CRE Summit

What CRE Summit does

CRE Summit is an annual commercial real estate industry conference operated from Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1990 by Jerry Slusky as the Commercial Real Estate Workshop during a period when Resolution Trust Corporation provisions shaped the sector, it was renamed the Commercial Real Estate Summit on its 25th anniversary in 2015. The flagship event convenes nearly 1,000 commercial real estate professionals — brokers, developers, lenders, appraisers, attorneys, architects, engineers, title and insurance providers, and college students — in a single-day format at the CHI Health Center in Omaha. The 35th annual edition is scheduled for Friday, August 21, 2026, and is co-chaired by Jerry Slusky and Chris Mensinger.

The offering is a single-product conference supplemented by three sub-products: Summit University (a student mentorship program connecting UNO, Creighton, and UNL students with industry leaders), the Hall of Fame Awards Luncheon (annual recognition of commercial real estate leaders such as 2026 inductees Deb Graeve-Morrison, Doug Nodgaard, Ember Grummons, and Michael Moylan), and a Continuing Education Credits program accredited across Nebraska and Iowa Real Estate Commissions, the Nebraska State Bar Association, Iowa Supreme Court Commission, Nebraska Real Property Appraiser Board, and Nebraska Department of Insurance. Event management runs on the Swoogo platform for registration, agenda, and sponsor workflows.

The business generates revenue through two streams: tiered conference registration fees (early-bird $350, regular $425, late $475, student $75, group rates of $361.25-$382.50 per attendee at 10+ volumes, plus a $75 Hall of Fame Luncheon add-on) and an eight-tier sponsorship program running from Patron at $500 to Premier at $10,000. Commercial real estate sponsorships constitute the most strategically significant revenue stream, with Presenting sponsors Pinnacle Bank, McGrath North, and Liberty Property Management as flagship-tier partners, Koley Jessen as Premier, and Diamond-level commitments from CBRE, Colliers, Chief Industries, First American Title, Northmarq, Speedway Properties, and The Lerner Company.

Name

CRE Summit

Legal name

CRE Summit

Website

https://attendcresummit.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

CRE Summit is an annual commercial real estate industry conference founded in 1990 in Omaha, Nebraska, convening nearly 1,000 brokers, developers, lenders, and service providers annually alongside a Hall of Fame Awards Luncheon and a Summit University student mentorship program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Conferences & Events

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Training, Enablement & Talent Development Summits (THAHAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Meeting & Conference Planning & Coordination (HSACADAA)

Keywords

• Commercial real estate conference
• Industry networking events
• Continuing education programs
• Event sponsorship packages
• Industry awards luncheon

Headquarters

HQ city

Omaha

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Conference Registration Fees: Individual, student, and group registration fees for conference attendance. Tiered pricing with early-bird, regular, and late registration periods. Additional fee for Hall of Fame Awards Luncheon.
2. Sponsorship Packages: Corporate sponsorships at multiple levels (Patron $500 to Premier $10,000) providing brand visibility, registrations, parking passes, email mentions, stage recognition, and exclusive feature opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CRE Summit operates an annual one-day commercial real estate conference in Omaha, Nebraska that brings together roughly 900 brokers, developers, lenders, attorneys, appraisers, architects, and other CRE professionals for education, networking, and deal-making. The event is monetized through tiered attendee registration fees (early-bird, regular, late, student, and group) and tiered corporate sponsorship packages, and is supplemented by a Hall of Fame Awards Luncheon, a Summit U student mentorship program, and continuing education credits accredited by Nebraska and Iowa regulatory bodies.

Product overview

CRE Summit is a single-product annual conference offering centered on the Commercial Real Estate Summit. The core offering is the main conference event, supplemented by Summit U (student mentorship program), the Hall of Fame Awards Luncheon (recognition program), and a Continuing Education Credits program. Sponsorship packages provide tiered advertising and engagement opportunities. The company does not operate a software platform but uses the Swoogo event management system for registration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CRE Summit Annual Conference Annual one-day commercial real estate conference held at CHI Health Center, Omaha, NE, designed to help CRE professionals gain momentum with innovative tools, industry information, networking, and deal-making opportunities. Attracts nearly 1,000 brokers, developers, lenders, attorneys, appraisers, architects, and other CRE professionals.
• Summit University (Summit U) Educational and mentorship initiative connecting college students from the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), Creighton University, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) with Omaha's commercial real estate leaders for networking, mentorship, and real-world career exploration.
• Hall of Fame Awards Luncheon
• Continuing Education Credits Program Professional education program offering continuing education credits through partnerships with the Nebraska Real Estate Commission, Iowa Real Estate Commission, Nebraska State Bar Association, Iowa Supreme Court Commission, Nebraska Real Property Appraiser Board, and Nebraska Department of Insurance.
• Sponsorship Packages Tiered corporate sponsorship opportunities ranging from Patron ($500) to Premier ($10,000), offering brand visibility through logo placement, included registrations and parking passes, email mentions, press release mentions, stage recognition, and exclusive feature opportunities such as HOF Luncheon hosting, Keynote sponsorship, and WiFi naming rights.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 1,000 attendees annually - described as 'a big deal' where 'deals are made'
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Pinnacle BankflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting Sponsor of the 2026 CRE Summit. Provides top-tier logo placement, stage recognition, and prominent branding across event communications and materials.
• McGrath NorthflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting Sponsor providing top-tier sponsorship benefits including logo placement and stage recognition at the event.
• Liberty Property Management CompanyflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting Sponsor with prominent brand visibility across event materials and communications.
• Koley JessencoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPremier Sponsor offering highest level of sponsorship benefits including six registrations, six parking passes, and sponsor highlight page on event app.
• CBREcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDiamond Sponsor. Also provides keynote speaker Spencer Levy, Global Client Strategist and Senior Economic Advisor, for the Hall of Fame Luncheon Keynote.
• CollierscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDiamond Sponsor with logo placement on event website and general session screens.
• Chief Industries, Inc.coreGTM or Marketing PartnerDiamond Sponsor providing sponsorship at the Diamond level with associated branding benefits.
• First American Title Insurance CompanycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDiamond Sponsor offering title insurance industry representation at highest sponsorship level.
• NorthmarqcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDiamond Sponsor with prominent logo placement and session screen visibility.
• Speedway PropertiescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDiamond Sponsor with logo placement on event materials.
• The Lerner CompanycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDiamond Sponsor with branding benefits at the highest non-Presenting sponsorship level.
• Noddle CompaniescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDiamond Sponsor providing commercial real estate development perspective at the event.
• University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner for Summit U program connecting students with commercial real estate professionals and career opportunities.
• Creighton UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner for Summit U program. Historical connection: CRE Summit originated from Creighton Law School where Jerry Slusky taught commercial real estate courses starting in 1990.
• University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner for Summit U program connecting students with Omaha's commercial real estate industry leaders.
• Grow OmahaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedia partner that helped bring students from UNO, Creighton, and UNL together with local commercial real estate leaders for networking events.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• CCIM Institute: Commercial real estate investment professional association offering conferences, education, and the CCIM designation. Comparable to CRE Summit in providing CRE-focused continuing education, networking events, and industry recognition programs for investment sales brokers and CRE capital professionals.
• Connect CRE: Runs a national portfolio of regional commercial real estate networking events (Connect Atlanta, Connect Chicago, etc.). Directly comparable regional-event business model with tiered sponsorships targeting CRE service providers; competes with CRE Summit for sponsor wallet share in the broader U.S. Midwest.
• Bisnow: Operates a large portfolio of regional commercial real estate events across the U.S. alongside CRE news media. Most directly comparable as a regional-CRE-events business with a multi-market model; competes for the same sponsor dollars and attendee mindshare as CRE Summit in the Midwest.
• CREFC (Commercial Real Estate Finance Council): Trade association for the commercial real estate capital markets that runs conferences, forums, and education programs. Comparable to CRE Summit in serving the lender/financier segment of the CRE industry and running annual summits with education and networking content.
• BOMA International: Building Owners and Managers Association running the annual BOMA Conference and Expo for commercial property professionals. Comparable as a CRE-industry conference with strong continuing-education component and tiered sponsorship product serving building owners, managers, and service providers.
• SIOR (Society of Industrial and Office Realtors): Professional society for industrial and office real estate brokers that runs annual conferences, education programs, and award events. Comparable to CRE Summit's CRE broker focus, continuing-education offerings, and industry-recognition programs (Hall of Fame analog).
• ULI (Urban Land Institute): Runs the annual ULI Fall Meeting and Spring Meeting, major gatherings for real estate developers, investors, and advisors. Closely comparable business model (annual summits, tiered sponsorships, CE/education, member-driven industry networking) to CRE Summit, but at much larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• NAIOP: Commercial real estate development association that runs CRE.Converge and other industry conferences. Comparable as a CRE-industry conference organizer serving developers, brokers, and capital providers; overlaps directly with CRE Summit's broker/developer/financier attendee base.
• ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centers): Operates the largest retail and commercial real estate industry events globally, including RECon. Directly comparable as a CRE-focused professional conference organizer serving brokers, developers, and service providers — though at substantially larger national/international scale than CRE Summit.

Others

• Planit Inc Events: Event management firm that appears to provide administrative and event-management support to CRE Summit (per the [email protected] contact email). Adjacent ecosystem participant — a vendor rather than a competitor, but materially involved in the operating model of CRE Summit.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/attendcresummit
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cre-summit
• Xx.com/cre_summit

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CRE Summit