Business at the Speed of Light

I just sent this proposal in to ARC-US to deliver a presentation at their conference in San Diego in November...

Business at the Speed of Light
The acceleration of business and communication, and architectural practice in the 21st Century

In the last 25 years, technology has completely changed the way we conduct business. A series of revolutionary inventions—CAD, overnight delivery, faxes, mobile phones, email, and the internet—has transformed practically everything we do.

Now that the internet is nearly ubiquitous, however, we are entering an entirely new era. We have more information at our fingertips than ever conceived of before. We are able to communicate with our clients, staff, and collaborators instantly, no matter where they are.

Add to this the fact that we are now conducting business in a vastly expanded geographic and economic arena. In the last 10 years or so, over 2 billion people have joined the global economy—in China, India, and emerging countries in South America, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia. The world is truly bigger, and smaller, than ever before.

In this new environment, the speed of business has increased dramatically, and we are now operating in an always-on, 24/7 global economy. The world does not stop when your office closes. Every business must contend with how to respond as rapidly as possible to their customers—no matter where in the world they're located, no matter what time it is where they are.

But this new era is defined by more than just speed. Now that we can access information and communicate instantly around the globe, new forms of online communication are emerging. It is now possible for every individual who is connected to the internet to communicate with every other individual. Social networking on the internet, in the form of online communities, blogs, wikis, and content sharing, is beginning to transform the way that people interact around the world.

This new environment turns conventional corporate marketing and communications on its head. In a world where everyone (at least, everyone who is connected to the global economy) has immediate access to libraries of current information (that is, current as of this second) on you, your company, your competitors, and your market, companies need to find new ways to communicate with and truly engage clients. It isn't enough to send out a postcard and update your website. You have to find ways to truly provide unique value to your customers—whether through a trust relationship that you have built or through knowledge that only you can provide.

A few key questions:

• How are architects coping with working globally, in a 24/7 environment?
• How are suppliers changing their communications/marketing organizations to accelerate response and provide enhanced levels of personal service?
• How can companies in our industry utilize many-to-many forms of online communication and collaboration to provide increased levels of service and value to our customers?

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David Koren, Assoc. AIA
Senior Associate, Gensler Architecture, Design & Planning Worldwide

David Koren is the Marketing Director of the Northeast Region of Gensler, and the author of The Architect’s Essentials of Marketing, the first book on marketing written specifically for architects. David was the co-chair of the marketing committee of the New York Chapter of the AIA from 2001-2004, and was president of the SMPS New York Chapter from 2005-2006. He has a BFA in Dramatic Writing from New York University, and an M.Phil. in Irish Theatre Studies from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.

David is an avowed early adopter, and has always been fascinated by technology and its social implications. He's been tracking and participating in the development of the internet for the past 15 years. David combines a deep practical knowledge of the business of design with a vivid imagination and sharp communication skills. He's working on a new book on the speed of business.