From 2017 to 2023 … that’s how long it took from when the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) submitted their bid to host an IAMC Spring Forum in Biloxi to when it was finally held last month.

It wasn’t always meant to be a 6-year timeframe. Biloxi was originally the planned host for the Spring 2020 Forum at the Beau Rivage Hotel & Casino. This 1,700-room facility was, and remains, the largest hotel in the state of Mississippi. Even then, the Beau had plans to renovate their rooms and common areas – which they ultimately completed in 2022 – and everything was proceeding according to plan … until the global pandemic hit. 

Here’s a little irony for you: Coworking, which has been a tenant’s option in the office market for about four decades now, has gained serious post-pandemic steam as office tenants continue to reevaluate (and often cut back) their office requirements. And yet, coworking in the industrial sector is gaining steam specifically for the opposite reason: There’s too much space demand.

Now for some disclosure. The industrial coworking (or co-warehousing or shared space) market is embryonic. As such, growth statistics are hard to come by. In fact, a good handful of IAMC members contacted for this article hadn’t heard of the trend, and if they had, they hadn’t seen it in local action. 

In addition to a full schedule of professional development and knowledge sharing built around the theme The Industrial Real Estate Strategic Agenda, the upcoming IAMC Forum in London is offering two unique opportunities to build relationships on The River Thames.

AI, ESG, facility design and location … the future of industrial real estate has never been more exciting. From increasing efficiencies and reducing costs through the integration of artificial intelligence, robotics, and the Internet of Things to innovations across sustainability in both materials and processes, choices made today are shaping the long-term future of industrial manufacturing and even overall business operations.

As an organization, IAMC fosters relationships that turn into both business partnerships and long-term friendships. The path to corporate real estate varies widely, and our members come from a variety of professional and personal backgrounds.

We thank Jim Eckert, head of global real estate solutions for Owens Corning for sharing his!