Why do we need creative office? That question kicked off our first-ever San Diego Creative Office Summit on Tuesday. Here’s one answer: competition for talent.

What’s driving creative office is the need to recruit and--importantly--retain the best talent, our speakers agreed. What began with tech companies eager to keep their people on the job has spread to industries beyond Silicon Valley and other tech hubs, to places such as San Diego. Now a lot of companies have realized that top talent’s a lot more mobile than it ever was. Bisnow held the event at 5015 Shoreham Pl, which will soon be creative space (more about that below). About 250 real estate pros came to hear about creative space, as wells as for the tasty breakfast bar and some schmoozing.

Videographer Telegenic Vision was on hand to record the event, and capture the raw space. CeCe Canton did our still images.

CBRE managing director Paul Komadina, DPR Construction regional manager Jay Leopold, and IA Interior Architects managing principal Brian Koshley. The “first wave” of creative office was in the 2000s, our speakers noted, when some companies opened up their floor space and added a few fun features (Foosball? Maybe.) But as the trend has grown in this decade a lot more thought is going into creative office--to make it more flexible, and a more positive environment for star employees to do creative thinking. A few people come up with creative ideas at their desks, but more often inspiration comes elsewhere.

Unisource Solutions president Anne Benge, one of our moderators, Co-Merge Workplace partner Michael Kenny and AVRP Studios president Chris Veum. True creative office space, our speakers said, provides what a company needs to achieve its creative and productive goals: the right mix of open and private, collaborative and individual, and fun and serious. No two companies are going to be exactly alike in that way. A space that fosters community is important, too, since businesses are team-oriented. Work should be a place where employees want to be, and a lot of factors enter into that. In short, creative office is no simple thing.

Our speakers also emphasized that as important as the Millennials are becoming (maybe half the workforce in 10 years), it’s too soon to count out other generations, especially Boomers, who will be retiring late or not at all. How does a single space accommodate the various generations? It can be tricky, but a hybrid of more- and less-traditional space is often the answer. Snapped: A view of 5015 Shoreham Pl, which is still raw space. Owner Locale Advisors plans a large open floor plan with high volume, extensive glass with natural light, indoor/outdoor connectivity, and inviting outdoor gathering areas.

Allen Matkins partner Martin Tongi, one of our moderators, Parallel Capital Partners president Jim Ingebritsen, Hughes Marino EVP David Marino, Bixby Land Co SVP Aaron Hill and Locale Advisors principal Phil Monroe. In San Diego, the panelists said, it’s challenging to find buildings that can be redeveloped into creative office, especially in the urban core. Sometime a lack of parking is a deal-breaker. It’s also a challenge justifying the additional cost of creative space--that is, finding tenants who are willing to pay for it. Still, more companies are coming around to creative office, because they see it as an investment in their people, who cost a lot more than the space they occupy.

CBRE's Mark McGovern, Cassidy Turley's Bill Cavanagh and Locale Advisors' Phil Monroe. Besides being a panelist, Phil was our host for the event, having acquired 5015 Shoreham Pl earlier this year.

Most Bisnow employees work in creative space, but we also take our fun with us. Here’s Bisnow's Frank Sanchez (with colleague Sean Spear) doing a little dance for our attendees. It’s a festive time of year, after all.

Sean with IES’ Tobey Halested, one of our sponsors. The company is a technology integrator, specializing in structured cabling, A/V and security. Tobey says that historically, all of those functions were from separate vendors, but IES provides them under one roof.

Three smiling attendees (there’s something about this time of year; or maybe it’s the coffee): CBRE’s Melissa Scofield, Unisource Solution’s Tara Burns and OFS Brands’ Hillarie Martorell.