Before this month officially draws to a close, I thought that I would spend a little time summarizing the relocation events and conferences that I attended and participated in during the first half of March. It was a lot of hard work, but so worth it!
Texas Relocation Network Conference
My month kicked off with a trip to Dallas for the Texas Relocation Network Conference. This was a great day-long event, attended by about 120 Texas relocation professionals. I think that the speakers and panelists at TRN were very positive with regards to the outlook for the Texas economy. One of the speaker was Tom Morgan, vice president of legal affairs for the Texas Association of Realtors. He spoke specifically about the Texas real estate market and the fact that the recovery is underway. From what I have seen since the beginning of the year in terms of more Houston relocations, I would certainly agree!
One of the other sessions that I really enjoyed was the one on social networking by Eric Bryn of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World. As a member of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, I have known Eric and heard him speak many times, and I never get tired of hearing about what’s new and what’s taboo from the expert.
Houston Relocation Professionals Event
Houston Mayor Annise Parker at Houston Relocation Professionals Event
Then I found myself back in Houston for a few days for a couple of relocation events. The first was the Houston Relocation Professionals March Event. The headline for the event was Houston Mayor, Annise Parker. I was very surprised to learn of her great sense of humor in addition to the plans she has for the city of Houston. She joked about being a public figure and being recognizable, and the challenges that poses on one’s everyday life. As for the city, she said that she is working hard on some long term issues affecting the serious infrastructure needs. For instance, she talked about the fact that we need to get a handle on our flooding and drainage issues.
Following Annise Parker, was none other than one of my favorite economists, Mike Inselmann, president of MetroStudy. His presentation really picked up where he left off when he visited John Daugherty, Realtors back in January. He said that the idea of a national housing market was “bogus” as far as he was concerned. He said, “There is no such thing as a national housing market.” Of course this is something that we have been reverberating here in Houston during the past 18 or so months. Real estate is a local market.
- Mike Inselmann, president of Metrostudies
Here are few of the highlights from Mike’s presentation:
Families In Global Transition Conference
I was very honored to be invited to be a co-presenter at the FIGTConference in Houston along with my good friend and relocation colleague Leslie Sjurseth. Our session addressed the positive and negative impact of social media on expats and their families going on overseas assignments. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with FIGT, “Families in Global Transition provides a forum where members of internationally mobile families, e.g. corporate, military, diplomatic, missionary, gather with those who assist them: human resource personnel, relocation experts, educators and counselors. Together we develop strategies for dealing with challenges of cross-cultural living.” This was a great conference and a great opportunity to meet and share information and ideas with other relocation professionals.
Leading Real Estate Companies of the World Conference
One day following the conclusion of the FIGT Conference, I was off to Las Vegas for the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World Conference and the Luxury Portfolio Top Sales Associate Summit. This was a fantastic week of educational sessions and sharing among the professionals associated with the top real estate companies in the world. I was very proud to be in attendance, as well as having the opportunity to be a presenter at one of the sessions entitled, “Raising the Bar on Your Relocation Training Program.”
It is important to note here that it is one thing to attend a relocation conference or event; it is quite another to be involved. The connections that you make can be much more than just new contacts for your Rolodex or to enter into Outlook. If done correctly, you can really connect with people on a very personal level. If you are doing that, you don’t need to sell yourself or your services or your company at all. Your relationships and friendships are the key. Put the necessary time and energy into them, and they will build over time and do all of the heavy lifting for you.
