Networking with Purpose
In commercial real estate, it’s critical to stay ahead of the curve and be sure your knowledge is current and relevant to what your clients are interested in. One of the best ways to do that is by joining a group or organization dedicated to your industry. Within these groups, you can network with peers, access unique education resources and events, and even potentially become a panelist or contributor to share your expertise.
Even so, many organizations focus on real estate, and it may be challenging to determine which one is best to join. At STNL, we foster involvement in these groups, and encourage our team to carve out time to build relationships with industry peers. Here are a few recommendations of groups to join if you’re interested in commercial real estate, retail, or single-tenant net leases.
ICSC
The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) is the most significant and best-known organization for those in the marketplace industry. Chances are, if you already work in retail real estate, you’ve got a membership card for ICSC or have attended one of their many events.
ICSC offers many ways to connect with your peers, including a networking platform, professional development classes, industry insights from their Commerce + Communities Today newsletter, and a wide spread of events and webinars for national and regional audiences. Their premier events occur twice yearly in Las Vegas and New York City, allowing for several days of innovation sharing and deal-making. ICSC has chapters nationwide with dedicated events, including golf tournaments, panel sessions, and Sports & Socials, so if you can’t head to Las Vegas or NYC, stop into an event closest to you.
NAIOP
The Commercial Real Estate Development Association (NAIOP) is another excellent group for commercial real estate developers, owners and investors in North America.
Like ICSC, NAIOP offers education tracks and corporate and chapter events, including its premier event, “CRE. Converge”, which takes place every October in Las Vegas. Chapter events frequently offer networking opportunities, including breakfast, golf, mixers, happy hours, project tours, and leadership lunches.
NAIOP also expands its education opportunities by offering certificate programs and career connections, allowing members to work with other CRE professionals. NAIOP also has a podcast, “Inside CRE”, “Development” magazine, awards to honor members, and yearly research reports.
ULI
The Urban Land Institute (ULI) is an international organization specifically for cross-disciplinary real estate and land use experts. ULI is an excellent resource for those working in the land development niche.
Like other groups, ULI offers several events, including a U.S. event held twice a year in the spring and fall, a European conference, and an Asia-Pacific summit. For reading, ULI offers its Urban Land Magazine, which is a great way to stay updated on land and city trends.
If going global isn’t your thing, ULI has 52 local chapters in the Americas, including one in Cincinnati. These chapters hold events such as CEO Coffees, Young Professionals Happy Hours, Roundtables, and education opportunities.
CREW
The Commercial Real Estate Women Network (CREW) is a premier networking organization for women in the commercial real estate industry. It offers business networking, industry research, leadership development, and career outreach to help women have successful and fulfilling careers in CRE. It also provides scholarships for up-and-coming students. Members can also access CREWbiz, a directory, resource, and referral center.
CREW offers plenty of events to connect with fellow women in CRE, including their yearly convention, leadership summits and certificates, board training, emerging leader retreats, and webinars. CREW also has 80+ chapters and global affiliates, including CREW Greater Cincinnati. Several team members at STNL Development are involved with CREW at various levels, and we are silver sponsors for CREW Cincinnati.
WIRE
Women in Real Estate (WIRE) is another organization that connects women passionate about real estate and looking to grow in it. Members of the group gain access to events, online networking, chapter meet-ups, and monthly niche-specific speaking sessions.
WIRE’s main event, the Collaboration Over Competition (COC) Challenge, is a monthly three-day virtual networking and resource event that allows women to go beyond traditional networking methods, build networks, and learn from industry leaders. For those thinking about entering the industry while in school, WIRE offers WIRE Next, an initiative for students to get involved in real estate and entrepreneurship.
WIRE has eight chapter locations in the United States that hold meet-ups, including lunch and learns, mixers, and even networking trips. They also have an entirely virtual chapter with webinars and learning sessions for all. WIRE is invite-only, but they make it easy to join—send a request or sign up for the monthly COC Challenge.
Regional organizations
Many organizations offer regional chapters or are just for professionals in the state or city. As half of our team is remote, we have employees involved in organizations that aren’t nationally based. For example, The Pipeline is a retail real estate organization for female professionals based in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
Universities and colleges with real estate degrees and certifications are also an excellent way to get involved. Many of our team members are alumni of the University of Cincinnati and are thus closely involved with UC’s real estate networking group, the University of Cincinnati Real Estate Association (UCREA). These groups are great for connecting with students about to graduate and allowing for opportunities to share your expertise in a group or one-on-one in a mentorship setting.