Once a year, a carefully curated group of commercial real estate’s best and brightest converge to build bonds, share experiences and explore conversations beyond the industry.

Welcome to Escape.

What began as an answer to the lack of networking platforms for top owners, developers and investors has grown into a multiday excursion that gets influential dealmakers out of the office and forging lasting partnerships. Conversations over breakfast can flow into road biking, mindfulness sessions and art tours. In between those activities, industry-changing ventures are born.

Here are eight things you need to know about one of the most exclusive retreats in the industry.

1. It Is A Retreat For Leaders At The Pinnacle Of Their Careers

Escape is designed from the ground up for the CEOs and leaders of the largest and most influential development and investment firms in the U.S. Attendees are 45(ish) years old and over, and have carved names for themselves in the industry with a record of major deals.

Far from resting on their laurels, attendees are individuals looking for continued growth in their careers while leaving behind a lasting legacy. Escape brings these like-minded people together in the same room for one reason: shared experience.

2. It Is Where The Industry’s Most Dynamic Areas Intersect

Attendees operate, manage and own the most significant asset classes in the industry. Sectors represented range from multifamily and office to industrial and senior housing. Of the attendees present, 81% have either a C-suite title or are a company founder.

3. It Is Where Sales Agendas Are Checked At The Door

There are no service providers soliciting business at Escape. Rather than be bombarded with sales pitches, attendees are given a space where deals can happen organically through casual conversation.

4. It Is Where Discussions Go Beyond Commercial Real Estate

Commercial real estate has the power to shape where and how people live, and requires leaders to go beyond traditional thinking. There are no panels at Escape; no conversations about what inning the industry is in; and owners and investors do not hold the floor.

Curators instead invite influencers on the cutting edge of business, technology and personal development to share their best practices.

This year will feature talks from NY Times best-selling author and Peak Performance Expert Steven Kotler, culture and CEO innovation luminary Adam Bryant, and former CIA and customer experience expert Joey Coleman, among many other speakers.

5. It Is A Place To Nourish The Body And Soul

In a 24/7 economy, self-care is synonymous with success. Escape does more than deliver multidisciplinary content designed for modern real estate executives. It is also where leaders can refresh their bodies and minds.

Activities including road cycling, kiteboarding, e-biking across Miami meeting local OZ experts, paddleboarding, tennis and others will follow content sessions on meditation and mindfulness.

6. It Is Where Legendary Partnerships Are Formed

Escape curators handpick attendees and carefully program events to create an environment that encourages innovative thinking and new investment ideologies. At daily “tribe sessions,” attendees are broken up into curated groups of 10 to 12 people based on similar interests and potential business synergies.

Tribe sessions are the most intimate aspect of Escape. Executive level breakout discussions with other leaders and contemporaries in their industry allow attendees to have discussions ranging from shifts in technology to balancing work and family life.

7. It Is Where Friendships, Not Contacts, Are Built

Escape has become a meeting ground for reconnecting with old business partners and to discover new ones. These interactions happen over activities both professional and recreational.

Shared interests form strong relationships. Escape embraces the philosophy that the best deals happen outside of the office.

8. It Is Taking Place In Miami

Escape will take place this year on April 29-30 at the 1 Hotel South Beach in Miami. Attendees can look forward to sunshine, sand and one of the country's hottest real estate markets.

Fit The Description? Know Someone Who Does?

To apply for one of the remaining spots, click here, and if you would like to nominate someone from your firm or peers in the industry, you can add their name here.

To inquire about becoming one of our strategic partners, click here.

To see what it's all about, watch a quick video here.