The Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA), the trade association for commercial real estate in Maine, will host a half-day conference about the “Office of the Future” on Tue., May 17 in Portland.

“These so-called ‘new offices’, without cube-farms and, instead, conferencing and meeting spaces that look more like living rooms, offer positive impacts for companies,” said Bruce Jones, a MEREDA board member and executive with Creative Office Pavilion. “Place and technology work together to improve employee engagement, performance and well-being. MEREDA is excited to bring this conversation to Maine.”

Motivated by the rapid changes to work styles, expectations of younger generations and accelerating technological advances that have disrupted conventional notions of the office, workers have abandoned the cubicle, first introduced 50 years ago, for buildings which require less square footage, demand more open, flexible and adaptable environments, and pay dividends on the bottom line.

The event takes place on Tue., May 17 at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland, beginning at 12 noon. Registration and additional details are available at MEREDA.org. The early bird deadline ends May 11.