Innovate, Integrate, Motivate: The Smart Office India Summit 2023

The magazine recently concluded yet another stellar edition of the Smart Office Summit in the city known as the Silicon Valley of India – Bengaluru. The genesis of this edition commenced with several rounds of discussions and brainstorming sessions with some of the leading industry members in this domain – Fancy George, Major Aditi Mohan and Shobha Rengunathan. They not only helped us identify the challenges and set the outline of the conference, but also helped us bring together the right minds to deliberate and expound on the subject of rethinking smart workspaces and the strategies adopted by companies across verticals. Sharing their keenness and knowledge of integrating intelligent design, the eminent speakers at the Summit spoke about the important aspects that are taken into consideration while incorporating or upgrading strategies for any workplace and the various challenges the sector faces.

The conference started with an opening address by Indrajeet Saoji, Group Publishing Director, ITP Media India, who put forth the growth possibilities in this sector. “The global Smart Office market size is projected to reach around USD 29 hundred million by 2028, from USD 12 hundred million in 2021, growing at a CAGR of 13.0% during 2022-2028. The Asia Pacific region alone is expected to grow at an even faster rate of more than 19% CAGR,” he stated.

Representing the Summit’s presenting partner, Thongaram Singh, Country Head, AFC Furniture Solutions, then delivered the welcome address of the evening. He briefly shed light on the brand’s research-backed ergonomic furniture solutions that are designed and built to suit every client’s specific requirements and demands and delivered within the shortest span of time across the country.

The stage was then set for the keynote speaker of the evening, Juggy Marwaha, CEO – Office Ventures, Prestige Group. Packed with some remarkable insights, his address was nothing short of stellar. He started by expounding on the industry’s changing consumer trends and economic shifts and shed light on some staggering numbers and statistics from the office market segment.

We then had Arup Chakraborty, Category & National Head, Specification Sales, LED Luminaire & Smart System – Marketing, Havells India, deliver the industry address. Through a workplace survey, he elucidated the need for human-centric lighting and its impact on employee well-being and productivity. “Enhanced office designs with human-centric lighting have improved employee well-being by up to 31% and productivity by up to 15%. Further improvements were found when employees were able to personalise their workplace,” he reveals. He also gave the audience a quick glance through Havells extensive portfolio of lighting solutions that are specifically designed to address the aspect of sustainability and wellness in workplace design.

The first panel discussion of the day, which was conceptualised on the “Tectonic shifts in the role of the office and its impact”, was moderated by a very dynamic Major Aditi Mohan, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), FNF India. The speakers on the panel discussed in detail the operational reality and complexity of CRE’s role in enabling businesses. They also addressed the need for integrated thinking and closer collaboration between CRE professionals, architects & designers and technology solutions providers. Major Aditie put forth a pertinent question as to why the sector is still traditional and fragmented by nature, with a need for more transparency. In addition to this, the speaker shared insights on the importance of an ‘inclusive design’ and what an inclusive office design looks like.

The second panel discussion, which included not just the speakers but also the entirety of the audience, was hosted by Fancy George, CEO, Thomas Workplace Design. She began the discussion with a fascinating conversation that she had with Chat GPT. She asked the AI chatbot, “What is the secret sauce for a successful workplace design?” Having caught everyone’s attention, she read out the reply she got to that question: “Unfortunately, as an AI language model, I do not have knowledge of any recent “secret sauce” for workplace design. However, a good workplace design should prioritise functionality, comfort, natural light, ergonomic furniture, good air quality, and communal spaces. As apt as the reply was, it set the stage for the second panel discussion that was ideated on the topic “Designing & Creating Next-Gen Workplaces”. And one of the most critical points she delved into was that of creating a ‘Circular Workplace Design’ and its principles.

The Summit then invited on stage Agrim Nijhawan, Head – Business & Marketing, AFC Furniture Solutions, to deliver the industry address. Speaking about the company’s journey and what makes AFC the leader in this segment, he states, “We stand out from the rest because of our commitment to deliver the best in the shortest time span.”

The last panel discussion of the day, titled “The Changing Nature of Work and the Workplace”, was co-moderated by the very passionate Shobha Regunathan, Founder, The Build ED, and the very perceptive Vikas Chawla, Director – Employee and Workplace Solutions, Adobe. The panel speakers discussed the current disruption, changes, and innovation in the workplace and commercial real estate industry while addressing the lack of meta-skills therein. They also mentioned why there is a requirement for resources to be equipped with skills other than mere technical knowledge. How can the ongoing challenge of training and resourcing be addressed in an industry where poaching is so rampant? They also shed light on the importance of customer-facing skills and soft skills like negotiation in FM professionals and why has the industry been hiring resources with hospitality backgrounds?

Venkat Raman, Regional Head – Projects and Hospitality (South) at Hafele India, concluded the evening with a presentation on the company’s dynamic portfolio of holistic solutions for interior spaces.