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15 Tips for Getting Your Money's Worth at Real Estate Conferences
There are a lot of real estate industry conferences coming up, and they are a great opportunity for agents, brokers, and the staff at franchises, MLSs, and associations to network, learn, and let off a little steam. Most pros agree that there's just something about being in a room full of people who just get what you do — the energy is palpable and exhilarating, and once people find their favorite conferences, they return year after year! In this post, we're sharing 15 tips on how to make the most of these real estate conferences, seminars, and trade shows and make sure you get your money's worth. Why should real estate professionals attend industry events? One major reason to attend industry events is — they're fun! Organizers usually choose fun locations you might not otherwise have a chance to visit where the weather is warm and the sun is shining. But beyond just being fun, industry events are a great opportunity to up your game and become a better professional. How? How real estate conferences help you be better You can forge stronger relationships. Real estate is a relationship-driven business. What better way to forge new relationships and strengthen old ones than at a real estate industry event? You can see former colleagues, find a new mentor, and even rub elbows with industry legends! You can learn new things. With so many real estate industry experts in one place giving talks, teaching workshops, sharing their insights, and revealing the tricks of their trade, you are bound to learn something new. Have you wanted to break into luxury real estate? Relocation? Rentals? Or any other niche you've always wanted to know about? Industry events are great places to learn from the pros. Both independent and franchise broker/owners can learn how to optimize their operations and manage their teams better, and MLSs/associations can learn more about what their members really need (and what other MLSs are doing). You can stay up to date on the latest real estate tech developments. Our industry is evolving at the speed of light, and so is the technology that powers it. Attending industry events lets you hear right from the innovators making the technology about the challenges they're solving, their product roadmaps, and how developments like artificial intelligence (AI) are changing what they do. Oh, and did we mention that the cost of attending real estate conferences is tax deductible? How can real estate professionals best prepare for industry events? All pros know that preparation is the key to success. You wouldn't try to sell someone's home without adequately preparing every detail of the listing, and you shouldn't show up at a real estate conference without doing some preparatory work ahead of time. Here are a few tips on how to prepare for a real estate event: Review the agenda, sessions, and any "extra curriculars" in advance Truth be told, once the event starts, you won't have time to read every session description, pick which ones you want to attend, plan your lunch hour, or know which night the most exciting mixer is on. Take time before you get there to check the schedule, plan out where you want to go and what you want to learn, and how you'll spend your evenings. You'll be glad when you don't accidentally double-book yourself! Check the attendee list and set up meetings with people you'd really like to meet Will your former mentor be attending? What about your best work friend from your very first real estate job? Or a content creator or blogger whose advice you really admire? If you see they are attending and want to meet up, connect with them well in advance. Their schedule, like yours, will fill up quickly, and you won't want to miss the opportunity to keep your best relationships strong and make your new ones stronger. Plan on attending at least one networking event and one extra-curricular event Real estate seminars and conventions would not be the same were it not for the networking. Make time to meet new people (both during and outside of the main event) by attending at least one networking event and one "extra" event, which could be a company cocktail party, special happy hour, or offsite dinner. Make sure you've got plenty of business cards (or a snazzy digital business card) with you We've all been there: you're unpacking your suitcase at the hotel and find out you forgot your business cards, brought the wrong box, or thought you had 500 but only have five. Have extras printed well in advance of the event or consider switching to a near-field communication (NFC) digital business card that lets you share your contact information and social profiles by simply tapping it to someone's phone. They are a game changer! Walk through the venue once when you arrive to get your bearings Some conference venues (we're looking at you, Las Vegas!) are built like mazes, so it can be a huge help to take a walk around before you have to be anywhere so you can locate where the conference rooms, session rooms, exhibit hall, coffee stations, restrooms, and any other important locations are, so that once the event really starts, you don't wind up getting lost. While you're there: getting the most out of real estate conventions You've planned, you've prepared, and now… you're there! What's the secret to getting the most out of industry events so you can say it was worth the trip? Here are some tips: Take advantage of the moment Carpe diem, seize the day, smell the roses… however you want to call it. Most industry events are short-lived. In a couple days, you'll be back to business as usual. So, take advantage! Say yes to the opportunities that come your way, speak up when you have something to say, ask that engaging presenter your burning question, and invite that nervous-looking person at the water cooler into your conversation. You'll want to return home knowing you did everything you wanted, not wishing you had done more. That said… Pace yourself Don't spread yourself too thin! You don't have to do everything. Make sure you take a little time for yourself, so you can recharge your batteries. Skip a session and go for a walk outside, meditate in your room, or take a morning jog. Some events even have morning yoga to help you start your day off on the right foot. If you're rested and relaxed, you'll enjoy the event that much more. Peruse the exhibit hall at least once Sure, exhibitors are there to sell you stuff. But they're also there to help you solve your biggest challenges and provide useful tools that let you work smarter, not harder. They're usually great conversationalists and they tend to have great (free!) swag for you to take home with you. So, go check out that CRM, that digital marketing suite, that relocation platform, and ask questions to your heart's content. You might be surprised by what you learn! Attend at least one "weird" session Maybe you have no interest in artificial intelligence, listing data refresh rates, agent recruitment and retention, or social media strategy. But finding a session that's outside of your normal market, niche, or area of expertise gives you a valuable opportunity to learn something completely new and meet people you otherwise might not have met. Sometimes, you find gems in unexpected places. Seize at least one networking opportunity per day Chatting over a croissant, inviting yourself to lunch, attending a happy hour or speed networking session, grabbing coffee in the exhibit hall… you never know where you'll meet someone who can help you out or teach you something new. Engage on social media Even if you don't usually "do" social media, sharing about what you've learned, whom you've met, and how you're feeling is a great way to connect with other attendees, the conference organizer, sponsors, and all of your colleagues around the country who couldn't make it. You can build strong relationships, both in person and virtually, and demonstrate that you care about networking, continuing education, and being an active participant in the industry. Leveraging industry events after you've returned home Even after you've said your goodbyes and made your way back home, much of the work you can do to get an even better return out of your real estate conference investment has only just begun. Here are three ways to keep the momentum going and leverage your attendance even more: Follow up with the people you met If you did your conference right, you definitely met a ton of people! Don't lose touch: add them on social media, especially LinkedIn, and send them a warm message about how great it was to meet them. Offer to help them if they need anything, and hopefully they'll reciprocate. Write a short blog about the event for your website Blogging is a great way to grow your real estate business, whether you're a broker/owner, agent, or MLS/association staff. Blogs drive organic traffic to your website and give you the opportunity to showcase your expertise and share everything you learned. Consumers will be glad to know you're staying up on industry trends. MLS members will be happy that their MLS is making continuing education a priority. Put what you learned into practice Maybe most importantly of all, apply what you learned! You probably attended at least one session about streamlining your brokerage, selling houses smarter, reducing operating costs, mastering social media, using AI to write listing descriptions, or future-proofing your business. Implementing these insights will be the best way to reap long-term benefits from attending your conference, benefits that you'll feel for years to come. To view the original article, visit the Constellation1

Compelling Content Is Relevant and Sticky
Last week, I spoke at three different conferences, all three in Florida. It was fascinating to participate in these three gatherings and observe how the conference organizers shaped and delivered content. The Realm Global Collective was held in Miami, May 1 to May 4. Realm consists of 575 top-performing real estate professionals from more than 130 brands and 17 countries — a diversified and talented group of peak performers. The theme of the conference was "Where Leaders Come to Learn." The Realm team delivered. I was hired to articulate the future of real estate. The Realm participants enjoyed 75 minutes of a fast-paced conversation between me and Julie Faupel, Realm Founder and CEO. Our conversation touched on all the topics in the word collage below. The Q&A session was active with very specific questions from the audience. The Realm Global Collective may have been the most compelling conference focused on real estate professionals that I have attended in more than a decade. The conference kicked off daily at 8:30 a.m. and concluded around 4 p.m. When was the last conference you attended in which the first and last sessions of the day were packed? These early and late sessions were full and the real estate professionals were attentive and engaged. This is a direct result of the relevancy of the content delivered. The Realm team delivered exceptional value to the attendees. One interesting conversation I participated in happened over coffee with a few real estate professionals in the hotel lobby the morning after the closing gala. The commentary went something like this: That was an amazing conference. Content was current, relevant, and compelling. My real estate company's conferences are nowhere near as compelling. In fact, I only attend to participate in the off-site events and independent gatherings of top performers. This was a stunning conversation and a serious reminder that content is king. When you ask for someone's time (and money), make sure you deliver content that is compelling and relevant. BRAVO, Realm! This is Where We Are Now! Mark McLaughlin serves as CEO of McLaughlin Ventures and M&A Advisory at WAV Group. To view the original article, visit the McLaughlin Ventures

NAR Announces 12 Tech Startups for Pitch Battle Competition at iOi Summit
The National Association of Realtors has announced the 12 companies that will participate in the Innovation, Opportunity & Investment (iOi) Summit's "Pitch Battle" competition from September 28-29, in Los Angeles. "In today's real estate ecosystem, innovation is accelerating, opportunity is exploding, and investment is at a record high," said NAR CEO and SCV President Bob Goldberg. "At the iOi Summit, real estate professionals, investors and innovators gather to cultivate and champion the most impactful ideas that will disrupt the status quo and advance the industry. We are thrilled to have these companies showcase their innovations live on stage." NAR's venture capital arm, Second Century Ventures, will present the Pitch Battle competition. Each entrant will conduct a live, 4-minute pitch on their product or service, followed by a 4-minute rapid-fire question-and-answer session from a panel of judges. Contestants are tasked with making a compelling case about their new tech innovations or services that are intended to improve the real estate industry – including commercial, residential, or both. The Pitch Battle contestants are as follows: Agently: Brokerages spend $2 billion annually to recruit agents and compensate for turnover. Agently is on a mission to become a gateway into a real estate career to help agents kickstart their career by providing daily guidance and tools to real estate professionals. Agently stands apart from traditional coaching by using the latest technology and offering accessibility and result-driven action plans. Arx: Currently, a professional searching for investment and development opportunities must identify a property and then manually underwrite it to determine whether the property makes sense to target. This process happens on a property-by-property basis with in-house labor or external consultants. There's no way to know if the property is a slam dunk or not without underwriting it first. Arx automatically underwrites millions of properties in advance – allowing professionals to cut through the noise and focus on the properties that have the best potential. CubiCasa: With zero training required and a five-minute property scan from almost any phone, CubiCasa's computer vision technology produces a reliable and accurate floor plan and property data. CubiCasa is the fastest and most scalable floor planning solution for iOS and Android devices. With floor plans being one of the most desired features of a home listing, CubiCasa brings a home to life by providing a more visual look to potential buyers. Fractional: People want to co-own real estate with friends and other likeminded investors, but most step away feeling overwhelmed by the thought of the complicated legal processes and logistics to acquire and co-manage properties. Fractional, a social platform, allows anyone to easily co-invest in properties, share ideas and build a network. Fractional is becoming a leader in eliminating exclusivity for the average person in the real estate market. Inspectify: Inspectify connects real estate professionals and home buyers with qualified inspectors to provide reassurance their homes are safe. Inspectify takes the pain out of the inspection booking process by providing scheduling in minutes and direct communication using the latest technology. Inspectify was founded to create a better inspection experience and provide more value with the information collected. Pacaso: Pacaso was founded on the belief that we must improve second-home ownership for buyers and communities. Pacaso makes second-home ownership more accessible by lowering ownership cost and reducing hassle through a full-managed owner experience. With Pacaso, second-home buying is more affordable and efficient – a win for luxury home buyers. Prisidio: Prisidio was created to help individuals and families capture, manage and share their most important information. Prisidio provides a safe and protected cloud-based vault that's secured in one location, allowing users to share their valuable and important items with those they trust. It's simple, mobile and secure. With Prisidio, privacy and security are their highest priorities. RentBase: The RentBase mission is simple – to help residential real estate agents succeed in any economic environment. RentBase provide a holistic, single source of truth by providing agents with an interconnected bird's-eye view of their landlords, listings and leads. Agents can easily access all of their data and automatically qualify and match leads to listings. RentBase aims to maximize cashflow by leveraging technology to uncover new opportunities and drive regular cashflow. Residently: Residently is on a mission to make renting better than owning by solving its greatest flaw – the inability to plan ahead. Residently simplifies renting a home by building a world where renters can find their next home months in advance of a move, secure it and set it up – all within minutes. Renting a home should be as convenient and stress-free as possible for tenants and landlords. Revive: With Revive, homeowners can strategically repair and renovate their homes before selling and significantly increase their net gains. As a home renovation consultant, Revive assists homeowners with maximizing the value of their homes with no upfront costs. Revive's complete and streamlined renovation solution swiftly converts an "as-is" condition property into a "move-in ready" home. Stake: Stake builds renters' savings with no fees or debt accumulation and empowers today's owners to create financially safe and secure rental communities. Renters can earn cash back and build savings through financial tips and tools. Symba: Symba makes financial well-being easy for real estate agents, with the only platform in the industry that combines customer relationship management with embedded banking. Symba helps make life as a solo entrepreneur easier for agents by empowering them with the essential tools needed to take care of clients, manage deals and make intelligent financial decisions. The winner will be awarded $15,000, a booth at NAR's annual conference in November (NAR NXT) and will present the next Pitch Battle winner at iOi 2023. "In addition to the cash prize, the Pitch Battle winner receives national publicity as a company that will likely have a significant impact on the future of the real estate industry," said David Conroy, NAR's director of emerging technology. Learn more about the Pitch Battle and register to attend the iOi Summit at