The Real Estate Services Cluster (CSIM) held the workshop "Strategy and Business Model for the Real Estate Sector" last week, led by Enric Bayó, Business Model Manager at ACCIÓ – Generalitat de Catalunya.

The hands-on session raised a key question for companies in the sector: is the current business model solid enough to withstand the changes ahead?

Speed, competitiveness and innovation

The workshop covered several issues relevant to strategic thinking for real estate companies. One of the central points was the importance of the speed of adaptation: it's not enough to change, it has to happen at the right pace, since arriving a little late can mean arriving too late.

Bayó also pointed out that competitive advantages are no longer sustainable over time but have become transitory, which means companies need to renew them constantly.

The Business Model Canvas was presented as a working tool, allowing organizations to see at a glance how they create, deliver and capture value.

Combining existing patterns, the key to innovation

Another key message from the session was that 90% of business model innovation comes from combining existing patterns rather than inventing everything from scratch. It was noted that for an innovation to succeed, it needs to be desirable, feasible and viable all at once; if one of these three legs is missing, the model doesn't quite work.

Practical group work

The final part of the day was hands-on: attendees mapped out their own current business model using the Canvas and worked in groups to identify where they could start making changes.

CSIM thanked Enric Bayó for the clarity and method he brought to the session, as well as ACCIÓ for making the workshop possible.