Informa Real Estate Continues IMN’s Tradition of Innovative Opportunities
by Carole VanSickle Ellis
When Steve Glener, director of research at IMN, started with the company more than 25 years ago, he knew it would be hard work creating and implementing conferences that would provide “unrivalled market intelligence, exclusive connections, [and] enhanced opportunities” for real estate investors and other industry leaders.
“I knew I would enjoy the challenge,” Glener recalled. “In this job, you are always learning. When I got started, we looked at magazines and newspapers to identify trends and speakers. We did not have the internet. We were excited when we produced a conference with 20 speakers and 250 attendees because it was so logistically challenging. Now, I have 250 speakers lined up for our upcoming conference, and far, far more attendees than that.”
Glener was referring to the IMN Single Family Rental (SFR) West conference, which runs annually in Scottsdale, Arizona; this year’s event will be December 2-4, 2025. Honored as a finalist for “Best Overseas Conference” at the 2024 Conference & Events Awards (“a global recognition of its excellence in programming,” said Glener) and dubbed a “must-attend event” by Easy Street Capital, the IMN Single Family Rental West conference is currently the largest event in the SFR industry.
The 2024 Arizona event boasted more than 1,800 SFR decision-makers, more than 950 owners and operators, roughly 250 expert speakers, and more than 150 “industry-leading sponsors.”
The event debuted in 2011, when Todd Rosenberg, head of growth & strategy in real estate at IMN, orchestrated its initial launch. Rosenberg saw a clear need for the event, he said, “as the SFR asset class formed following institutional investment groups acquiring and aggregating SFR homes.” Today, Rosenberg leads IMN’s sales and business development efforts across a portfolio of more than 50 real estate events.
Pete Gilfillan, product director for IMN and for parent group Informa Estate’s Canadian Real Estate Forums, said that while the popular SFR events “cover the whole gamut” of SFR-related topics, IMN also hosts a vast array of specialty conferences as well (see sidebar).
He continued, “We also solicit and review feedback from previous events, ensure that our speakers are representative of the many different players in the market, and bring in really influential, interesting, and intelligent people in the industry.”
Gilfillan said IMN monitors presenters’ activity in the industry closely to ensure they are able to speak to conference attendees about implementing strategies and leveraging insights directly rather than only discussing hypotheticals. “We focus on real-life-use cases and bring in speakers who are actively working on solutions, whether they are large operators, small investors, tech innovators, or otherwise,” he said.
Glener agreed. “When we are bringing in speakers, especially on new topics, we are diligent about checking into what people are actually doing in real estate,” he said. This requires a lot of hard work since often IMN selects cutting-edge conference topics and strategies that may not yet be in use by the majority of investors.
“We try to be the first one to market in new areas and topics,” Glener continued. “If I spot a new strategy in an article or active in a market, I always want to check it out, see what else, if anything, is out there, and work on getting a conference there. It is exciting for us to explore, uncover new ideas, and figure things out.”
Reacting in Real Time to Changing Real Estate Dynamics
One of the challenges facing many conference organizers in the real estate sector revolves around the difficulties in predicting what elements of a given market sector or economic environment will be in play at the time of the conference. While large conferences may take months or years to plan, attendees are highly motivated to attend sessions dealing with real-time events. In this area, IMN excels, in large part due to teams dedicated to identifying trends and predicting market movements.
For example, Glener noted IMN has recently begun focusing on data centers, a topic that first emerged as one of interest in the early 2000s but faded in response to the dot-com bust. However, in less than a decade, the topic was growing in interest once again, and IMN once again entered the sector. As many of the earlier companies merged and grew, the conferences evolved also.
“Last year, we initiated a private-equity focus on the data center conference,” Glener said, adding that this year’s conferences will add a day to address the capital needed for powering data centers, a $250 billion market that no other conference is addressing at the present time. The Data Centers conferences will take place in New York, New York, on March 3 and 4, 2026.
Glener said IMN’s “go-to conferences for finding new opportunities” are the IMN private real estate conferences, currently in their 25th year. “That is where the SFR conference came up,” Glener continued. “We saw the momentum building, did a session on this area, and, before you know it, Blackstone was jumping in. We figured if Blackstone was in, we should be also.”
The title of the first conference was “REO-to-Rental,” because that was the trade at that time, Glener said. “Since then, we have covered such strategies as notes, built-to-rent (BTR), and bulk buying, and have iterations including sale-leasebacks, fractional investing, and downpayment assistance,” he said.
IMN conferences include multiple viewpoints on economic elements, also. In addition to “traditional” economic insights and panels, events target specific trends in specific sectors, such as the ongoing shift in institutional transactional volume, Gilfillan said. “This wilder economic environment is coming up a lot these days, and it is equally as pertinent to entrepreneurial small investors as it is to institutional players,” he explained.
Operational elements are always included in IMN’s conferences as well, ensuring that attendees are updated on legislative trends and innovation in technology and how these elements might affect asset management, property management, and operational efficiency. “These things are always top-of-mind for investors, and any little edge they can get is important,” Gilfillan said.
The AI Element
Naturally, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in real estate and business also remains top-of-mind for real estate professionals and investors as the year draws to a close. According to a recent report from Realtor.com, four of five Americans are already using AI “to navigate the housing market,” and software development company Citrusbug Technolabs reported this past July that seven in 10 real estate professionals are using artificial intelligence “within their work.”
Nearly 80% of real estate agents alone are using AI-based lead-scoring and chat support to schedule property viewings, stream-line early conversations, and answer frequently asked questions.
“AI is in use across the spectrum: residential real estate, commercial real estate, real estate alternatives, and other, broader uses,” said Gilfillan. “Furthermore, everyone in the industry is thinking about it, using it, worrying about it, and talking about it. AI is undoubtedly here to stay, and we believe it can be a very useful tool as long as it is utilized in the right way.” He prioritizes bringing AI experts who have real-world experience into IMN conferences, but emphasized the importance of “the human element, the intellectual element, and the decision-making element.”
IMN hosts an AI in Real Estate conference in New York. This event offers a practical look at artificial intelligence in real estate, and the company describes it as the place “where AI meets reality.” In 2025, featured speakers included Metaprop co-founder Zachary Aarons, MG Properties CFO Joe Anfuso, and Stephanie Grayson, co-founder and CEO of Cambio AI. The company also offers entire conferences focused on operational AI (rental efficiency in the SFR industry) and Mortgage AI, which will cover “how AI is revolutionizing loan origination, underwriting, and servicing.”
Still Growing & Innovating After Decades in the Industry
When Glener joined IMN in the mid-1990s, he knew part of his role would be to “help the event evolve for the betterment of the industry.” He continued, “I really want every investor to know this is their conference; it is the industry’s event. That commitment still drives IMN today. We poll and interview buy-side participants extensively to ensure we are listening to what is really happening in the market, and we deeply appreciate their enthusiastic input. Their insights shape our programming, guide our speaker selection, and help us deliver events that reflect the real needs and priorities of the industry.”
As a part of working toward improving the entire industry, Gilfillan said IMN has focused on growing relationships with other associations and networks in the real estate sector.
“We want to continue to be an active participant in the industry, and we want our events to continue to evolve so that we can serve the industry in many different ways,” he said.
To that end, in 2022, IMN debuted its annual SFR Awards, which recognize leaders in their fields across 25-30 categories while “drawing together an unparalleled concentration of industry talent,” Gilfillan explained. “It is a great opportunity to recognize our most influential leaders, innovators, and decision-makers while creating an environment that fosters networking and can really transform a career.” In 2025, there are 28 awards categories, each with multiple, short-listed finalists. A panel of 18 judges, all of whom are SFR experts and have a wide variety of experiences and backgrounds, will select the award winners.
“The awards are a great way to recognize pioneers and rising stars,” Gilfillan said. Instead of awarding a singular “Rising Star” award, IMN has elected to recognize an entire class of emerging leaders and thinkers. The Class of 2025 Rising Stars are introduced as “the future of the industry.” Gilfillan continued, “It ends the conference on an optimistic note, and we definitely see long-term optimism in this space.”
In addition to celebrating the accomplishments of industry leaders, IMN’s SFR Awards offer a unique opportunity for conference attendees to network with peers and colleagues who are active and innovating in various real estate sectors.
“One of the biggest parts of our large events is networking,” said Gilfillan. In recent years, IMN has expanded its traditional panel format and begun including other educational structures in order to increase audience involvement. “We are working on more interactive options and unusual networking opportunities, like fireside chats, out-of-industry keynote speakers, and smaller meetings that facilitate discussion,” he said.
Rosenberg added, “At IMN, we anticipate the SFR Forum, in particular, will continue to grow as the single-family rental sector remains a hotbed for investment and innovation, with increased attendance from institutional players and tech-driven operators over the next 6 to 24 months. The industry will likely experience robust demand due to housing shortages and shifting preferences toward renting, though rising costs and potential regulatory shifts could challenge margins. We are excited to facilitate critical discussions at our events to help stakeholders navigate these opportunities and complexities.”
Glener concluded, “When you attend an IMN event, you are doing more than buying a ticket. You are joining a powerful community that is actively shaping the future of the real estate industry, and our job is to create opportunities for those transformative partnerships to happen.”
Sidebar 1
By the Numbers
30 // IMN has been hosting innovative real estate conferences for more than 30 years
64 // Number of specialized conferences IMN hosts each year
53 // Number of U.S.-based IMN conferences annually
6 // Number of Canada-based IMN conferences annually
2 // Number of U.K.-based IMN conferences annually
7 // Number of specialized, topical news verticals covered by IMN parent company Informa’s “News & Insights”
Learn more about Informa Real Estate and IMN at InformaConnect.com.
Sidebar 2
Topics Covered by Informa Real Estate Conferences
Over the past 26 years, IMN has emerged as an industry leader in the real estate conference industry. “Being able to contribute to setting the agendas and topics for these events is the best part of the job,” said Pete Gilfillan, product director for IMN and parent group Informa Real Estate’s Canadian Real Estate Forum’s Group. “We value attendees’ input as well as industry leaders’ insights regarding what challenges they are facing, where they see opportunity, and what is happening on both macro- and micro-economic levels that could be affecting the industry.” He continued, “Within residential real estate, we have launched events in recent years dedicated to Build-to-Rent (BTR), property management, RTL and DSCR loans, and events for homebuilders focused on capital markets and ground-up construction for spec and custom builders. These have evolved into important networking and educational meetings for specific audiences within homebuilding and residential real estate.”
Below is a list of topics covered at IMN conferences in the U.S, Canada, and Europe.
» Single-Family Rental (SFR)
» Build-to-Rent (BTR)
» Homebuilding
» Multifamily
» Buildings, Construction & Development
» New Construction
» SFR Property Management
» Real Estate Private Fund Investing
» Commercial Real Estate
» Capital Raising
» Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
» Distressed & Bank Special Assets
» Residential Mortgages
» CFO, COO & Asset Management
» Hotels
» Industrial Centers
» Data Centers
» Sustainability in Real Estate
» Sustainability
» Artificial Intelligence
» Property Management
» Owner-Operators
Sidebar 3
Categories for the 2025 IMN SFR Awards
» AEC (Architect, Engineer & Construction) Service of the Year
» Brokerage of the Year (Investment Sales)
» BTR/Land Deal of the Year
» Law Firm of the Year
» SFR Scattered Site or Portfolio Deal of the Year
» BTR Construction Lender of the Year
» Fix &Flip/DSCR Lender of the Year
» Lender of the Year
» SFR Securitization of the Year
» SFR/BTR Operator of the Year (Local/Regional)
» SFR/BTR Operator of the Year (National)
» AI Application of the Year
» Insurance Company of the Year
» Contractor/Rehab Company of the Year
» Data Provider of the Year
» SFR Online Marketplace of the Year
» Property Management Company of the Year
» Landlord-Facing Technology of the Year
» Tenant-Facing Technology of the Year
» Best Marketing/Social Media Campaign
» ESG Initiative of the Year
» CEO of the Year
» Minority Operator of the Year
» Woman Operator of the Year
» SFR/BTR Rising Star (under 35)
