More Than a Conference
By: J. David Chapman, PhD, / September 25, 2026
On October 7, several hundred commercial real estate professionals will gather for the 11th annual Commercial Real Estate Summit. They will come to learn, make connections, see old friends, and probably make a deal or two.
But there is another reason this day matters to me. In 2015, Andrea Frymire, Bart Binning, and I founded the Commercial Real Estate Summit with a fairly simple idea: bring the different pieces of our industry together in one place. Commercial real estate has a tendency to operate in silos. Brokers talk to brokers. Lenders talk to lenders. Developers talk to developers. Attorneys, appraisers, inspectors, architects, contractors, title professionals, property managers, and public officials often have their own professional circles.
Yet it takes nearly all of them to make a successful real estate project happen. I have always described the Summit as a crucible. We take all those ingredients, put them together for one day, stir things up a little, and see what happens. The result is a day of learning, networking, new ideas, and, frankly, a lot of fun with people who share a passion for the built environment.
This year's Summit may be one of our best yet. We are offering a special Broker-in-Charge course designed for commercial brokers, an "Anatomy of a Commercial Real Estate Development" program that follows a project through the development process, and an opportunity for someone to pitch their best real estate deal in front of approximately 250 brokers, investors, lenders, developers, and other industry professionals. Throughout the day, local, regional, and national experts will tackle the issues shaping commercial real estate today.
But the part of the Summit I am proudest of may be what happens after everyone goes home. The Commercial Real Estate Summit helps support the Real Estate Program at the University of Central Oklahoma - the largest and longest-running higher education real estate program in Oklahoma. Proceeds help fund student scholarships and academic programming that prepare the next generation of Oklahoma real estate professionals.
That makes every registration and every sponsorship more than simply the price of attending a conference. It is an investment in someone coming behind us.
Over the years, I have watched UCO students volunteer at the Summit, sit quietly in the audience listening to industry leaders, introduce themselves to professionals during breaks, and begin building networks before they ever receive their diplomas. Later, I see many of those same students working in brokerage firms, banks, development companies, appraisal offices, property management companies, and other organizations throughout our industry.
That is when you realize this is more than a conference. The people sitting in the audience today are helping prepare the people who will sit across the closing table from them tomorrow.
There is still time to register for the October 7 Commercial Real Estate Summit, and sponsorship opportunities remain available. Come learn something. Meet someone new. Reconnect with an old colleague. Maybe even find your next deal.
But most importantly, come help us invest in the next generation of Oklahoma real estate professionals. That may be the best deal we make all day.
Dr. J. David Chapman is the Chair of Finance and Professor of Real Estate at The University of Central Oklahoma (jchapman7@uco.edu)