What Patent Engineering taught me about Commercial Real Estate Marketing

I have been involved both professionally and personally (on a hobby level) in mechanical engineering since I was a teenager. I have worked on dozens of patents, and I even hold a handful myself in both the robotics and aerospace fields. In almost every instance there was a time frame for conceptual design.

This typically occurred when the idea for the mechanism had been birthed and the visual message needed to be conveyed, but the finite engineering had not yet happened. It was a timeframe where we created a visual method for showcasing or marketing an idea with full knowledge the specifics would be defined later.

Moving into the sphere of commercial real estate, I have seen the same scenario play out with all types of asset classes and deals. As an engineer, I didn’t engage my high level, technical engineers in the conceptual visualization of our projects. Instead, I had an employee who wasn’t a mechanical engineer, but instead an industrial artist, craft the visuals that garnered interest and support for our ideas. Why? Because of budget and logistics. It didn’t make sense to engage a technical professional that early in the game. I didn’t need (or know) intricate specifics, I needed a visual of my vision. I needed quality images that showed what could be, and I needed them on a much faster schedule than the actual engineering would take.

This exact scenario is why I tasked my team of 3D gaming artists at TM to create a library of conceptual assets for owners and brokers to use in selling the initial story of their property. From pre-designed office spaces to an assortment of buildings to put onto vacant land, CREate Studios powered by TourIt Media provides schedule friendly, cost effective ways to visualize the future without having to prematurely engage an architect and spend time and money unnecessarily.

In office leasing, white box space can be problematic for prospects who lack creative vision. The configuration and potential of a space can be lost to their lack of seeing past the literal "white box." However, engaging in an architectural design can take both extensive time and money to execute. Conceptual designs that present the space in a finished, modern layout and look can be the hook that grabs the attention of a prospect long enough to allow them to really see into the future.