Takeaways from CORFAC’s Fall Summit: Market Trends, AI and Emerging Technology

By Iain Sayer, HWBC/CORFAC International

The CORFAC Fall Summit in Chicago provided insights into what is driving market activity and business opportunities across our global network. It also provided strategies for integrating AI into brokerage workflow and how new technology is affecting our ever-changing industry.

CRE Market Trends

There's a wide disparity of market activity across the U.S., but in general terms, brokers are doing well. Overall, the office sector appears to still be struggling. In an extreme example on the West Coast, the Portland, Oregon, market has a 20% vacancy rate in the central business district. While we at HWBC have seen this influence U.S. investors’ decisions in Europe, it is worth taking note of for your own market.

Industrial/logistics seem to be doing very well, powered by the onshoring of manufacturing as a result of recent trade policy. The consensus is that major markets like Texas and Florida are faring well as a result of population growth and fiscal policy. In particular, huge investments in construction are underway by Elon Musk in Texas and by TSMC in Arizona.

Data centers remain controversial in many U.S. locations, which is the case in Ireland too. These developments present a number of challenges in terms of resources such as water and power.

Artificial Intelligence

AI was a consistent theme at the Fall Summit and came up repeatedly in connection with data centers. But it is having a wider impact on our individual businesses and the economy overall. One speaker noted the U.S. would be in technical recession without the current AI investment boom.

Keynote speaker Topher Stephenson, Co-Founder of CRE AI Studio, gave a particularly good talk around the basics of AI model use and ways of leveraging AI to improve efficiency. Another topic was making sure that your website and online presence are optimized for AI bots to read, which works differently than search engine optimization and has resulted in new business leads for many affiliates.

Ed Del Beccaro of TRI Commercial/CORFAC International in Walnut Creek, California, Sunny Mogra of Address Advisors/CORFAC International in India, and I had a valuable conversation around targeting Silicon Valley AI start-ups, who, as they grow, often acquire space in markets such as Dublin and India. The opportunities for cross-market collaboration in the network are exciting.

Drones and Self-Driving Vehicles

There was a great deal of discussion around advances in drones and self-driving auto technology and the onward implications for real estate.

The global conflicts in Ukraine and Iran have increased the focus on drone usage and resulted in increased investment in research and development facilities. Out of these, there are also various civilian uses, most notably drone deliveries, with some schemes already up and running in the U.S. These initiatives require real estate to house, manufacture, and repair the equipment, often in central locations.

For example, some older offices are being repurposed in this regard. In Ireland, a company that operated a delivery service in Dublin was forced to close as regulations around air rights proved too restrictive. The company decamped to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is now operating successfully there with plans to roll out across the U.S. Another opportunity for collaboration among CORFAC firms.

Finally, self-driving technology creates many of the same real estate opportunities. However, it's not legal in Ireland or many US cities at this time. However, this technology is on the way and may pose future building design and planning opportunities.

Click here to view photos of the 2026 CORFAC Fall Summit.