On Thursday the 18th of May 2023, we held our first event for the real estate and constructi...
On Thursday the 18th of May 2023, we held our first event for the real estate and construction industry – a roundtable discussion about the future of placemaking.
Our specialist property marketing recruiter, Charlotte Titmuss, and Director, Charlie Rawstron, brought together property marketing leaders to answer the following questions...
In this article, we’ll be sharing the experts’ answers to these questions and other key takeaways from their discussion about the art of placemaking.
With such a varied group of people in the room, having all been on different journeys with placemaking, Charlotte kicked off the discussion by asking the experts what their definition of placemaking is and what placemaking means to them.
“Connecting people with places in meaningful ways.”
One attendee summarised the art of placemaking as, “Connecting people with places in meaningful ways.” This quote resonated with everyone in the room, as it covers everything from light touch, low-level activations through to the bigger, community engagement aspects.
Authenticity was another key word mentioned during this discussion and certainly a hot topic in the world of placemaking at the moment.
"Authenticity is key."
With so much emphasis placed on community in placemaking, it’s important to keep the people’s best interests at heart and be genuinely authentic with your marketing.
In order to achieve this, it’s crucial to learn about a destination’s community, always thinking about what people actually want and/or need from your property developments.
This conversation should not end when the work has been completed. It's important to continue engaging with the communities that you’re a part of to ensure you continue to connect with them effectively. This will allow you to craft a common vision between your organisation and the community you’re a part of, ensuring your placemaking efforts are successful.
Where the conversation naturally progressed to the value of placemaking and how that is demonstrated within each business, data was a key talking point.
It can be difficult to articulate the value of placemaking when there isn’t a lot of data readily available, but this is beginning to change with more marketing teams actively investing in their data.
“Data is the new customer.”
No matter the industry, marketing is the voice of the customer and data is really helping marketing teams to articulate the customers’ needs and desires to the wider business.
The property industry is slightly behind in their understanding of data, but this is all beginning to change. One attendee highlighted the fact that data will help property marketers make informed decisions around social value and ESG. Going forward, data will be a skill set that property businesses look for when hiring for property marketing jobs.
One clear struggle of the property marketing leaders in the room, was finding good property marketers to hire into their teams. The property marketing talent pool is small, and so many businesses find it difficult to find top talent.
There are a breadth of challenges facing those hiring for property marketing jobs including:
A key tip from our property marketing leaders was to think outside the box and look for new marketing hires outside of the property industry. For instance, our property recruitment manager, Charlotte gave examples of where she has helped marketers transition from retail, hospitality and financial backgrounds into property businesses. They are now making huge impacts within their marketing teams.
Marketing Managers who come from a diverse background are more likely to bring new, creative ideas to the table. Plus, as long as they have a strong understanding of the core marketing values, they will be able to quickly learn placemaking, too.
A big thank you to all of our attendees for making our “The future of placemaking” event so successful. We hope that you all had an insightful morning.
This was just the start of many property marketing events that we will be holding in the near future. To be the first to find out more about what we’re doing in property marketing recruitment, register your details below.
Having specialised in the property marketing world for over 6 years, Charlotte has witnessed the property marketing world digitally transform and evolve over the years. She has placed a number of placemaking jobs, often placing the first placemaking role into a business, and can help you find your next placemaking and marketing jobs. Get in touch with our property marketing recruitment team or upload your CV today!
