offices Great Again," offered a refreshing perspective on out-of-town/business park developments as a way to build thematic communities and focus on carbon efficiencies and certifications. Perhaps one of the most eloquently presented and data-backed engagements of the three days was "Flex Offices, Profit Engine or Costly Experiment," with Castleforge & TSP demonstrating encyclopaedic knowledge, pithy analysis and clear future vision for the flex market. The day, and UKREiiF 2025 as a whole, proved to be thoroughly engaging.

UKREiiF 2025 provided Squaredot with a dynamic platform for engaging in thought-provoking discussions, forging valuable industry connections, and exploring potential collaborations. The event reinforced the importance of understanding the evolving needs of businesses and employees, and the critical role of data-driven insights in creating future-proofed and human-centric workspaces. Squaredot remains committed to exploring these critical issues and opportunities within the built environment.

David and Joseph’s experience at UKREiiF 2025 was overwhelmingly positive. The event underscored the importance of collaboration, innovation, and a forward-thinking approach to shaping the future of the built environment – we are already eagerly anticipating UKREiiF 2026