So, here we are again. Another year rolls around bringing with it the promise of a fresh start and a return to a world where we all finally know what day of the week it is.

Exciting and disorientating in equal measure, January can sometimes feel like a bit of a mixed bag. While the prospect of 12 shiny new months loaded with opportunity and potential is invigorating, that can be all too easily tempered by the immense pressure we put on ourselves to make the most of them. Particularly, as we emerge from a festive haze, scrambling to get back into our collective strides.

If anything, it feels like that pressure has been turned up a notch this year. For the last 18-24 months the phrase “survive ‘til ‘25” has been ricocheting around the real estate and innovation sectors like a ping pong ball.

The reality, of course, is that when the clock struck midnight on January 1st, no spell was broken. The industry’s challenges did not magically disappear. Constraints on spending and investment did not suddenly evaporate in a shower of glitter and celebratory fireworks. Political uncertainty did not instantaneously calm and major ongoing issues facing the sector, including but not limited to the climate crisis, were not miraculously solved.

None of this means 2025 will not be a year of great progress and opportunity – particularly for those well prepared for another 12 months where ongoing seismic shifts and unpredictable market forces will reign.

But whether you are heading into January feeling like a survivor or not, there are no guarantees that 2025 will be the year of the home straight. And this is the case for everyone—from the world’s biggest developers and investors to the leaders in technology, innovation, sustainability, and wellness striving to make a difference with limited budgets, as well as the start-ups and entrepreneurs building and scaling fledgling businesses.

This is one of the reasons why we have expanded the reach of our upcoming London event to cover not only Europe more broadly but also to look ahead, not just over the next year, but over the next five.

Europe 2030: Shaping the Future of the Built World will bring senior and C-Suite speakers from across the European real estate and design sectors together for a one-day event in July. Joined by key government officials, including London’s Deputy Mayor Justine Simons OBE, Malmö’s City Architect Finn Williams, and Chief Executive of the Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava Petra Marko, along with industry players and CEOs such as British Land’s Simon Carter and LandSec’s Mark Allan, they will reveal how they plan to both survive and thrive well beyond 2025 under complex and challenging conditions.

Then it’s back to New York for our flagship event in October for another two-day event packed full of actionable inspiration from the US’s biggest real estate companies and most ambitious investors, occupiers and innovators.

We know that’s a long time to wait, so fear not—we will continue to bring you regular content throughout the year with a stream of webinars and podcasts, including a monthly dose of guaranteed content gold through CEO Stories, the CREtech podcast series where I sit down with the leaders of the world’s biggest real estate firms to talk strategy, survival, and secrets to success (and failure).

You can find all the Season 1 episodes released so far here, and keep an eye out for Episode 5, which is set to drop later this month.

That just about wraps up the first CREtech, Curated newsletter of the year. Nothing if not an honest take on the fresh start we are all gearing up for but one that I sincerely hope won’t dampen any spirits.

If anything, it should help alleviate some of that New Year pressure. This doesn’t have to be the milestone year that lives up to the rather pesky and unrealistic “survive ‘til ‘25” mantra with which it has become associated. It doesn’t have to be the year when everything works out or when all obstacles are removed from your path. Because, let’s be honest (again), in an industry like real estate, there will always be challenges.

But that doesn’t mean that 2025 won’t bring unrivalled opportunity, significant change and great strides in innovation.

All after you've remembered (or reset) your computer password, of course.

- Emily

Emily Wright

Head of Content

CREtech

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