Panther Den 2026 Meet the Experts Night: Turning Ideas into Real-World Solutions
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
On February 19, the 2026 Panther Den Urban Design Competition continued with Meet the Experts Night at University of Texas at Arlington – Fort Worth Campus. Sponsored by The Rios Group, the evening gave Panther Den teams a critical opportunity to pressure-test their early ideas and sharpen their concepts before competition day.
Hosted by the Young Leaders of the Real Estate Council of Greater Fort Worth, this session is a cornerstone of the Panther Den experience—bridging big ideas with real-world expertise.
What Is the Panther Den ‘Meet the Experts’ Night?
Meet the Experts Night is designed to mirror the real development process. Panther Den teams present their initial development concepts and receive direct, candid feedback from seasoned professionals across the commercial real estate and urban development spectrum.
Rather than formal presentations, the evening is highly interactive. Teams rotate through conversations with experts, asking questions, refining assumptions and stress-testing ideas related to feasibility, sustainability, design, transit and market viability.
Meet the Experts Night is often where Panther Den ideas begin to truly take shape. Teams leave with clearer direction, stronger assumptions and a better understanding of how transit-oriented development concepts translate from vision to reality.
Just as importantly, participants gain access to professionals they might not otherwise engage with—building relationships and learning directly from those shaping Fort Worth’s built environment.
See Photos from the Meet the Experts Night
📷 Photography courtesy of Sotos Fotos
Thank You to Our Sponsors
A big thank you to Trinity Metro, our Panther Den Title Sponsor, The Rios Group, our Meet the Experts Night Sponsor, and all of our 2026 Panther Den sponsors for supporting this program and investing in the next generation of commercial real estate leaders.
What’s Next: Competition & Presentations on March 5
With expert feedback in hand, Panther Den teams now move into final preparation mode ahead of Competition Day and Presentations:
📅 March 5 | 5:00 PM – Final Presentations
📍 Southside Preservation Hall
The evening presentations are open to the public and offer a chance to see how young professionals are thinking about the future of transit-oriented development in Fort Worth.
👉 Registration is open, and we encourage members, sponsors and the broader CRE community to attend and support this year’s teams.
