Pictured above from left to right: Angel Benschneider,
Julie Echols, Barbara Hobson, Kathy Mayfield & Yvonne Parra
Article Submitted By:
Rosalie G. Keszler, CCIM &
Jinny Saad of Thomas Properties Group
Houston, Texas - October 15, 2008 was the
official kick-off of Opportunities Rising: A New
Day. A New Deal - 2008 CREW Network
Convention & Marketplace that took place over three days at the Hilton Americas hotel in
downtown Houston, Texas. Almost 700 people
attended this year's convention. A contingency of CREW Austin members were on hand to participate and experience first hand the immensely invigorating and powerful connections made with our brethren CREW memberships across the country. CREW Austin had 21 people attending, a record number for our chapter. In the company of Jane Snoddy
Smith, the 2009 CREW Network president,
Kathy Carr, the 2008 CREW Austin president,
and Jinny Saad, the 2009 CREW Austin president, were several CREW Austin officers, board of directors and seasoned members that attended the event. We also had several of our newest members come and see the benefit of the Network and enjoy three full days of building relationships and enhancing professional development, with a few of our newest members joining in. Special thanks to Jane Smith, Jennifer Sherrill and Amy Mitchell for inviting all Austin attendees to Fulbright & Jaworski's "Spa-tacular" event, an afternoon
filled with relaxation AND networking!
In addition to all the fun that was had,
attendees also received the latest trends,
market forecasts, professional development
tools and strategic innovations that will give
them the edge they need over their competition.
This event is also where serious business
connections were made, where solutions for
challenging times were discovered and where
top women and men influencing the major deals
look for partners. If you did not attend the
Houston convention, you can't afford to miss
another one! Simply put, professionals who are
better prepared and better informed than their
competition have the advantage - as do their
organizations.
Here are just a few benefits of attendance:
- Nearly 700 commercial real estate professionals attend - all are doing deals, all are looking for new deals. The connections you make will benefit your entire organization
- In-depth market forecasts delivered by the experts
- Carefully planned education sessions that address current market challenges and solutions
- Targeted professional development sessions
- Marketplace trade show featuring more than 60 exhibitors
- Dedicated business networking events
- Learning excursions provide a street-level view of Houston's development projects
The first evening's events included a First-Time
Attendee reception followed by the Network
Marketplace & Reception. The evening ended
too soon for many of us! Day two was filled
with sessions that covered many varied topics,
with a few of our very own on panels -
Angel Benschneider and Jennifer Sherrill,
along with moderator Kathy Carr. More
networking was done, new connections made,
some fraternization accomplished.
Dine-arounds and impromptu dinner connections were made. That evening was also the first CREW Foundation dinner held on the 60th floor of the Hines building in downtown Houston. What a fabulous event, the dinner was catered by a Master Chef, of which there are only 64 in the nation, followed by a live auction, all benefitting CREW Foundation. Final day 3, the morning came early for a few of us - but managed to
make it to the morning's sessions on time.
Several headed back to Austin mid-day, but
some made it through the evening's Friday Night Celebration: "CREW Network Odyssey 2008: "Blasting into the New Frontier". All in all, the week was a success. Now to carry on the momentum! It is an experience you don't want to miss, join us in Boston next year as CREW Network celebrates 20 years.
CREW Austin attendees included:
M'Lou Patton Bell
Angel Benschneider
Kathy Carr
Alex Castano
Anita Dabney
Jeannie De Fazio
Julie Echols
Kristin Gardner
Adam Hauser
Barbara Hobson
Rosalie Keszler
Mary Lawrence
Kathy Mayfield
Vicki Beal McDonald
Amy Mitchell
Jennifer Paisley
Yvonne Parra
Barbara Roeling
Jinny Saad
Jennifer Sherrill
Linda Strickland
For a recap of the presentations and post-
convention materials, including a
comprehensive attendee list, visit the
CREW Network website.
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Rosalie G. Keszler, CCIM is the owner of
Rosalie Keszler Consultants, a consulting
firm offering due diligence and underwriting
analysis services as the "in-house team"
approach for the smaller-shop commercial
real estate investor and developer.
Jinny Saad is the leasing representative for Thomas Properties Group and is also our incoming president of CREW Austin.
