Why I Attend the National NAIOP Conference… and you should too!

In October, I attended my second National NAIOP CRE.Converge Conference in Los Angeles, CA. CRE.Converge is the largest conference hosted by NAIOP, the commercial real estate development association, bringing together 1,500 commercial real estate developers, owners, investors and other CRE professionals from across North America.  In my opinion, the national NAIOP conference allows you to see the vast reach of the NAIOP network and expand your own network. Each year, I meet new people from all over the country who are potential clients, colleagues or friends. The conference allows me the opportunity to strengthen relationships within the NAIOP Southern Nevada Chapter and many occasions to meet high-level industry leaders from other chapters as well.

This year was my first experience participating in one of the NAIOP arranged city tours and I highly recommend it. A small group of us from our chapter were able to tour several projects in Century City and the tour guides provided valuable insight on their market conditions. We learned that over the past 50 years, Century City has transformed into a vibrant city with culture, shopping and industries that make it a Los Angeles destination. Famous films such as “Die Hard” and “Planet of the Apes” have used Century City as their backdrop, and with many production companies headquartered there, movies and television programs continue to be filmed in this dynamic community. We were also able to explore the area’s Westfield Shopping Mall, transformed following a $1 billion makeover. Major renovations include new “experiential” features, amenitized and LEED-certified office buildings, solar parking features, and sustainability initiatives including a water recovery project and more. (Source: https://naiop.org/converge19#Day_2)

There were more than 20 different sessions to choose from at the conference. Overall, the conference covered everything from office, industrial, retail, multi-family to economics, new technologies to trends. There was something for everyone!

Here’s a sample of some of the keynote speakers and breakout sessions from the conference:

  • Tech titan Steve Wozniak spoke about how wearable tech is revolutionizing CRE
  • Marcus & Millichap President & CEO Hessam Nadji spoke with the Pew Research Center’s Richard Fry, Ph.D. about CRE trends
  • Stratfor’s global analyst Reva Goujon spoke about the global economy
  • Designing Office Space for Intergenerational Collaboration
  • Multifamily Modular Development
  • CRE and the Shifting Landscape in Goods Movement, moderated by our very own Rick Myers (President of Thomas & Mack Development Group)
  • Data Centers 101
  • The Latest Trends in Retail

I’m already looking forward to next year’s CRE.CONVERGE Conference on October 6-8, 2020 right here in Las Vegas! I strongly suggest that you consider attending and see what NAIOP has to offer.

Click here to check out the “NAIOP CRE CONVERGE 2019 Recap Video from NAIOP Corporate!

Click here to check the details for CRE.Converge 2020 in Las Vegas!

Cassie Catania-Hsu, President | Broker
Sun Commercial Real Estate, Inc.
Direct: 702-968-7324 | Email: cassie@suncommercialre.com

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