Egypt’s real estate developer Mountain View held the first edition of Future Offices International Summit at The Nile-Ritz Carlton, Cairo on September 22, under the patronage of Ministry of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities.

Aiming to promote the science of design and happiness, the one-day event came after years of strategic partnership and collaboration between Mountain View, US-based culture consulting Delivering Happiness (DH), and architectural design firm Callisonrtkl.

The event featured many inspirational speeches and panel discussions, led by Deputy Minister of Housing for National Projects Khaled Abbas, Mountain View Founder and CEO Amr Soliman, JLL Country Head Ayman Sami, DH Co-Founder and CEO Jenn Lim, and Callisonrtkl President and CEO Kelly Farrell.

During the second panel, named “Egyptian Office Market: Offerings, Trends, and Shortcomings,” Abbas emphasized the government’s role in incorporating business parks and office spaces at national projects, praising Mountain View’s efforts to bring in new concepts through international partnerships.

Moreover, the summit witnessed the launch of Delivering Happiness Egypt, which is scheduled to be headquartered in Mountain View’s business hub and will be jointly developed by the three companies in iCity, according to Soliman.

On her part, Lim said a happy work environment has proven to reduce the turnover rates by around 41%, while boosting companies’ sales and productivity by 37% and 21%, respectively.

On the sidelines of the conference, Mountain View’s CEO told media people that the company plans to launch the first phase of its new commercial project, “Office Park,” with investments worth EGP 5 bn. To be developed in collaboration with the housing ministry, the new development will span across 100 acres in New Cairo, Soliman revealed.