They say a picture is worth a lot of words, but a selfie? In terms of marketing and entertainment, a self-taken snapshot on a smartphone might be worth much more. MFE recently conducted a Q&A with Andrew B. Hellinger, co-founder and a principal of Coral Gables, Fla.-based UrbanX Group, a real estate development and investment company, about just that.
MFE: From Facebook to Instagram, why is it important for developers to take the use of social media into account when designing a new real estate project?
Hellinger: In 2018, 79% of the U.S. population had a social networking profile and an estimated 244 million people used social media, a number forecast to exceed 257 million by 2023, according to Statista. From these numbers, it’s clear that social media is here to stay. It’s become an important marketing tool for real estate developers who use it to create buzz for their projects and reach out to potential customers and tenants but also engage with the community, as millennials and Generation Z want the perfect backdrop for their selfies. Developers must keep this in mind to give these generations an opportunity to share their experiences with family, friends, and even strangers in a visually appealing way.
Knowing that people want to tell their “stories” through social media, we designed River Landing Shops and Residences to create the perfect backdrop along the booming Miami River district. We want to help them tell their story of where they shop, work, live, gather, and socialize. The 2-million-square-foot development will include 528 apartments with views of the Miami International Airport, downtown, and the Brickell area, an amenity deck with views of the Dolphin Expressway and Marlins Parks, as well as a waterfront restaurant row and a public park on the scenic river. All these areas will be designed to ignite those “Instagramable” moments to be shared on the different platforms of social media and help promote the project.
River Landing has all the elements for those looking for retail therapy as well as experiences that can be shared on social media. River Landing will provide an experience by creating a retail and restaurant hub and provide market-rate housing options to doctors, University of Miami medical students, nurses, judges, lawyers, etc., in a unique environment on the once blighted Miami River.
In addition to the apartments, the $424.8 million mixed-use project will include close to 345,000 square feet of retail/commercial space, 135,000 square feet of office, more than 2,200 parking spaces, and a landscaped Riverwalk. One of the highlights will be the 25,500-square-foot restaurant row, which will offer concept restaurants, from fine dining to casual and family-style outlets.
MFE: We are seeing a proliferation of self-contained lifestyle centers across South Florida. How is social media playing a role in this trend as more people look to connect at a local level?
Hellinger: We are more connected than ever thanks to social media, but we are also lacking human interaction, which is helping to fuel the rise of mixed-use projects by creating a sense of a hub for residents and customers where they can shop, work, and live. More consumers, especially millennials and Gen Z, are looking for new local experiences. We believe that localization creates socialization, which is one of the goals we would like to achieve with River Landing. That’s what we had in mind when we decided to allocate additional resources to create a waterfront linear park, a restaurant row along the river, and an open space park for people to bring blankets and lounge chairs to watch movies under the stars. These components will help create a social experience that people will be happy to share on their social media channels.
Creating a sense of community, at a time when people do most everything online, was our motivation to develop the first large-scale project in the Health District. Our project fills a residential, office, restaurant, and retail gap in one of Miami’s most densely populated neighborhoods and along the Miami River district. When we designed our retail space and restaurant row, we knew that we had to create a shopping and dining experience that could not be duplicated in the online world; yet, it had to provide customers and residents an easily shareable experience with their online communities. As a result of this new reality, we have been very selective with the tenants we bring to the project, especially when it comes to restaurant row. We want to offer a holistic approach to shopping, dining, and hanging out on a linear park along the river. The project is also located less than 5 miles away from Miami International Airport, making us a one-stop destination for travelers, who are looking for a unique shopping and dining experience.
Social media is also playing a huge role in the dining operators we select for restaurant row. We are currently talking with restaurants that are experiential-focused and can bring a new concept to the Miami River. We are glued to our computer and cell phone screens every day so a big part of River Landing’s restaurant row will be the experience, ambience, and location on the Miami River.
MFE: How can social media help real estate projects turn into landmarks?
Hellinger: When we scout out new properties to develop, we are always thinking about the social factor and how social media can help turn a project into a landmark. Wynwood is the perfect case study on how art, innovative developers, such as the late Tony Goldman, and social media transformed a once blighted and desolate neighborhood into one of Miami’s hottest destinations, drawing thousands of people every month. The Miami River is a landmark in and of itself and will provide a unique waterfront backdrop that you can only capture in Miami. We believe that our project could become a landmark as it is a one-stop destination. When selecting our tenants, we are thinking first of the needs of our community. If you tackle what the community needs then your project becomes a landmark to them, that is why we are also acquiring a water taxi to offer another transportation option to get to our shops and restaurants, in addition to the nearby mass transit and easy access to main thoroughfares.
MFE: What are the top three ways that developers can implement social media-friendly features into their projects?
Hellinger: No. 1, location, location, location. We all know that is the No. 1 real estate rule, and it holds true for social media. You will want to consider any important landmarks or iconic properties that could be social media friendly. The Miami River offers the perfect backdrop for River Landing Shops and Residences. We have redesigned our buildings to have almost uninterrupted views of the river from the retail area and the restaurant row.
No. 2, lighting. Developers should take lighting into account because if you have bad lighting people won’t take photos. We are lucky here in the Sunshine State, which allows for us to incorporate natural light into our projects. If you’re not so lucky, you should consider incorporating interesting lighting such as neon lighting on a wall to offer interesting back lighting.
No. 3, visually appealing backgrounds or spaces. As you develop your project, it’s important to think of visually appealing backgrounds that can serve as interesting backdrops for photos. This could include flat backgrounds, green spaces, cool architecture, murals, or interactive art installations as well as as visually interesting seating. The goal is to have people take photos and share them on social media because by doing so, they are promoting your project for free. They become your best influencers to spread the word about your shops, restaurants, etc.
