HIVE Conference Kicks-Off Today in Austin

The HIVE conference opened today at the JW Marriott in Austin.

The fourth annual HIVE conference gets underway today in Austin.  The two-day event will feature CEOs, architects, authors, economists, and educators addressing the issues affecting today’s housing needs. In a recent press release promoting the event, Hanley Wood and Meyers Research CEO Jeff Meyers said the housing community now faces challenges unlike any seen before.

“The response to the HIVE initiative and conference has been strong because there is a desperate need to bring in innovation to inspire new solutions—solutions that will help mitigate the challenges brought by over-regulation, extreme weather conditions, and the lack of skilled labor,” he said.

Photos courtesy Hanley Wood

HIVE (short for “housing innovation, vision, and economics) bills itself as an “incubator” of forward-looking ideas that can help builders, architects, and developers. The initiative was developed by real estate media firm Hanley Wood and its flagship BUILDER platform. The annual event is designed to bring various industry leaders together to find solutions for the array of issues related to housing. The HIVE conference was moved to Austin last year after being held in Los Angeles the previous two years.

Among this year’s scheduled speakers are Shift Thinking chief ecosystem officer Jennifer Crews, Aon Corporation chief design and human experience officer Lyle Sandler, DreamIt Ventures managing director Andrew Ackerman, Metrostudy chief economist Mark Bond, Freddie Mac chief client officer Chris Boyle, author Sam Rashkin, Hanley Wood’s editorial director and residential group VP Hon McManus.

“We are at a critical point in housing where we need to pull out all the stops to creates viable, sustainable solutions for a better future,” McManus said in a prepared statement. “HIVE provides an exclusive place for all of housing’s stakeholders to connect in new ways, rethink challenges and capture successes from other industries that can be applied to future-proof their businesses.”

The annual HIVE 50 list recognizing housing innovators will be unveiled at the end of the conference’s first day. There will also be a reception honoring Wm. S. Marvin Hall of Fame for Design Excellence recipients.