CEO Connect
CEO Connect is the most important and exclusive gathering of C-suite executives in the real estate industry. Held alongside Inman Connect New York, this half-day experience convenes 200 senior leaders for high-impact conversations focused on leadership, growth, and navigating what’s next.
Designed for CEOs and top executives, CEO Connect delivers substantive, content-driven programming paired with meaningful peer connection. The room is intentionally curated to bring together the decision-makers shaping strategy, setting direction, and influencing the future of the industry.
Set at the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center, CEO Connect offers a rare opportunity to step away from the noise, engage with peers who understand the weight of leadership, and leave with sharper perspective for the year ahead.
Agenda at a Glance
8:00 - 8:45 am | Networking Breakfast + Coffee
Start your day with fellow industry leaders and connect over great conversations.
8:45 - 8:50 am | Welcome to CEO Connect
Emily Paquette, CEO, Inman
Our next chapter of real estate begins now.
8:50 - 9:10 am | The Urge to Merge: Confronting an Industry in Consolidation
Robert Palmer, CEO, LPT, Hoby Hanna, President & CEO, Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, John Berkowitz, President of Real Estate, Lower
For this CEO Connect, we’re taking a multi-stage approach to thinking through the topic on everyone’s mind: industry consolidation. To begin, three top brokerage leaders break down how they’re viewing the chessboard, what they see ahead for 2026 — and what moves they might make.
9:10-9:30 am | The Left Behinds
Bess Freedman, CEO, Brown Harris Stevens, Michael Liebowitz, President & CEO, Douglas Elliman
For smaller or independent brokerages that haven’t been acquired in the past few years, what’s the gameplan now? Two power players (who are very comfortable on their own, thank you) share their view of a changing industry, and the places they’ll look to exploit their unique advantages.
9:30 - 9:50 am | If/Then, Then/What?
Ryan Serhant, CEO, SERHANT, Mauricio Umansky, CEO, The Agency , Moderated by Brad Inman, Founder, Inman
Two of the strongest personalities in our industry join Brad Inman to offer their no-holds-barred takes on the business of residential real estate in 2026. Where do they think we’re all headed, and where are they placing their bets, and planning to grow their brokerages, this year and beyond?
9:50 - 10:10 am | The Five Types of Wealth
Sahil Bloom, NYT Bestselling Author, Entrepreneur, and Investor, SRB Ventures, Moderated by Andrew Flachner, President & CEO, RealScout
Beyond financial returns, real leadership is measured by time, relationships, health, and knowledge. Sahil Bloom reveals the wealth framework top performers use to build empires that last.
10:10 - 10:30 am | Coffee Break
10:30 - 10:50 am | Inman Interview with Nykia Wright, CEO, NAR
Nykia Wright, CEO, NAR, Moderated by Clelia Peters, Managing Director, Era Ventures
NAR’s CEO Nykia Wright shares how the association is rebuilding trust by listening more, investing smarter, and putting brokers at the center of its strategy. She will discuss how new tools, technology, and financial discipline are being designed with one goal in mind helping brokers lead the industry forward.
10:50 - 11:10 am | What the New Landscape Means for Its Tech
James Dwiggins, Co-CEO, NextHome, Inc., Errol Samuelson, Chief Industry Development Officer, Zillow, Drew Uher, Founder & CEO, Homelight, Moderated by Clelia Peters, Managing Director, Era Ventures
What’s the future of datafeeds and MLSs? How is AI shaping the industry, and what impact does that have on brokerages? And what’s the future of real estate search in an AI-powered world? Three prominent leaders break down these questions and offer a tech roadmap forward.
11:10 - 11:20 am | M&A Snapshot
Brandon Dobell, Brown Gibbons Lang and Company, Moderated by Clelia Peters, Managing Director, Era Ventures
11:40 - 12:00pm | Leader’s Crystal Ball
Craig Witt, CEO, EXIT Realty Group, Vanessa Bergmark, CEO, Red Oak Realty, Rory Golod, President of Growth & Communications, Compass, Marco Fregenal, Fathom Holdings, Inc.
To close out CEO Connect, we’ll hear from leaders where they think the industry is headed and how they’re preparing for what’s next. Which trends will truly shape the future of real estate? From consolidation and technology disruption to evolving agent value, business models, and leadership priorities.
Speakers
CEO Connect
TACKLE PRESSING INDUSTRY ISSUES
The real estate industry is grappling with complex challenges. Engage in targeted sessions that equip you with actionable strategies and insights for executive-level decision-makingAgents who adapted. Brokers who led through uncertainty. Founders who dared to challenge the status quo.
AMPLIFY LEADERSHIP IMPACT
As a CEO, you're uniquely positioned to drive change. Gain advanced knowledge and foresight that can significantly influence your strategic planning and decision-making processes.
CULTIVATE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
Connect with a group of peers who share your level of expertise and challenges. Deepen relationships that benefit your business and have the potential to define the industry's landscape.
Registration
Thank you to our Sponsor
Inman Connect New York
In 2026, we celebrate 30 years of collectives, collisions and courageous thinking. We celebrate the people who took chances, asked better questions and pushed this industry forward.
The next era of real estate will be defined by community, transparency and shared innovation. The conversations that happen here will shape what’s next — for agents, brokers, technologists and consumers alike.
So, this February, we invite you back to the campfire — to the stage, the hallways, the conversations that started it all.
To look each other in the eye and say: We’re still here, we’re still building and we’re just getting started.
