Location, Location, Location

Property experts agree that the three most important in determining the desirability of of a property are location, location, location. So when it comes to the Asian Institute of Management, it has more or less taken advantage of its prime Makati location in the heart of the Philippines' business district for the last forty years.

However, the situation may change for AIM-- a change of address to be exact.

Media has picked up the story on the possible move of the institute to two possible new locations. The potential move is a land swap deal with Ayala Corporation , the donors of the land in which the current campus is built on. This deal is motivated by the institute's strategy to be the "management school of choice for those that want to operate in Asia" and aggressive revival its brand. If AIM pushes through with the move, it will get a hold of the capital gains of the Makati campus (PhP 3 billion) and use this to pay the institute's debt and create a new campus.

According to the story, AIM has sent a survey to the alumni asking for their inputs on the two options for the new campus. The first option is the Zuellig property in Ayala Avenue, Makati, not far from the current campus (around less than a kilometer). This option foresees a high-rise building for the new location.

The second option is the Nuvali area in the province of Laguna, one of the major development projects of the Ayala group about 33 kilometers south of the current campus. This site could feature a 5-hectare university-type campus that would have low-rise buildings. As part of this option, the AIM Conference Center will be retained in its current location in Makati.

If you ask me, the first option is a place not too different from where AIM currently is, but in a busier intersection with few amenities around the area. It can be seen as a downgrade of sorts, but it's still in urban Makati so it's not a drastic adjustment. The second option is definitely a bigger change, something like the Los Angeles Lakers moving to Alaska or like Angelina Jolie committing herself to a convent. But this type of major shift worked for IBM's strategy in the 1990's and Arnold Schwarzenneger's career, right?

I honestly like the current location of AIM-- it's very convenient (Greenbelt is just across the street), good surrounding environment (not to busy streets), and very accessible. This place is also good for having interviews with companies because most of the large corporations' offices are just a short cab ride away. And despite its flaws, it's easy to fall in love with the current campus. It's too bad all this may change