Learn everything you could possibly want to know about the best and biggest real estate industry events that take place year-round.
From the National Association of Realtors Conference & Expo to Inman Connect, there are many great real estate conferences that transpire each year. Knowing what to expect when heading to each conference, like which sessions and workshops to attend and how to network with fellow industry pros while there, is essential for attendees. Those who don’t head to these conferences routinely will especially want to keep up-to-date with what each event entails to help them decide which are worth registering for.
That’s why we’ve created this page: to help agents, brokers, executives, and other industry pros understand everything that happens at these esteemed real estate conferences, figure out how they can plan their trips around these events, and, ultimately, provide them with all other vital information that can ensure they make the most out of their time professionally (learning from and networking with bright real estate minds) and personally (enjoying the sights and sounds of major metropolitans) while there.
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Become familiar with the best conferences.
Want to learn about some of the essential industry events? Well, here you go: short-and-sweet descriptions of the nation’s best regularly held real estate conferences.
National Association of Realtors Conference & Expo
Arguably the biggest annually held real estate conference, NAR Annual is attended each year by thousands of the organization’s members who travel from all over the U.S. to hear from renowned industry names, network with fellow peers, learn about tech and brands disrupting the sector, and improve their real estate marketing and sales practices. Add in some charitable endeavors (like working with Habitats for Humanity), some recreational activities (like golf), and lots of sponsored parties (like … well, there’s too many to count), and you’ve got one premier real estate agent conference.
National Association of Realtors Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo
On top of hosting the most revered real estate industry conference of the year, NAR also conducts this midyear event held each year in the nation’s capital — one that’s geared more toward executives at agencies, brokerages, and associations across the U.S. The primary focus of the high-level gathering is to keep abreast of the latest and most pressing legal issues facing the real estate sector, though the expo is similar to that of NAR Annual in that brands of all kinds related to real estate can share info about their businesses and organizations.
Inman Connect San Francisco
Inman News is widely known as the leader in real estate business news reporting, but with its Inman Connect real estate network events now in their third decade of existence, the publication continues to receive more praise for throwing one of the best get-togethers in the industry. This particular iteration takes place annually in the Golden Gate City and generates plenty of opportunities for agents, brokers, lenders, techies, and likeminded pros to mix and mingle. Keynotes come from a wide range of business minds, and new and old devices and solutions are presented on the exhibition floor.
Inman Connect New York
On the East Coast, the fun continues with Inman’s wintertime version in the Big Apple. The differences between ICSF and ICSF are minimal, save for the location. Practitioners, execs, and other well-known figures in the real estate sphere speak at this conference. Past orators to dispense their real estate intel and business savvy on the big stage include The Corcoran Group’s Barbara Corcoran, Zillow COO Amy Bohutinksy, The Malibu Life’s Madison Hildebrand, and News Corp’s Rupert Murdoch. Each year, the conference grows a bit larger and the experience becomes a bit grander.
Keller Williams Mega Camp
It should come as no surprise the largest real estate franchise in America hosts one of the most renowned real estate conferences around. Keller Williams agents are in for a treat at this event. Mega Agent Camp, hosted by KW Founder Gary Keller, aims to help the brand’s agents become top producers and build upon their success. Meanwhile, the Leadership and Technology Camps help agency-runners better operate their firms and agents at-large become better equipped to leverage the latest technologies for their businesses (see: digital real estate marketing. In short, this event is can’t-miss.
RE/MAX R4 Convention
RE/MAX agents and brokers not only get advice from veteran pros and hear from some of the industry’s best and brightest at this esteemed event, but they also get some entertainment as well. While the principal focus is to celebrate the achievements of RE/MAXers from far and wide and teach them how to augment their daily business practices and long-term marketing and sales tactics, it’s also a get-together to network, relax, and celebrate. When you’re able to get expert insights from likeminded pros and then hear from the likes Peyton Manning and Aerosmith, you’re living the life.
RE/MAX Recharge
The Integra franchisor is RE/MAX’s largest, with roughly 30% of the brand’s agents and brokers working under its umbrella. One of the chief perks of working as an Integra agent? The opportunity to routinely attend the firm’s numerous mini-conferences held year-round nationwide. Spotlight sessions at Recharge cover tips and tricks for bolstering bottom lines, while breakout sessions at the event hone in on how to incorporate modern techniques and technologies into one’s real estate agent marketing strategy. And of course, there’s plenty of chances to schmooze with fellow Integra pros.
Coldwell Banker Generation Blue
Touted as “much more than a conference,” Gen Blue brings together Coldwell Banker’s vast number of agents and brokers from its 3,000 offices worldwide for a variety of unique festivities, workshops, and networking events. Each iteration of the venerated real estate industry conference is more ambitious than it’s predecessor. From its initial meet-and-greet period for CB members, tp the in-depth sessions on subjects like improving listing promotion and better goal-planning, to the closing night party, Gen Blue is as legit a conference as they come.
Century 21 Global Conference
You might think it’s pretty difficult to garner a significant amount of real estate marketing and sales knowledge over the course of just a few days among peers, but each year, Century 21 crams in a full slate of inviting and engaging sessions featuring dozens of super-smart industry pros and an in-depth keynote covering the state of the franchise and real estate at-large. The C21 Global Conference awards gala also recognizes the best in show(ings) across the company, while the expo brings about new ideas and industries to the forefront for the brand’s agents and brokers.
Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Revolution
Whether they’re looking for new sales techniques, support systems for the back office, or team-building inspiration, BHHS agents will find what they need at the franchise’s beloved Revolution conference. The brand prides itself for being part of the new guard in real estate — in other words, for adopting modern marketing and sales tactics. That mindset is omnipresent at Revolution, where BHHS’s agents and brokers can master everything from their digital presence and lead nurturing to working with third-party vendors and structuring their teams.
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Fusion
Held every other year, Fusion brings together BH&GRE’s affiliates to get brand updates, education on burgeoning real estate marketing trends, manager training programs, and much more, all of which comes straight from those BH&GREers with lots of experience (not to mention sales). The company also throw quite the post-conference party, giving the brand’s members all the more reason to attend. If this mega event isn’t enough to satisfy the firm’s agents, they can also attend the franchise’s Grow Your Business workshop, Owners’ Retreat, and Top Agents Retreat.
ERA International Business Conference
Offer training programs, provide the necessary tools for success, and educate members: The folks at ERA do this well, including and especially at its annual distinguished real estate industry conference. The International Business Conference features speakers from all walks of real estate, including the mortgage and construction fields, along with highly revered agents and execs who bestow their knowledge on ERA members from all over. Whether they want advice on scaling teams or insights into what inbound tactics to try next, ERA agents and brokers will come away from IBC smarter.
Swanepoel T3 Summit
A number of non-franchise entities under the wide-ranging real estate umbrella also host widely attended and acclaimed events, including the Swanepoel T3 Group, which conducts its absorbing T3 Summit each year. This get-together is primarily focused on discussions surrounding the real estate sector’s most prominent issues and challenges. The consulting firm’s conference is a tough ticket to get, as only a select few hundred thought leaders in the industry are invited to attend. Nonetheless, lots of interesting conversations and debates take place at the Summit annually.
Council of Residential Specialists Sell-a-bration
Held only for those Realtors with the CRS designation (which denotes a high level of agent training and education) and those aspiring to earn it, the Sell-a-bration real estate conference is an annually hosted, two-day event filled with a bevy of intriguing content, useful solutions for first-time and experienced agents, and more than a dozen speakers with unique perspectives within the real estate field. The administrators behind CRS even offer pre-conference workshops aimed to enhance agents’ abilities to win over and work with home buyer and seller clients.
Real Estate Success Rocks
Real estate is one of the more unique industries given the amount of camaraderie among agents nationwide. Supporting one another to reach higher levels with their real estate marketing and sales efforts is not uncommon among the many pockets of pros across the country. Real Estate Success Rocks epitomizes this “let’s-win-together” mentality, as it’s a prime showcase for agents, brokers, and others within the sector to share their tips and tricks on how to thrive in the business. This is the ideal conference for any agents looking to swap success stories and learn new tactics and techniques.
Xplode Conference
Those who attend Xplode Conferences (of which numerous are held metros nationwide) ought to get their appropriate caffeine fix prior to the start of the full-day session, as they supply a substantial amount of distinct tech and digital marketing info and insights pros can take home and immediately apply to their businesses. Techies from software firms and startups throughout the U.S. issue their takes on how agents and brokers can implement new systems into their regular real estate marketing efforts, while industry pros who’ve already done so share their stories and suggestions.
REBarCamps
The REBarCamp real estate conference series is another that features stops at cities throughout the country and comprises of a wide array of agents based on backgrounds, experience levels, niches, and other unique characteristics. This speaker and attendee variety leads to different dialogue with each iteration. The great thing about REBarCamps is anyone (well, anyone with enough energy and determination) can start their own local edition. Given there are REBarCamps that take place everywhere from San Francisco and Hawaii to Austin and Tahoe, chances are there’s one nearby you can attend.
Hear it Direct
Sure, you can use online survey tools, email questionnaires, and other digital methods to garner feedback from your audience to improve your business — but sometimes, it’s best to hear their thoughts in person. Hear it Direct offers just that: the opportunity to speak with home buyers and sellers from all over express their pain points and preferences when it comes to purchasing and listing properties and working with agents and brokers. Putting all of their cards on the table allows industry pros and consumers to get a greater understanding of one another in a truly unique arena.
Tom Ferry Success Summit
In all fairness to Ferry and Co., this is just one of many amazing conferences he holds — this just happens to be the biggest. The Success Summit takes place in multiple cities across America and has a simple focus: help agents and brokers augment their existing marketing and sales strategies. Ferry’s other applauded events — Elevate, Blueprint, Sales Edge, Skills Camp, and Leadership Summit — offer different brands of advice for pros based on different career stages and positions held. Simply put, Ferry’s a busy guy on the real estate conference circuit.
Luxury Real Estate Fall/Spring Conference
The high-end market may differ drastically from the average housing sector, but that doesn’t mean luxury agents and brokers don’t need ongoing training and education to stay atop their respective games. The spring and fall iterations of this real estate industry conference from Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate, “a compendium of the finest residential real estate firms from around the world,” helps pros who work with wealthy buyers and sellers enhance their brands through distinct promotional and sales activities geared toward affluent consumers.
Inman Luxury Connect
Just when you thought we were done with Inman News, eh? This real estate industry conference is the publication’s version aimed squarely at the nation’s luxury pros — more specifically, about 100 of the cream-of-the-crop, high-end agents and brokers who have made names for themselves in the sphere. “Swanky” is one word to describe the event, but so too are “informative” and “enlightening.” Those lucky enough to get an invite to the upscale event hear how those who have also made careers out of working in the upper-priced homes-for-sale market climbed to the top.
Leaders in Luxury
Run by the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing, an organization that aids upper-tier agents and brokers serve upper-tier buyers and sellers through specialized marketing tactics, Leaders in Luxury doesn’t shy away from its focus: “Discover more about the inner world of the über rich and those who serve them.” In short, it’s a rare opportunity to hobnob with the industry’s elite in a tranquil environment (see: this year’s location). However, the conference also seems like the perfect time and place for high-end agents and brokers to develop even more profitable relationships.
RISMedia Power Broker Forum
Another niche audience deserving of its own real estate conferences is that of the broker who oversees large teams and, thus, has a lot of responsibility on their plate. This event takes place within NAR Annual, acting as a super-session geared toward the broker who manages dozens (and even hundreds) of agents at their firms and, in all likelihood, could use some advice here and there on how to keep their staffs motivated, what services and solutions to provide their teams, and any other back-office and consumer-facing tasks they need to handle on a regular basis.
Leading Real Estate Companies of the World Conference Week
When your real estate conference has more than 2,000 attendees from 20 different countries, you’re doing something to truly benefit industry pros. Sales managers, relocation specialists, veteran brokers, and a host of others make it to this popular gathering to explore factors affecting the global market and economy and celebrate those who have made a mark with their sales records, innovative marketing campaigns, and business practices. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and social scientist/author Eric Klinenberg are just two of the many notable past speakers.
Hawai’i Life Worthshop Conferences
Each edition of this tropical real estate industry conference has a different theme that, while it may not be atop most agents’ and brokers’ minds on a daily basis, are still important to their long-term success. The next Worthshop’s theme is “Stand,” an attempt to help attendees discern where it is they excel professionally and how they can grow even more in their careers — or as the Hawai’i Life team puts it, “an exploration into values, agency, and production.” The high-level convos held regularly at the event are sure to inspire plenty of ideas that can transform agents’ businesses.
AE Institute Conference
We certainly can’t leave out events aimed at serving the professional needs of Realtor association executives off this list! This one from the AE Institute is all about offering professional development and growth advice to those working at local and state associations across the U.S. While the main focus is intended to help those running these associations, there are numerous sessions for just about everyone who works at them as well, meaning execs can (and should) bring their employees to the conference as well for a unique learning experience.
REAL Trends Gathering of Eagles
Billed as the “industry’s most informative gathering for operating executives,” the Gathering of Eagles offers real estate’s top business minds — those featured in the REAL Trends 500, more specifically — an event to network and share brand updates. From modern recruiting methods and retainment strategies, to a wealth of marketing-oriented sessions and tech demos, the GoE is the premier event for the industry’s esteemed, top-producing brands who want to take their companies to the next level and get inspiration for their marketing and sales plans.
Know the people behind the conferences.
Discover the names, faces, and backgrounds of the numerous industry members who help orchestrate many of the U.S.’s premier real estate conferences.
Brad Inman
For more than 30 years, Inman has dedicated his life to building a comprehensive, trustworthy, reliable resource for the real estate community — and he’s certainly succeeded in doing so. Inman News is the preeminent news and information source that covers nearly every facet of the real estate industry. Now with two different versions of his popular Inman Connect event taking place annually that feature real estate celebs, burgeoning brands and entrepreneurs, marketing specialists, and a host of other interesting industry folks, agents and brokers have yet another avenue to keep up with what’s going on with agencies, portals, MLSs, and other personalities and brands nationwide.
Chris Heller
Having started out in the real estate business at age 20, Heller has come a long, long way in the decades since, selling more and more homes each year (more than 100 annually and 3,000 total — and counting) and growing into his roles as CEO of the largest real estate franchise in the U.S. and president of Keller Williams Worldwide. In addition to his stellar sales record and his work in developing the first KW regions outside of the country, Heller has become one of the key faces and personalities of the company due to his strong leadership and willingness to help his fellow agents, including through the brand’s entertaining and educational Mega Camp and Family Reunion real estate conferences.
Dave Liniger
If you asked him how successful his real estate business would actually turn out to be right after he founded RE/MAX in 1973 with his wife, Gail, Dave Liniger might’ve thought you were crazy. Fast-forward to today, and RE/MAX has a real estate network of agents and brokers that rivals all other major franchises worldwide. When he’s not pushing for housing reforms that help both industry pros and consumers and endeavoring in philanthropic efforts, Liniger is working hard to keep the RE/MAX brand moving forward and ensuring its R4 real estate convention and other events continue to spread awareness of the franchise and informs its members on vital business best practices.
Sherry Chris
You’re unlikely to find a more equally charismatic, intelligent, and personable personality in the biz than Chris. Aside from occasionally emceeing the Inman conferences and consistently growing her real estate network through other undertakings, the Canadian-born Chris focuses her energies on enhancing the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate brand through its Fusion conference and other real estate conventions and events and assisting the franchise’s agents with their marketing, sales, and tech needs. To put it bluntly, there are many reasons Chris has been highlighted in the likes of the New York Times and honored for her work in the real estate business by Inman News and other entities.
Rick Davidson
Managing roughly 7,000 agent and broker teams with a grand total of 100,000-plus industry professionals is no easy task, but that’s exactly what Century 21 President and CEO Rick Davidson does with seeming simplicity. From 2011-13, Davidson was named to Inman News’ illustrious 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders list, not to mention the Swanepoel Power 200 list in 2013 and 2014, both of which comprise of some pretty impressive names in the field. In his spare time — you know, when he’s not growing C21 into an even bigger real estate behemoth and inspiring his brand’s many agents — Davidson can be found working closely with Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the Boy Scouts of America.
Gino Blefari
Blefari made the transition from one successful real estate conglomerate in Intero Real Estate Services to another in Berkshire Hathaway’s HSF Affiliates, LLC division, which, in part, oversees BH HomeServices, at which he took over the reigns at the start of 2015. Regardless of the real estate job he’s held, Blefari has made an impact, as evidenced by the accolades he’s received throughout his career, including awards from The Buffini Company for his mentorship efforts and Mike Ferry Organization for his leadership in the field. Teaching, advising, and training appear to be in Blefari’s blood, and it’s these characteristics that have already reaped benefits for BHHS and its agent teams.
Charlie Young
Young has dipped his feet in both the mortgage origination and sales sides of the real estate industry, with the latter leading to his current role as CEO of ERA Real Estate, a position he’s held since 2009 after a five-year stint with Coldwell Banker. One of Young’s prime initiative’s since taking on his role at ERA was to lead the charge regarding the real estate business’s re-branding efforts, and it’s evident his involvement has led to great progress for the renowned real estate brand. In addition to focusing on the franchise’s growth opportunities moving forward, Young takes the time to stay current on the latest marketing, sales, and tech trends that disrupt and alter the industry at-large.
Budge Huskey
Running a firm as large as Coldwell Banker takes dedication, attention to detail, and passion — each of which Huskey clearly has. Since 2013, he’s served as president and CEO of the substantial real estate brand, heading up day-to-day operations of the franchise and aiding its more than 80,000 agents with their business practices and training, including at the company’s Gen Blue real estate convention. One job that prepared Huskey for his roles at Coldwell Banker was his work as an executive for NRT, one of the most prosperous real estate brokerages nationwide. He’s also no stranger to NAR, as he has worked closely with the organization, including as president of the Orlando Association of Realtors.
Stefan Swanepoel
Being named to a list that denotes you’re one of the most influential people in your particular field is a great honor. What’s arguably better than that is being the person the list is named after. Swanepoel has been a name to know in real estate for quite some time, due to his roughly 13-year career at companies like Coldwell Banker, Realogy, ERA, and RealtyU Group, where he served in high-level roles. What helped him become an influencer in his own right, however, was the formation of the Swanepoel T3 Group, which provides tech and consulting services for agents and brokers. He’s also authored more than 20 books and regularly speaks at real estate conferences and events year-round.
Patrick Lilly
More than $1 billion in sales in Manhattan and Brooklyn over the course of three decades: That’s just part of the resume for Patrick Lilly, the man behind an up-and-coming real estate conference, Real Estate Success Rocks. The group Lilly created that runs RESR, Real Estate Vision, offers an avenue for business networking opportunities for North America’s top-producing agents and brokers. Though he chiefly helps real estate pros move up in their careers and better their sales pitches, marketing plans, and business activities, Lilly is also a certified life coach — certification that has led him to speak at not just real estate conventions, but also seminars for those seeking to improve themselves personally.
Sue Adler
It’s tough enough to become a successful real estate agent in one market. To do it twice is … well, most agents probably get a headache just thinking about accomplishing such a feat. For Adler, it was just another challenge. The Sue Adler Team in New Jersey has been the best-run Keller Williams firm in the state for a decade, and Adler and Co. show no signs of slowing down. The veteran has been recognized by the likes of Inman News, Women’s Council of Realtors, and REAL Trends for her high-quality work, rapid agency development, and continually high sales total in her market. Co-founding the popular Hear it Direct real estate conference was just another feather in Adler’s cap.
Tom Ferry
To master real estate agent marketing, you need to have the right online tools, resources, and tactics in place. There are few better to teach industry pros how establish their digital presence than Tom Ferry, who has carved a niche for himself as the go-to real estate coach/educator. Ferry’s been in the biz for nearly three decades, a span during which he and his team of dozens of real estate coaches have successfully guided countless newcomers to become top producers and he wrote a New York Times best-selling book, Life! By Design. The aforementioned Swanepoel POWER 200 list routinely features Ferry right at the top, and it appears his standing won’t diminish anytime soon.
Laurie Moore-Moore
Agent, author, executive, founders — these are the titles Moore-Moore has had over the course of her 40-plus years in the real estate business. It’s that last designation that most accurately describes her role today, as she created the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing and REAL Trends, the former of which produces the Leaders in Luxury real estate conference. When she’s not putting together lavish real estate conventions for pros serving the high-end market, Moore-Moore provides insights to the top luxury agents and brokers via the written word: Her book, Rich Buyer, Rich Seller!, is widely known as the quintessential guidebook for those luxury specialists.
John Featherston
RISMedia has been one of the premier real estate publications agents, brokers, executives, association members, and other industry professionals, and one of the people at the helm of the print and digital magazine is John Featherston, the company’s founder and CEO. Featherston recognized the need for such a real estate resource back in 1980 that would both educate agents on the latest trade news and updates and supply them counsel and guidance for their everyday business needs. Today, RISMedia remains one of the foremost industry publications that has smoothly transitioned from primarily producing offline media to offering a bounty of online tools, newsletters, and forums for agents.
See what it’s like to attend these conferences.
Get glimpses of the countless interesting sessions, workshops, and other interesting happenings from previously hosted real estate industry conferences.
NAR Annual 2013
NAR Annual 2014
KW Mega Camp 2014
ICSF 2013
CB Generation Blue 2014
RE/MAX R4 2015
BH&GRE Fusion 2011
Tom Ferry Success Summit
T3 Summit 2014
Inman Luxury Connect 2014
Xplode Conference
Get the most from your conference experience.
Heading to a real estate conference soon? Here are some expert tips, tricks, and tactics to help you maximize your time at the industry event.
Choose the most pertinent and interesting sessions
Practically all real estate industry conferences you attend will have a plethora of informative sessions, workshops, and discussions to choose from. Oftentimes, though, these meetings and get-togethers within the conference overlap time-wise, so selecting the best ones to go to can be difficult. Your best bet for finding the optimal sessions is to head to the website of the conference in question before it begins to figure out which ones are most worth your time (in other words, which topics and speakers interest you the most) and which you can afford to skip (sessions that won’t help your business or provide worthwhile insights).
Schedule your travel and hotel accommodations early
Arguably the worst thing that can happen to you prior to a real estate conference you plan to attend is you buy your ticket and register for the convention then find out all flights to the host city and/or hotel rooms in the location are booked. So, before clicking “purchase” on a conference ticket, ensure you can find a timely, affordable flight or rental car that can get you there along with (relatively) inexpensive accommodations near the headquarters for the event in question. Trust us: If you handle these tasks months before the event, you’ll thank yourself (and avoid an unnecessary migraine).
Pack accordingly for the conference city’s weather
Sure, it ought to go without saying that if you’re headed to a real estate industry conference in New York or Detroit during winter, you should pack some heavy sweaters and snow shoes. Same for summer conventions in Miami and Los Angeles: Pack and dress light. And yet, some pros who venture to these events regularly forget all about weather and climate when loading up their suitcases. Take time to research the forecasted temperatures and conditions in any city you travel to for an industry event so you can plan your dress wear accordingly and avoid having to don any unfortunate outfits that leave you frigid or burning up while networking.
Research tourist activities for your conference off-time
While you’ll undoubtedly spend the bulk of your day(s) at real estate conferences chatting with other pros and sitting in on edifying sessions, there will also be time for you to enjoy your free time in whichever and indulge in some local, tourist-y endeavors. Find out what museums the conference city is known for, what landmarks and historical sites are considered must-see, and any entertainment venues and festivities are happening around town prior to setting foot in the area by Googling the metro. Then, find out when you’ll have spare time before, during, and after the convention so you can take in all the city has to offer.
Follow conference activity via hashtags, apps, etc.
Inman Connect has its #ICNY and #ICSF hashtags for its renowned real estate conferences, while NAR Annual uses the appropriate #NARAnnual hashtag and even has an app to help attendees navigate the large-scale convention. Any industry event you attend will have some means of digital messaging and resources to assist you in finding the best sessions to go to, where each room within the venue is, local restaurants at which you can grab a bite, and other important info. Take advantage of these offerings so you can stay on top of trending topics, updated workshop times, and other random details that emerge mid-conference.
Bring your chargers and find outlet locations!
Picture this: You’re in the middle of a session at an amazing conference with hundreds of other industry pros, getting tons of fantastic insights you’re recording on your phone and/or laptop. And then … the power for both dies. Now what? With the wide array of options you have to ensure this doesn’t happen to you, including mobile chargers and myriad outlets provided at the venues hosting these events, it’s vital to take action before the conference begins. Mobile chargers can be purchased for around $20 online. As a backup plan, it’s also ideal to pinpoint prime areas of the conference where you can juice up your devices’ battery life if needed.
Be social! Chat with your peers and network
The prospect of business networking at real estate conferences can be difficult for some, but there are some expert networking tips and tricks. Here’s one: Make small talk while waiting for sessions to begin with those sitting near you. They, too, (seemingly) want to get advice and insights on the topic at hand, so break the ice with a convo-starter about the subject. Even before the event begins, find attendees through the conference’s website or social media presence whom you’d like to speak with. Chances are, you’ll find some others who interest you for one reason or another (e.g. fellow agents in your market, experts in a niche topic).
Take lots of detailed notes during each session
Whether it’s via your laptop, smartphone, tablet, or a simple pen and pad, taking notes on the workshops and “how-to” sessions at business conferences is a must. Sure, the speaker or event-runners may provide some print or digital collateral that covers the focus of a given talk, but think of all you can do with detailed notes from a seminar: You can share quotes from speakers via social media, turn their discussion points into a recap blog post, develop an infographic featuring their insights, and conduct a number of other interesting real estate marketing activities that draw attention to your brand long after conference ends.
Share conference thoughts in real time on social
Another way to take advantage of all of the eye-opening knowledge relayed to you through business conference forums and roundtable discussions is to leverage it on social media as it happens. While the scale and scope of a conference dictates the volume of its social “chatter,” the odds are if you’re attending one of the previously listed events, there are lots and lots of industry folks following related hashtags and social updates regarding the goings-on there. So, be part of that conversation and share tidbits like images, video, and quotes in real time to get some traffic to and engagement on your social media accounts.
Blog about everything you learned at the conference
As noted, if you’re not turning your time at a real estate conference into content that can enhance brand awareness and earn you website traffic, social media followers, and email subscribers, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity. It all starts with content creation: Plan out your editorial calendar following a conference with articles, ebooks, and/or other in-depth content that expands upon the topics explored at the event. Even when a conference ends, the online discussion around it typically continues — that’s your chance to rank high in search engine results pages for the conference and get more site visitors and, in turn, leads.
