On April 14, Dean of SPEA Investment Department Chen Jie and Counselor Zhang Xu led a team with more than ten teachers and students to visit Shanghai Qing Ting Sunny World Real Estate Company Limited in SunnyWorld Center, the landmark of the developing Hongqiao business district. Sunny World Group Office Building Business Unit Senior Manager Wang Zhe, DTZ Office Building Department Associate Director Yao Hui, on behalf of the local corporate, received our team. And, Konkuk University Real Estate Department Associate Professor Fan Gangzhi was invited to join the visit.
When entered into the Sunnyworld Center, teachers and students in our school were attracted by the elegant and unique architectural style. The center is located at the heart of Hongqiao business district, and only 400 meters away from Hongqiao transportation hub and national convention center. Designed by British Foster Architecture Firm, the center received USGBC LEED Platinum and China Green Building Label Three Stars, and is the first super class office building project of SunnyWorld Group in Shanghai.
The staff in SunnyWorld Group prepared three promotional videos about the basic information of Hongqiao business district, SunnyWorld Group and Sunnyworld Center, to help teachers and students learn about corporate operation and project details. Established in Qingdao, Shandong Province, in 1992, SunnyWorld Group has always taken developing real estate as its main business, and is gradually becoming a large real estate group including many comprehensive businesses, such as real estate development, financing and property management. In particular, sixty percent of SunnyWorld Group commercial real estate projects are self-sustaining projects. The group has high reputation and good credit in the industry and can make big and sustainable contribution to the local tax revenue, which is one of the important reasons that it can get the chance to develop core zones in Hongqiao business district from local government.
SPEA Dean of Investment Department Chen Jie and SunnyWorld Group Senior Manager Wang Zhe discussed and talked about the operation situation of SunnyWorld Group in Shanghai and Yangtze river delta market, and students learned a lot from the communication. Mr. Wang Zhe took the SunnyWorld center as an example and introduced the development and operation process of grade-A office building to students. As one of biggest super grade-A office buildings in Hongqiao business district, the SunnyWorld Center is located in superior geographical position. Because of closing to Hongqiao airport and railway station, it can meet the office requirements of large manufacturing and trade enterprises. Mr. Wang Zhe stressed that the factor of location needs to be considered carefully in the process of developing commercial real estate. The average commercial area in Hongqiao business district is more than 5 square meters per person, which is far beyond the industry standard of 2 to 3 square meters per person. As a result, to meet the relaxing requirement of white-collar group, some commercial patterns like Starbucks and Family should be chosen instead of establishing some large shopping malls. Due to government’s different designing purposes on Hongqiao business district and Lu Jiazui trading zone, Hongqiao business district is difficult to form enough attraction to large international financial firms. However, relying on the developed manufacturing trade industry in Yangtze river delta region and the location advantage of transportation hub, Hongqiao SunnyWorld Center is a best fit for the manufacturing and trading firms of world’s top 500 companies. So far, the SunnyWorld Center has already attracted a considerable amount of investment and has great potential to increase value. Through the communication between Professor Chen Jie and Mr. Wang Zhe, students had a better understanding of developing idea of commercial real estate projects and these company's business concepts.
Then, Associate Director of DTZ, one of the big five international real estate consulting firms, Ms. Yao Hui, introduced students the operation situation of commercial real estate projects from the angle of consulting company, and shared internal industry annual report about the Yangtze river delta market from DTZ. Ms. Yao Hui pointed out that, last year, the stable-developed, relatively weak currencies and the change of housing credit policies led to the continuing decrease of dealing amount of residential real estate projects. The development of market relied on the large commercial real estate projects, and some large real estate companies made adjustments on business directions. In the grade-A office building renting market, Lu Jiazui business zone developed very well, while the rest business circles developed relatively flat with high supplies and low prices. In the selling market, commodity trading was in the main position and among all the plates, Big Hongqiao plate was the most active. This year, most buildings had been sold out, and among which, bulk sales were small and the investment market tended to be smooth. The market in Shanghai is mainly supported by foreign capital and financial industry capital. Ms. Yao Hui made an analysis on the development trend of real estate market in some main cities in Yangtze River Delta, such as Hangzhou, Ningbo, Suzhou, Nanjing and so on. The government encouraged people to buy houses in these cities except for Shanghai, because reducing housing storage was still the main task in those markets. After listening to her introduction, students had an overall understanding of current market situation and development form of commercial office buildings, and showed great respect on the reliable industry research reports and detailed data from DTZ.
After the professional learning and exploration, two heads in different companies shared their ideas with students friendly about the topics of industry requirements, working conditions, job recruitment standards and the relationship between education and practice experience. The two heads introduced separately the daily working details of new staff and their companies’ hiring requirements. Ms. Yao Hui said, besides the requirement for basic professional knowledge and necessary English ability, the company still require the interns or new staff having good flexibility and adjusting abilities. For marketing positions, SUFE students with bachelor degree can meet their requirements. But for DTZ professional research positions, master degrees is necessary. Mr. Wang Zhe also emphasized the importance of flexibility, and expressed his idea on providing internship chances for the students in our school this summer.
In the end, the two representatives led teachers and students to visit the landmark buildings in Hongqiao SunnyWorld Center, and they took photos together as a souvenir.
On the bus returning to school, teacher Zhang Xu discussed with students about the harvest from this visit and made comments on each student’s behavior during the visit. He shared his feelings about the aspects of activity organization, news propaganda, communication ways, verbal expression and reception etiquette, which made students realize their own improving space and became a perfect ending of the visit.
This visit is the first time in SPEA that students were led by professional teachers and administrative teachers together. Professor Chen Jie helped students summarized the key elements and basic idea in developing commercial real estate projects. His communication with company managers left students deep impression, and the combination of first class and second class presented a vivid and rich on-site teaching. Through the visit, the students not only learned about the relevant part in the process of developing real estate project, but also got a better understanding on the work of the big five real estate companies including DTZ, at the same time, it helped students know their own majors better and have more specific planning for their studies and lives.
Learning knowledge is like earning money, and we should seize each opportunity. Thanks to the warm reception of SunnyWorld Group, students learned a lot from the visit. As planned, SPEA would organize more visits to real estate industry with different themes of group headquarters, residential projects, land development, industry recruitment.
Article: Guo Peiqing(Stu), Ji Xinyu(Stu)
Photo: Sun Mingzhu(Stu), Jiang Jiamin(Stu)