Business campus, where to play for a marketable ecosystem : Liege Airport Business Park's case

Abstract

There is a saying stating that being at the right place, at the right time will lead to success. There is no luck in business. There are only in-depth analyses that drive to right decisions. It is the same with Liege Airport Business Park’s current situation: an ambitious real estate project is about to start. It represents almost 80.000 m² of office space and it needs some strategic clarifications. This paper is figuring out WHAT product Liege Airport Business Park should position and WHERE, to be an attractive business campus. Assessing the attractiveness of a market, currently and in the future by answering the where to play question is the primary goal. An external analysis of competition was first realised using two recognised frameworks. Next, an international benchmark studied some ambitious examples. Then, an internal analysis was conducted, assessing the various key positive and negative aspects of Liege Airport Business Park. Workshops validating the company’s vision were also organised. This master thesis answers two questions: WHAT – Based on the methodology suggested, it is observed that Liege Airport Business Park must polish its unique selling proposition by highlighting all the advantages to work on a lifestyle campus, easily accessible with dynamic actors. This campus should be human-centric. That is the translation of the Board’s vision. WHERE – The market identified as key success target is the SMEs market in the “extended Liege area”. It will be Liege Airport Business Park’s primary focus. Next steps will be the definition of a strategic plan to reach this ambitious positioning leading to success. Liege Airport Business Park’s campus is born, discover its DNA in the following essay.