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Sunny’s Steakhouse, Little River, Miami

We’ve all witnessed instances where a passionate restaurateur opens somewhere, and the area suddenly becomes more desirable. Soon, other restaurateurs and retailers join in, and a domino effect occurs. Sketchy or just overlooked areas are replaced with bustle, and property values improve. Even individual buildings can see their fortunes instantly change by attracting the right ground-floor tenants.

 

Another way to think about it: a good coffee shop sells espresso. A great coffee shop sells hotel rooms, office space, and residences.

 

This powerful concept is the root of Automatic. But not every retailer or restaurateur has this power, only a small subset has captured the lightning in a bottle required to transform neighborhoods.

 

Automatic identifies great retail and hospitality operators and connects them to top property developers. This relationship is valuable for both sides - for those who make their properties more desirable, developers are happy to offer attractive terms.

 

And when property values have the prospect of jumping, capital providers see opportunity. Automatic attracts not just large institutional investors but agile family office and niche private equity investors. By definition, they “get it” - they’ve all self-selected to join a community centered on creating better places.

 

And when there’s a chance to transform properties, there’s an important role for visionary designers. Automatic attracts world-class architects capable of transforming projects large and small. Add in leading contractors, artisans, and intermediaries, and an entire mixed-use development ecosystem is created.

 

Automatic brings together industry leaders, makes introductions, and provides a place where new opportunities are born. 

Flagship Events

Automatic has many tools for bringing the mixed-use development community together. The Flagship Events are invite-only and take place over a day and a half in major US markets - imagine a miniature SXSW for passionate developers. The program engineers serendipity for the 250-ish attendees through an agenda built around superb food & drink and small group meetings.

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Jess Bruner, Bond Retail Partners, Rachel Abeles, Bloomingdale’s

Automatic’s value is in the people participating. Joining, either for a single event or for membership, is by invitation only.

Property Tours

Within the Flagship Events are insider tours from top developers, sharing lessons learned and the secret sauce of their properties.

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Heron, Water Street Tampa

These walk-and-talks are idea generators for attendees to use in their own projects.

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And it’s not just learning from the developers giving the tour, it’s from experiencing it with the other leaders taking the tour.

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The Forth Hotel (L), Ponce City Market

The Program

Automatic creates serendipity by bringing together people that would gladly do business with one another, given the right opportunity, and then providing the forum for them to find that opportunity.

 

The programming mixes shared meals, receptions, and small group talks with plenty of unstructured time, making it easy to find your people.

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And a second day of music, food, and talks designed to make relationship building effortless.

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Throughout the day, there are multiple talks going on at any given time, allowing attendees to choose their own adventure. A mix of fireside chats and panel discussions with industry leaders includes topics like:

  • Expansion Strategies for emerging and growth brands

  • Design Thinking with top architects

  • Capital Markets: Private Equity insights and Family office investing mandates

  • F&B Accelerator: veterans sharing wisdom with entrepreneurs

  • New development reveals

  • Property activation strategies

 

Past speakers include: Terry Brown, Asana Partners / Jeff Wong, Major Food Group / Mark Masinter, Open Realty/Newmark / Erin Shannon, The Reformation / Jodie McLean, Edens / Steve Rouman, Crate & Barrel / Morris Adjmi, MA Architects / Kyle Noonan, The Rustic / Greg Kraus, Invesco / Brooks Reitz, Leon’s Oyster Shop / Walter Isenberg, Sage Hospitality / Michael Hsu, Michael Hsu Office of Architecture / Donald Moore, Goop Kitchen / and Vipin Nambiar, HN Capital Partners.

 

Food is serious business at Automatic gatherings, with hospitality from restaurateurs like John Fraser of JF Restaurants.

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Automatic Partner Intelligentsia Coffee keeps the caffeine vibes on point at every event.

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Network Membership

The Automatic Network app allows access to other members through a chat feature, insights from prior live events, and a growing library of:

 

Expert Calls

Network Members are invited to podcast-style Q&A live calls with industry leaders. Past guests include Victor Lugger, Founder, Big Mamma Restaurant Group / Anthony Valetta, CEO, bartaco / John Leuken, CIO Arlington Family Offices / Rob Gardner, Savory Fund / Steve Palmer, Founder, Indigo Road Hospitality Group / Todd Reppert, CDO, Hai Hospitality / Brent Renner, CDO, Postino / Matt Winn, CDO Maple & Ash / and Alex Smith, Atlas Restaurant Group.

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Premium Memberhip

For those interested in even more of the Automatic experience, Premium Membership options (for both companies and individuals) provide access to more intimate programming.

 

Silver and Gold Memberships provide access to Premium Member programming at a single Flagship Event, and Platinum Memberships provide access to everything Automatic at all Flagship Events, with the addition of City Summits.

 

CEO Insights

Premium members are invited to small-group sessions with growing retail and restaurant CEOs like Adam Halberg of Barcelona Wine Bar, David Kaplan of Death & Co., and Michael Williamson of Intown Golf Club. CEOs give a tour of one of their venues, share growth plans, and have an insider conversation around deal structures.

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Automatic Dinner

The Automatic Dinner brings Premium Members together with top retailers, restaurateurs, and capital providers for an epic dinner on opening night, hosted at a member’s restaurant. No stuffiness, just an unforgettable meal with industry leaders.

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Peer Groups

Leadership can be lonely. Automatic’s Peer Groups match Premium Members in a private setting to share insights that lead to personal and professional growth. Moderated by a professional, these hand-selected groups go through a series of fun questions and dialogue that build relationships in a way that makes it Automatic’s most popular program.

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City Summits

Platinum Members have access to the more intimate City Summits, where a handpicked group of 20-30 retailers, restaurateurs, and investors tour projects and share an idea dinner in growth markets like Austin, Nashville, and Charleston.

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Member Liason

Platinum Members have access to a dedicated Automatic Member Liaison, who provides curated introductions, first-party data, and insider insights.

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When streets come to life, properties thrive. Automatic brings together those that make it happen. If this resonates with you, inquire about eligibility.

© 2026 Automatic. All Rights Reserved
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