JANUARY 15, 2019 -- ATLANTA, GA – CoreNet Global, the professional association that has been predicting corporate real estate trends for more than two decades, has completed a landmark research effort that forecasts the future of belonging, convening, learning and information and content for the association in the year 2025 and beyond. FutureForward 2025, a robust series of white papers, has been released with broad applicability to other professional associations seeking to ensure their relevance and indispensability for years to come.

The 18-month initiative convened the organization’s members and local chapters from around the world along with leading association service providers, futurists, sociologists, economists and other subject matter experts to explore emerging trends and how they could impact association engagement. Trends included the rise of the employee experience and growth in gig economy workers, the pace of technological change, the impact of automation, the demand for tech-savvy talent and the growing desire for personalization and instant solutions.

Project partners included representatives from ASAE, Experient/Maritz Global Events, Freeman, Foresight Alliance, Signature i, Velvet Chainsaw and the Packard Group along with executive members from leading companies including Amazon, Twitter, WeWork, Cisco, Oracle, AT&T, Standard Chartered Bank, Unilever, CBRE, JLL, Cushman and Wakefield, Colliers International and Newmark Knight Frank. ASAE’s recently published Foresight Works Drivers of Change research was also used to help inform project participants.

“Our goal was to truly engage members in creating a shared vision of their future, and that’s why we brought in outside experts to challenge their thinking and push them beyond the here and now,” said CoreNet Global CEO Angela Cain. “Associations need to have hindsight, insight and foresight to lead their organizations into the future, and they can’t wait until the next recession, decline in membership or global crisis to find – and use –  those critical lenses.”

The project’s key forecasts indicate a strong desire in the future for the following: friction-less, trusted and authentic member experiences; just-in-time and on-demand access to information; digital-physical integration of events; events that break time, distance and language barriers; tribal, organic microlearning and co-creation.

“What resonated most for me with this project was how much members value the sense of community that comes from their engagement in this organization – something they expect to value even more in the years ahead,” Cain said. “Technological advancements, new modes of working and the pace of change will continue, but the human connection will remain at the very core of the association experience.”

About CoreNet Global

CoreNet Global is the world’s leading professional association for corporate real estate (CRE) and workplace executives, service providers and economic developers. CoreNet Global’s more than 11,000 members, who include 70% of the top 100 U.S. companies and nearly half of the Global 2000, meet locally, globally and virtually to develop networks, share knowledge, learn and thrive professionally. For more information, please visit www.corenetglobal.org.