Reports & Insights
The Dealmaker's Directory
Events, Influencers, and Memberships trusted by Relationship-Driven Leaders
Canay Deniz
CEO and Co-founder
We surveyed 100+ top dealmakers across commercial real estate, financial services, and executive search to better understand where they network and learn best practices. Based on their scores and mentions, we learned the following:
Commercial Real Estate runs on networks
Executive Search runs on relationships
Financial Services runs on information
We developed The Dealmaker Directory to highlight and track the best events, influencers, and memberships. If you think we missed a noteworthy mention, submit your request here.
Commercial Real Estate
Brokers and dealmakers in commercial real estate rely on a massive and mature network of event organizers, membership organizations, and certifying bodies. Below are the most popular ones mentioned by our survey respondents:
Top events
Organization | Website | Flagship Events |
Bisnow | Hyper-local + national CRE events across cities | |
Urban Land Institute (ULI) | ULI Spring & Fall Meetings | |
Commercial Real Estate Development Association (NAIOP) | NAIOP CRE.Converge | |
International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) | ICSC Las Vegas | |
CREtech | CREtech New York/London | |
Blueprint | Blueprint Vegas | |
Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR) | SIOR Global Conference | |
Nareit | REITweek | |
RETCON | RETCON | |
GlobeSt / ALM | Various events | |
CREi | CREi Summit | |
The Real Deal | New York Forum and Miami Forum |
Top membership and training organizations
Organization | Website | Focus |
Urban Land Institute (ULI) | Global network for land use, development, and investment leaders | |
Commercial Real Estate Development Association (NAIOP) | Advocacy and education for developers, owners, and investors | |
International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) | Retail real estate ecosystem | |
The CCIM Institute | Investment-focused CRE education | |
Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR) | Elite broker network focused on industrial/office | |
Sandler | Sales and business development training | |
Massimo Group | One-on-one and group coaching for brokerage |
Top influencers
Name | Organization | Website | Focus | |
Bob Knakal | BKREA | NYC investment sales, deal flow insights | ||
Spencer Levy | CBRE | Capital markets, macro CRE trends | ||
Michael Beckerman | CREtech | Proptech, innovation in real estate | ||
Ryan Serhant | Serhant | Brokerage, branding, media-driven real estate | ||
Brad Hargreaves | Thesis Driven | Real estate, venture, and the future of cities | ||
Rod Santomassimo | Massimo Group | One-on-one and group coaching for brokerage |
Executive Search
Producers and consultants in executive search highlighted vertically-focused events that often emphasize a specific technique, such as leadership training or AI adoption. Below are the most popular event organizers and influencers mentioned.
Top events
Organization | Website | Flagship Events |
Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC) | AESC Global Conference | |
Hunt Scanlon | PE Recruiting, AI, and Leadership | |
Chief Executive Group | CEO Summits | |
Innova Search | Mastermind Summit | |
Private Equity International (PEI) | Various events |
Top influencers
Name | Organizations | Website | Focus | |
Adam Grant | The Wharton School | Organizational psychology, leadership | ||
Keith Ferrazzi | Ferrazzi Greenlight | Relationship-building, executive leadership | ||
Ken Vancini | Innova | AI in executive search | ||
Amy Volas | Avenue Talent Partners | Startup executive recruiting | ||
Rich Rosen | Cornerstone Search | Startup recruiting for go-to-market leadership | ||
Laszlo Bock | Consultant | Talent strategy, organizational design, and people analytics | ||
Herminia Ibarra | London Business School | Leadership transitions, executive identity, and career development | ||
Breck Armstrong | 17 Oranges | Digital transformation |
Financial Services
Investment bankers, private equity dealmakers, and financial advisors primarily emphasized events and influencers with access to proprietary data or insights. Below are the most popular resources mentioned.
Top events
Organization | Website | Flagship Events |
Advisor Circle | Future Proof Festival | |
CFA Institute | CFA Institute LIVE | |
Barron’s / Dow Jones | Barron’s Advisor Summit, Top Advisor events | |
Money20/20 | Money 2020 US | |
Schwab | Schwab IMPACT | |
Milken Institute | Milken Institute Global Conference | |
SALT Conference | SALT New York, SALT iConnections | |
Context Summits | Context Summits Miami |
Top influencers
Name | Organizations | Website | Focus | |
Michael Kitces | Kitces | Wealth management, advisor economics | ||
Josh Brown | Ritholtz Wealth Management | Markets, investing, RIA perspective | ||
David M. Cunic | UCS Advisors | Capital raises | ||
Dan Primack | Axios | Dealmaking news | ||
Howard Marks | Oaktree Capital Management | https://www.oaktreecapital.com | Market cycles and investment discipline | |
Ray Dalio | Bridgewater Associates | Macro investing | ||
Alex Boden | Asymmetrix | Data and analytics |