Final Roundtable debate on Reading’s future

Commercial property was the focus of the last of four Roundtables organised by BDB Pitmans as part of its ‘Reading Future’ campaign.

Held at The Roseate Forbury Hotel in Forbury Square, Reading, the Roundtable encouraged guests to discuss Reading’s commercial property needs and market trends.

Key guest speakers included Edward Harbison, corporate marketing manager at The Instant Group, who spoke about maximising value in the serviced office sector and analysed the influences behind the rise of flex spaces.

Rory Carson, vice president of Mapletree, also presented his thoughts on the reputation of business parks and how parks need to become communities in order to recruit and retain staff. 

Tom Fletcher, head of the Reading office at Lambert Smith Hampton, rounded off the discussion by asking the attendees to consider Reading’s personal brand and reputation as a town, and whether enough was being done to publicise its merits.

The session was chaired by BDB Pitmans’  deputy head of real estate, Sarah Potter.

This was the last Roundtable in a series focused on future-proofing Reading businesses, attracting and retaining talent and developing infrastructure in the town.

Attendees included guests from Vail Williams, Reading UK CIC, Connect Reading and Haslams Chartered Surveyors amongst others.

A report on all the Roundtables is being produced by BDB Pitmans  and will be released soon.

BDB Pitmans’ head of business development Natalia Ruiz-Moreno said: “The report will amalgamate the key pieces of insight put forward by the industry expert speakers and guests from each event to showcase Reading’s strengths and goals for improvement.

“We’re lucky to be part of such a diverse business community and have access to the expertise of all our guests and speakers. This report will help us to share our findings with the wider community and help us work together to maximise our business assets in the town.”

If you would like a copy of this report when released email Edward Harris:

edwardharris@bdbpitmans.com

 

BDB Pitmans was established in 2018 following a merger between legacy firms Bircham Dyson Bell (BDB) and Pitmans Law, bringing together over 300 years of legal expertise across five locations – Cambridge, London City, London Westminster, Reading and Southampton.