WASHINGTON, Dec. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- A crowd of more than 400 building professionals, architects, community planners and leaders in technology, finance and government affairs came together in Austin last week for Hanley Wood's third annual HIVE Conference, under the overarching theme of "Reigniting the Dream: Affordability for Purpose and Profit."
"Innovation is the key to solving the problems facing housing in the United States – and the HIVE Conferences are a unique opportunity to bring together like-minded individuals from across the business spectrum to address the issues and challenges we face and to work to crowdsource solutions," said Dave Colford, President of Hanley Wood Media. "Even outside the confines of the conference we will continue to build and expand the reach of the HIVE community, and bring our work into mainstream discourse. The HIVE Action Partnership will announce findings from the conference in early 2019 and will share them with the new Congress taking office in January; we hope that this will bring the issues in the housing market to the forefront of the political discussion in this country."
The 2018 HIVE Conference – which was held for the first time in Austin after two years in Los Angeles - featured speakers and panelists ranging from urban revitalization specialists, authors, architects, innovation directors, founders to design directors. Keynote speakers were Wonderland author Steven Johnson, The Urban Innovation Fund Managing Partner Clara Brenner and urban revitalization strategist Majora Carter.
Also honored at the event were the winners of the HIVE 50 Awards, a designation created to spotlight the year's top innovations in building technology, design, capital, intelligence and strategy. Winners of the HIVE 50 were announced in November, and the HIVE 50 Awards dinner highlighted top winners in each category including Dweller, Module, Darwin, Enterprise Community Partners, and Randek. Additionally, the winner of the HIVE People's Choice Award was PulteGroup for their Altus at the Quarter Smart Community, a partnership with Georgia Power to create Atlanta's first smart neighborhood. The series of 46 smart home-enabled and energy efficient townhomes on Atlanta's Upper West Side will feature distributed energy resources with rooftop solar panels and in-home battery storage. The Altus project received more than 1,300 votes in a short three week period.
2018 conference deans included Caroline Vary, Managing Director at Jonathan Rose Companies, Anne Torney, Partner at Mithun, Carol Galante, Director of the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley, Fritz H. Wolff, executive chairman of the Wolff Company and co-founder of Katerra, and Natalie Bruss, Partner at FifthWall. Panelists and additional speakers at the event included more than thirty thought leaders from across the fields of housing, technology, building product manufacturers and more.
"Steps to change the big forces weighing on housing right now—lagging productivity, combative political will, and scarce access to financial resources—start with diversity of discourse," said John McManus, vice president, editorial director for Hanley Wood's Residential Group. "Our array of HIVE deans, and their varied vantage points and achievements prove they could spark connections, ideas that work, and a path of action toward transforming those forces into opportunity. Into a bigger, more inclusive, more profitable housing marketplace for innovative stakeholders."
The 2019 HIVE Conference will be held in Austin on December 4 & 5, 2019. The theme of the fourth annual conference will be "Future Proof: Fantasy or Necessity?" Additional program and speaker announcements will begin in 2019.
Bringing together the brightest minds and talents to address the challenges in housing, HIVE is the incubator for innovation and disruption in the ever-changing housing landscape. Before, during, and after the conference, the HIVE community offers in-depth, insightful, and important research to anyone in the housing realm to build the foundation for new initiatives and strategies on their path to success. The community is available at http://www.hiveforhousing.com and through Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn discussion pages.
HIVE 2018 was supported by title and underwriting sponsor, Ply Gem Building Products, and founding sponsors DuPont, Electrolux and Samsung. For more information about the conference, visit http://www.hwhive.com.
ABOUT HANLEY WOOD
Hanley Wood is the premier company serving the information, media, and marketing needs of the residential, commercial design and construction industry. Utilizing the largest analytics and editorially driven Construction Industry Database – powered by Metrostudy - the company provides business intelligence and data-driven services. The company produces award-winning media, high-profile executive events, and strategic marketing solutions. To learn more, visit hanleywood.com.
SOURCE Hanley Wood, LLC
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