The Best Ever CRE Show JF 4100: Ten Years of Best Ever Con, Industry Shifts, and Lessons from Top Investors ft. Ben Lapidus
Nov 25, 2025
Ben Lapidus, coordinator of the Best Ever Conference and a commercial real estate investor, shares how a Skillshare class led to his partnership with Joe Fairless. He discusses the conference's growth from 175 attendees in Denver to a premier networking event focused on capital-raising and syndication. They reveal exciting updates for the 2026 agenda, including dynamic formats like Pitch Slam and keynote speaker insights. Ben emphasizes the value of intentional networking and memorable connections formed at the conference, showcasing its impact on the industry.
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Humble Skillshare Sparked Best Ever Con
- Ben Lapidus met Joe Fairless in a small 2012 Skillshare class where Joe taught how to buy a $7M building for $15k.
- That connection led Ben to become Joe's first coaching mentee and later co-found Best Ever Conference in 2017 with 175 attendees.
Curation Beats Big Tents
- Best Ever deliberately chose connection, diverse stage voices, and practical storytelling over hard sales.
- That focus positioned the conference to attract experienced investors rather than broad general audiences.
Optimize For Meaningful Collisions
- Focus your event or network on a tight niche to increase meaningful collisions per attendee.
- Signal who should not attend to keep attendee quality high and improve networking ROI.
