Bisnow West Coast Vice President Stephanie Smith Brings CRE Back Together

After years of pandemic caution, West Coast CRE professionals are ready to network in-person once again, and are choosing to do so at Bisnow events. Bisnow West Coast Vice President Stephanie Smith attributes this move to the industry’s desire to get back to doing what it does best: facilitating connections through events and other networking opportunities.

“We've seen what works for the industry,” Smith said. ”When CRE professionals get back out there to speak on panels and grow relationships, more business gets done. Everybody's craving to be in person together.”

Bisnow sat down with Smith to talk about the importance of in-person CRE networking, which West Coast sectors are thriving and why she made a cross-country move to take over Bisnow’s West Coast market.

Bisnow: What is working for clients in the West Coast right now? What marketing approaches are driving deals and creating more business?

Smith: Having the opportunity to meet face to face has been so crucial for our industry. Relationships are everything in CRE, and nothing compares to being able to address our audience on stage at our events. In California and Seattle, we’ve been seeing higher ticket sales than ever before and we're having to find bigger venues because people are coming out of the woodwork. 

Not everything can be done from home; people need to see that there's a real person behind the screen in order to build a relationship and ultimately do business together.

Bisnow: Where do you see the West Coast market heading in the next year? What trends are you seeing that you’re most excited about?

Smith: I’ve been able to see the highs and lows of the market over the past five and a half years that I've been with Bisnow. We're at a time where people are ready to get back to the way businesses used to run. We're now at a turning point where everybody's getting on the same page about returning to the office and the return to business as usual. We want to get people back in the room and get the industry back on its feet.

We're seeing opportunities for office repositioning and conversions to life sciences and multifamily. Industrial has also been performing extremely well. We've been able to capitalize on other sectors and verticals, and we are making sure that we keep everything running smoothly. 

Bisnow: What inspired you to pursue a career at Bisnow? 

Smith: I started in a business-to-consumer sales role in the sports industry out of college and was just looking for a change — plus, I had some friends who worked at Bisnow who had great things to say. But, what really sold me was my interview in New York. I spent a whole day there, speaking with various department leaders, and was able to see a typical day in the life of the Bisnow sales team. They were extremely caffeinated, loud, scrappy and genuinely excited. I remember thinking I absolutely needed to join this team.

After about a year in New York, I was relocated to the West Coast to revamp the California market for Bisnow to get it to where it is today. I quickly worked my way up to a director level and started building out a bigger team out here. Having the opportunity to wear several different hats ultimately led to my current role as West Coast VP.

Bisnow: What do you like most about your role at Bisnow?

Smith: By far, the coolest thing about my job is getting to work with the incredible team that we've built out west. This team cares so deeply about each other. Everyone truly has each other’s back here and they take so much pride in their work. Right now, the West Coast markets have a lot of runway to grow and continue to be huge contributors to the Bisnow platform.

Bisnow: What makes you unique?

Smith: I have high emotional intelligence, which gives me the ability to read the room. I feel like I have a good sense of body language and I’m able to make people feel comfortable in a conversation. That skill has been really helpful, both in sales and in managing a large team out west.

Bisnow: What is one life goal you want to accomplish?

Smith: I just want a house with a nice, big yard, so my German shepherd, Oshie, has plenty of  space to run free. I rescued her in the beginning of the pandemic, and she’s been my number one sidekick and roommate ever since.