More than 400 real estate leaders are convening in our nation’s capital today for the start of RISMedia’s 38th annual CEO & Leadership Exchange, taking place Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at the Fairmont Georgetown in Washington, D.C. The highly anticipated event features more than 100 top minds as speakers and panelists discussing the most pressing issues and trends facing the industry and providing invaluable insights and opportunities pivotal to real estate professionals’ business growth and innovation.
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More than 40 sessions and premiere networking opportunities are planned over the course of the three-day event. Here is a look at the full agenda.
The event will kick off this morning with two pre-event sessions:
Raising Agent Value in the Age of AI: The Need for Certified Real Estate Consultants with Allan Dalton, founder and CEO of Allan Dalton Consulting and Anthony Lamacchia, broker, owner and CEO of Lamacchia Realty Inc.
Dalton and Lamacchia will share their strategy for safeguarding brokerage business and reputations in the post-lawsuit environment and in the age of AI, by elevating agents from transactional salespeople to trusted “Certified Real Estate Consultants” with their new course and certification.
Building the AI Coach: How Agentic AI Is Changing Real Estate with Creig Northrop, CEO and founder | Realtor®, Northrop Realty; Tyler Morton, broker/owner and founder, REMAX Victory + Affiliates; Tory OS; Todd Denman, founder and principal Realtor®, The Denman Group, eXp Realty; and Mel Robbins, digital marketing manager, Northrop Realty.
In this conversation, Creig Northrop and fellow industry leaders explore how AI is transforming and enhancing real estate training, including a first look at a new agentic coaching platform.
At 1 p.m., John Featherston officially kicks off the event with a welcome address on the conference theme, “The Real Estate Renaissance: How to Reset and Thrive Amid Change,” setting the stage for two and a half days of learning from the industry’s top minds and proven leaders who will share strategies for building a sustainable business as we continue to navigate great change.
Next Up, the Keynote: The State of Real Estate With Dan Duffy, CEO of United Real Estate
While initial indicators pointed to 2026 being a turnaround year from the affordability, mortgage rate and inventory challenges that have embattled the industry over the last few years, an unexpected war with Iran and other uncertainties have kept those economic headwinds in play longer than anticipated. Yet, the market has shown signs of resilience as the industry navigates major consolidation and as MLSs, brokers and portals rethink their place in the flow of listings and who controls the data.
United Real Estate CEO Dan Duffy will be tackling these issues and more at the CEO & Leadership Exchange, delivering this year’s annual ‘State of Real Estate’ keynote address, which offers attendees an essential overview of the trends, challenges and opportunities that are reshaping residential real estate and defining brokerage success in the months ahead. This session is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 1:15 p.m.
Not to Be Missed: Beyond the Chatbot–Transforming the Agent and Consumer Experience
As AI advances at breakneck speed, brokerage leaders are racing to gain a competitive edge. In this special session, a panel of AI technologists and brokerage leaders share the next chapter in AI innovation: digital human technology that facilitates lead generation, concierge services, agent training and more. This is a must-see, live demo of the groundbreaking technology that stands to transform the real estate experience for agents and their consumers. The session is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
Presenters include:
Chris Kelly, President and CEO of HomeServices of America
John Featherston, Founder and CEO of RISMedia, Inc.
Ben Silva, Chief Digital Officer, Global Scale
Sean McRae, Co-Founder and CEO; CEO AREIA Synthetics; RELIANCEai
Creig Northrop, CEO and Founder | Realtor®, Northrop Realty
Stay tuned to RISMedia for ongoing updates and coverage of the industry’s top leaders sharing insights into the industry’s most pressing issues and trends shaping your business over three days of top-level learning and premiere networking opportunities.







