Luxury Real Estate

By Yvonne Harvey

As the Events Coordinator at LuxuryRealEstate.com, I feel it is very helpful to have a checklist before I go to a conference to be prepared. Last week a co-worker found a blog entry on seomoz.org in regards to a conference checklist. I have added a few items as it relates to the Luxury Real Estate conferences, and I believe it will help you maximize your experience.

What to Bring:

Business Cards – The person giving the card is much more important than the quality of the card. Unless you have superfluous design resources, don’t spend a significant amount of time or money on your business cards.

Laptop/Notepad – The medium onto which you transcribe your notes is personal preference. Just make sure you bring something and utilize it to its fullest.

Good Shoes – You will be standing and walking around in between sessions. Fuse function with fashion.

Appropriate Clothing – Check your favorite weather source and plan accordingly – we often have outdoor events. The event documents will state the dress code for the events – generally business or business casual during the day and business or cocktail in the evening.

Prepare Yourself:

Sign Up For a LinkedIn Account and Join the Luxury Real Estate Group – Be prepared to have other attendees research you and be sure to research them after the conference.

Know the Big Players/Companies – Know who the big players are before you get to the conference. Be proactive in seeking out potential contacts and individuals from your feeder markets.

Personalize Your Own Itinerary – Choose breakout sessions and roundtable discussions that you will be attending. Refer to the hotel map found in your packet for locations.

Airline Savings – Luxury Real Estate offers promotional codes on one or more airline. It may be only 5%, but hey, it’s savings! Or use airline mileage to book your flights.

Book Your Hotel Room – Planning ahead will ensure best room selection.

Pictures for the Roster – Luxury Real Estate provides a roster with pictures. It is extremely helpful to put a name with a face. Give your picture to Luxury Real Estate one month before the conference to be included in the roster.

Optional:

Bring a Separate Wireless Internet Source – If you have the resources, bring an external Internet source (i.e., PC card). This will keep you connected if Wi-Fi is not available or it goes down. Or rely on your mobile wireless device to keep up with email.

Be Born at Least 21 Years Prior to the Event – In the United States the legal drinking age is 21. Although drinking is not required by any means, a lot of networking occurs in the hotel bar in between events.

Find Restaurants Nearby – Knowing places to eat is always a great way to help you network. People unfamiliar with the area will be looking for someone who is in the know.

During the Conference:

Network, Network, Network! – The relationships you make at conferences have much more potential than the information you learn in sessions. Since almost everyone at a conference is there to network, meeting people should be easy. Study the roster in your conference packet.

Visit Sponsor Booths – Sponsors’ booths will feature important people and offer conversation starters with the people you don’t know. Frequently our sponsors provide elaborate giveaway items – don’t miss out!

Eat a Healthy Carb and Protein In the Morning – You do not want to miss out on valuable information throughout the day. Stay awake! You want to take in all you possibly can.

Drink a Lot of Water – Keeping yourself hydrated keeps you energized and fully functional.

Use Your Notepad/Computer – Take a lot of notes, at least one new page/file per session.

Always Bring Along Your Conference Packet – You may have your day planned out, but you never know when a conversation goes long and you are in the hall looking for your next event.

Keep All of Your Random Ideas In One Place – This can either be a separate text document or the last page of your notepad.

Collect Cool Promotional Items – Free stuff is great. Gather as much as you can and bring it home for friends, family or colleagues.

Receptions and Dinner Parties:

Mingle, Mingle, Mingle – Maximize your chances to network and meet other attendees.

Avoid Useless Conversations – Make your impact but keep most conversations short and to the point. Don’t get stuck with one person all night.

Don’t Sit With Friends or Colleagues – This is hard because most people see reception and dinner as a time to relax. This is not necessarily true. Network, Network, Network!

Post-Conference:

Review Business Cards – Reviewing business cards helps you to remember the people you met.

Review Notes – This will help you prioritize your follow-up tasks.

Create a To-Do-List – After a conference, your motivation will likely be really high. Use this opportunity to define future tasks and goals. It is helpful to do this right away. Review your list later (to see if you have accomplished what you intended).

Complete the Conference Survey – A survey will be sent to you one week after the conference. It is important for us to hear your feedback.

Re-connect:

Blog About It – Not only will this help you keep a record of the event, but it also provides an avenue to cement connections with people and promote yourself online.

Connect Online – Find people you met and connect with them in an online environment. Specifically, find people on LinkedIn, ActiveRain and other online communities.

Do You Have Any Tips? – We would love to hear from you on how to get the most out of LuxuryRealEstate.com conferences. Share them with us.


Editor’s Note:
As she mentioned, Yvonne Harvey is the Events Coordinator for LuxuryRealEstate.com. So when you come and enjoy the wonderful presentations, discussions and networking opportunities at Luxury Real Estate conferences, you know who to thank. You should definitely join us at the 13th Annual Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference on October 11-14, 2008. This is quite a long blog entry, but it’s definitely chock full of useful tips to follow.