Commercial real estate professionals are navigating a growing mix of headwinds, from higher interest rates and geopolitical risk to supply-chain disruptions, rapid technology change and evolving workplace expectations. Those themes will be front and center when the Society of Industrial and Office REALTORS convenes its Fall Event in New York on Oct. 19-22, coinciding with SIOR’s 85th anniversary and drawing practitioners from around the world.
Incoming SIOR global president and Cushman & Wakefield senior director Aaron Barnard frames the new environment around what he calls relationship intelligence, which he sees as core to the role of a trusted advisor. He argues that as the pace of change accelerates, clients place increasing value on advisors who can synthesize information, anticipate issues and coordinate across a broad network of market participants.
Barnard acknowledges the growing importance of artificial intelligence in brokerage work, particularly in researching companies, geographies and news to prepare for client conversations. Used effectively, he said, AI can help a broker get up to speed quickly, provided the output is carefully fact-checked and independently verified. He views AI as an assistant rather than a decision-maker, emphasizing that human judgment remains essential.
He does see AI reshaping entry-level roles, not by eliminating them entirely but by changing the skills required. When hiring recent graduates, Barnard prioritizes motivation and the ability to craft strong prompts and verify data. Those capabilities, he said, now sit alongside traditional brokerage attributes and feed into the broader goal of becoming a trusted advisor.
For Barnard, relationship intelligence also underpins the globalization of CRE mandates. He notes that a Chicago industrial client may be tied to international supply chains, a Dallas company might be expanding abroad, or an Atlanta-based occupier could suddenly need advice in another country. He urges brokers to remain curious about how transactions work in other markets, including the impact of local politics, tariffs and media headlines, and points to SIOR’s global network as a way to connect clients with vetted professionals overseas while maintaining deep local knowledge.
In the office sector, Barnard expects bifurcation to persist over the next 12 to 18 months, with a clear flight to quality that extends beyond the four walls of the building. Top-performing assets, he said, tend to be embedded in work-live-play environments where employees can walk to food, retail, entertainment and other amenities. At the same time, he observes that attractive sublease options have thinned considerably, recounting a recent client search where only one suitable space was available versus roughly 20 three years earlier.
As a result, Barnard sees informal information channels and professional networks as increasingly important in uncovering opportunities before they formally come to market. He describes scenarios where a chance conversation at an event surfaces a space that may be available within 90 days, underscoring the value of staying engaged across the ecosystem.
On the industrial side, Barnard expects reshoring and nearshoring to remain durable trends, driven by policy choices, supply-chain risk management and transportation costs. He argues that the economics increasingly favor locating production closer to end markets or in neighboring countries rather than shipping goods from halfway around the world. For brokers, he said, winning business in this environment requires a combination of robust data and sustained relationship-building, along with the ability to discern which information is most relevant to a given decision.
Looking ahead to his term as SIOR’s global president, Barnard highlights goals around connectivity, innovation and the member experience, while reinforcing the organization’s longstanding emphasis on expertise, ethics and professionalism. He sees SIOR’s member associate program, which exposes emerging brokers to conferences and chapter meetings before they qualify for full membership, as one way to bring the next generation into the industry.
Barnard believes deeper relationships can also help shorten transaction timelines at a moment when deals often take longer to complete. In his view, the most effective practitioners will be those who integrate AI capabilities with strong data discipline and, ultimately, the trust and relationship capital that clients still rely on to navigate a volatile CRE landscape.
