Over 30 ULI Washington members practiced responsible social distancing at ULI Washington’s inaugural Digital Happy Hour.  Attendees enjoyed their own beverages at home while re-connecting with colleagues and meeting new ones.  Members’ kids and pets sometimes made surprise appearances. Members gathered in small, virtual breakout rooms for informal discussions where they talked about a variety of topics including:

1. The pros and cons of working from home – no traffic!
2. How organizations are adapting to the new normal – advantages of WebEx vs Teams vs Zoom.
3. Grocery shopping insights – Trader Joe’s got higher marks on shopping safety protocols than Whole Foods.
4. Job searching in this current climate.
5. Safety precautions on construction sites – construction is still active on the east coast other than Boston and New York.
6. Impact on parking industry – occupancy is down 70-90% in DC market.
7. How retail is adapting – use of livestreaming and home shopping channel models.
8. Internet access – will internet be regulated more like water + other essential utilities? Will companies invest in their employee’s home internet?
9. Residential real estate – property management and development continues – with some supply chain delays; investment market stalled.
10. Public sector impact – planning bodies continue to meet virtually; public works projects continue and accelerated in some cases (ex. Bay Bridge in Maryland).
11. Impact on local budgets: In three weeks Prince William County went from a $5 M surplus to a $2 M deficit.
12. Federal aid – the $2.3 trillion CARES Act that just passed is nearly half of the annual federal budget ($5 trillion) – and more is expected to keep the economy afloat.

Memorable thoughts overheard in the virtual breakout rooms included:

I can’t remember the last time I wore a tie.

When everything goes back to normal, will everything change?

People were scared of working from home but now they are seeing it can and does work.

I haven’t had a typical day yet.

We are getting rid of wasted time between meetings, so you can actually schedule more meetings in a day than if we were physically going to places.

From a transportation engineer – We accomplished in two days what I have been trying to do for 20 years – getting people out of their cars and reducing traffic congestion.

I think my dog just threw up!

Landscape architects don’t get out much, but now I can.

Starting April 16^th, ULI Washington plans to host weekly Digital Happy Hours on Thursdays from 4 PM – 5:30 PM through April.  We hope to see you there!  Click here to register.