Houston Retail and Mixed-Use Event
Activating Culture, Community, and Commerce Through Destination-Driven Design
Event Ended On: Tuesday September 30 2025
Registration Questions?
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Event Host
GreenStreet
GreenStreet is a mixed-use district unlike any other in downtown Houston, redefining urban lifestyle in the heart of the central business district. This four-block, 611,000-square-foot development features a 260,000-square-foot Class-A office tower, 326,000 square feet of retail space, and marquee tenants including House of Blues, Punch Line comedy club, The Laura Hotel, and Lifetime Fitness. Visit www.greenstreetdowntown.com and follow @greenstreethou.
Speakers and Panels
Bites, Brands & Business: The Future of Restaurants in Houston
Local Flavor & Community Vibes: Placemaking through Experiential Retail
Sarah Thobae
Jeffrey Kaplan
Paula Musa
Lynn Spencer
Mixed-Use & Placemaking Transformations
Don Quigley
Cassie Hoeprich
Matthew Kelley
Matt Ragan
Katherine Rorie
Why You Should Attend The Houston Retail and Mixed-Use Event
Why This Matters:
This is not your typical retail market event. It’s a candid look at the mechanics, and the missteps, of turning real estate into true destinations in one of the country’s most demographically complex, culturally rich, and car-dependent metros. With developers from the trenches, staff reshaping policy, and strategists who’ve led some of the region’s most experimental projects, this event offers real perspective. Whether you’re repositioning a tired asset or starting from scratch in a booming submarket, the insights shared here will arm you with strategies that reflect the full mess and momentum of development in Houston today.
What You Will Learn:
- How placemaking strategies are being executed on the ground in Houston’s most culturally distinct districts—from curated vendor lineups in POST Houston to locally anchored programming in Spring Branch, discover what’s working (and what gets ignored) when developers try to "get local."
- The ROI of community programming and cultural events at commercial properties—from farmers markets in suburban lifestyle centers like LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch to live music activations in mixed-use projects like East River, hear how developers are calculating value beyond rent rolls and how that translates into leasing leverage.
- Why developers are betting big on hybrid entertainment-dining venues like Chicken N Pickle, High & Dry, and Social Beer Garden—and how those concepts are shifting traffic patterns, parking strategy, and co-tenancy expectations across Houston’s suburban nodes.
- What it takes to reposition legacy malls like Memorial City and Greenspoint into multi-use destinations—including how developers are navigating fractured ownership structures, tenant exits, capital stack challenges, and neighborhood resistance.
- How city planning departments and developers are aligning (or not) on zoning for vertical mixed-use and adaptive reuse—and what tools are actually being used to push projects forward, from public infrastructure funding to selective code overlays in districts like Montrose and East End.
- The new math behind tenant mix strategy in Houston's densifying suburbs—as projects like Bridgeland, The Woodlands, and Sugar Land Town Square evolve, hear how developers are integrating essential services (medical, education, fitness) with high-end retail to future-proof foot traffic.
- How top Houston developers are managing daypart conflicts between office, residential, and entertainment uses—especially in vertically stacked sites—and which operational or tech solutions are proving worth the investment.
- What national brands are learning from Houston’s demographics and psychographics—from Macy’s testing localized experiential concepts to fast-casual chains partnering with local chefs, we’ll explore the real examples of how big players are adapting for Houston’s multicultural, multigenerational audience.
Articles You Should Read:
Hines Shatters Houston Record With $727-Per-SF Montrose Deal
Pearland Prioritizes A 'Quality Of Life' Community For Continued Prosperity
Development Partner Sought For Houston Mixed-Use, Affordable Housing Project
Millions Of Square Feet Of Texas Hemp Retail Saved By Last-Minute Veto
Brookfield Scores Another Big Energy Company Lease Renewal In Downtown Houston
From The Eye Of The Storm, AI Weather Prediction Is Impacting Retail And Logistics Decision-Making
For questions regarding content, speaking and sponsorship opportunities please email our Senior Event Producer, Virginia Baker, at virginia.baker@bisnow.com. To request disability-related accommodations, please contact claire.ahrens@bisnow.com no later than seven business days prior to the event.
Venue
GreenStreet
1201 Fannin St
Houston, TX 77002
Floor: Floor #10
Parking Information:
PARKING GARAGE
Parking is available in the attached garage located at 1320 Fannin with entrances on Fannin and Clay. Garage map HERE. Parking will be validated by Rebees - be sure to get the validation sticker at registration.
DIRECTIONS FROM GARAGE TO EVENT
Level 3 of the garage connects to level 2 of the property by way of the sky-bridge. Once you cross over the sky-bridge, walk towards LifeTime Fitness. Once able, turn right walking past LifeTime’s front entrance. Continue walking past the white “Love Your Life” LifeTime signage towards the lobby entrances. The registration table will be to your right. Event is on level 10 of the Tower.
METERED PARKING
Pay-to-park stations and meters are available during the day on downtown streets.
Agenda
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
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1:00 PM 2:00 PM |
Pre-event Networking
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2:00 PM 2:45 PM |
Bites, Brands & Business: The Future of Restaurants in Houston
As mixed-use and retail destinations evolve, restaurants are no longer just tenants. They have become anchors, community magnets, and mood makers. Explore how the restaurant sector is shaping, and being shaped by, Houston’s dynamic mixed-use market.
|
|
2:45 PM 3:00 PM |
Networking Break
|
|
3:00 PM 3:45 PM |
Local Flavor & Community Vibes: Placemaking through Experiential Retail
Unpack how Houston’s leading developers and operators are building community-first retail destinations that actually feel like part of the neighborhood. From pop-ups for local vendors to live music nights that anchor weekend foot traffic, explore how programming, partnerships, and placemaking can turn a retail site into a cultural hub. Dig into how developers are navigating the tension between big-name anchors and hyper-local tenants, and what it really takes to create a third place that people return to regularly—whether they’re shopping, dining, or just hanging out.
|
|
3:45 PM 4:30 PM |
Mixed-Use & Placemaking Transformations
Hear from the teams behind the city’s most ambitious developments, multi-use ecosystems with residential, office, green space, and entertainment stitched together with curated retail. Dive deep on everything from the zoning gymnastics behind the scenes to what gets a deal across the line with tenants, city leaders, and investors.
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4:30 PM 5:30 PM |
Cocktail and Networking
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Want to get a recap of everything covered at the event?
Purchase the post-event summary and get the highlights sent to you in a post-event summary. Purchase here.
