It’s a dynamic event for our industry, where people meet new potential business partners, do deals and attend educational sessions led by industry leaders. It’s a dynamic event for our industry, where people meet new potential business partners, do deals and attend educational sessions led by industry leaders.

SCOTTSDALE, AZ—NAIOP’s Commercial Real Estate Conference 2016, to be held here September 26-28, will offer attendees the opportunity to meet new potential business partners and learn from industry leaders, planning committee chairman Gregory Fuller tells GlobeSt.com. Fuller, who is also the president of Granite Properties, Inc. in Plano, TX, sat down with us for an exclusive chat about the upcoming conference and what attendees can expect.

GlobeSt.com: What are your expectations for this year’s Commercial Real Estate Conference?

Fuller: NAIOP is all about three things: education, networking and advocacy. This conference exemplifies that mission by delivering insights that keep our attendees ahead of the curve, connecting them with their peers in the industry, and providing a forum to discuss the issues shaping both the industry and North America.

Like all meetings, NAIOP’s fall conference has evolved over years, and we’re transforming it into a forward-looking event that dives deeply into what’s happening in our industry now and into the future. It’s a dynamic event for our industry, where people meet new potential business partners, do deals and attend educational sessions led by industry leaders.

GlobeSt.com: Which parts of the conference or sessions stand out for you as especially interesting or different for attendees this year?

Fuller: We’ve put together a committee of experts that seeks to determine what is topical today for our participants. A variety of innovative topics will be discussed: CRE disruptions; how real estate is developed, brokered and occupied; foreign investments in light of Brexit and current events; cybersecurity and CRE; and how the built environment is changing thanks to demographic shifts, technology, and the new ways and places people want to work. The goal is to provide valuable new perspectives, new tools and new approaches that participants can take back to their market. We will also do project tours of greater Phoenix’s most innovative developments so industry professionals can understand what’s happening in that market, then  take it back to their market and see if it applies.

GlobeSt.com: Tell us more about the “Conversation Corners” addition to this year’s conference.

Fuller: This is something new: informal conversations each facilitated by an industry expert for that topic – for example, crowdfunding, transportation/infrastructure, sustainability and market cycles. Conversation Corners are 30- to 45-minute roundtable discussions with a smaller group of people, so it will be a very interactive session where attendees can share ideas and discuss the topic thoroughly.  It’s a good way to have a sounding board with your peers and exchange market information or experience on specific topics.

GlobeSt.com: What else should our readers know about this conference?

Fuller: Our conferences are designed to be responsive to our members’ needs and what they have identified in conference surveys. Commercial Real Estate Conference 2016 an opportunity to hear top leaders in the industry and have conversations with them. It’s hard to substitute those face-to-face meetings, so they need to go to the conference. There are 1,200 developers, owners, investors, asset managers and other commercial real estate professionals – providing abundant opportunities to take away industry insights and make new or strengthen existing connections.