EDITOR’S COMMENT So there we have it. Another year almost done. Another 12 months of news, views, interviews, intelligence and events delivered to you. Another year of connecting with the industry and learning about what’s been driving you, what’s been frustrating you and what’s been providing the opportunities.
And what a year it has been.
It’s hard to believe that everything that has happened this year has only happened this year. It’s been a roller coaster. And perhaps a roller coaster with a few more downs than ups, and perhaps a little more fear than thrills.
We may have seen muted activity in the capital markets, with our friends in the agency world all taking big hits on transactional income, but it has definitely not been a dull year. In this week’s magazine, join deputy editor Tim Burke as he takes us on a whirlwind journey of the trends, transactions and troubles that shaped the year in commercial real estate (look out for it online next week).
And while I don’t want to be the Grinch, we all know that 2024 is going to come with its own special challenges too. The market isn’t going to suddenly bounce back as the clock strikes 12 on 31 December 2023. The new year is going to require more of us all. We are going to have to work harder and smarter, and, for a while at least, we’re probably going to have to do that for less.
But reward always comes to those who put the effort in. When the market does come back, we know it will come back quickly and powerfully. It always does.
Our job at EG – here in the pages of the magazine and on our news site, but also through our events and our data business – is to make sure that we are there to help prepare you for that bounce-back.
In fact, it is not just our job, it is our promise. Our promise is to make sure that we provide you with all the intelligence and insight you need as a practitioner in the built environment to successfully ride that roller coaster. We can’t control the ups and downs, but we can give you the tools required to not feel too sick or too terrified on that ride. We can give you the insights and create the connections for you that will help you to see when those ups are coming, and when the downs are just around the corner.
That is a promise we take really seriously here at EG.
Our team of committed journalists are eager to hunt out the news and deals to ensure that you know what is going on in the market, our events team is connecting closely with our customers to bring the big challenges – and their associated opportunities – to life, and our data and sales teams are working hard to ensure that all the intelligence you need to make your job easier and better is right at your fingertips when you need it. And then there are the unsung, hidden heroes here at EG. Those people you will likely never engage with but who are here, working hard, for you, to enable us as a business to be your guide, to be your champion and, at times, to be your challenger too.
It would be remiss of me not to thank Team EG for all of that work this year.
But I also want to take this opportunity to thank you. To thank every single reader who has supported us, every single source who has told us something they probably shouldn’t have (we especially thank you) and every single customer and partner who has teamed up with EG as we work together to make sure everyone knows what a wonderful, powerful and important sector the real estate industry is and can be.
So while the year may not yet be quite done, with agents across London chasing £1bn of deals in the hope of closing out the year strongly, I do hope that you can all take a moment to reflect and remember that while 2023 may not have been the year we all wished for, this industry continues to push forward. This industry continues to lead where it matters. And this industry will most definitely bounce back stronger when recovery comes.
To send feedback, e-mail samantha.mcclary@eg.co.uk or tweet @samanthamcclary or @EGPropertyNews
