NAR Conference Wrap Up

Jim Sexton and I got back from the 2010 REALTOR® Conference in New Orleans Monday night.  For me, it was 2 days of expo floor walking, REALTOR® and REALTOR® Association staff networking, shrimp bisque eating, Bourbon Street fun.  Since most of my time was spent walking and talking on the expo floor, I’ll be publishing some articles this week and next about the upcoming tools that will be available to ARMLS Subscribers and REALTORS® in Arizona.

Theme of the expo:  Mobile Technology

We’ve heard the statistics that mobile smart phone usage will soon be the #1 way people access information online.  Judging by the number of booths that mention the word mobile, today’s vendors are pro-active.

Sub-theme of the expo: QR Codes

flickr photo credit: Brad Andersohn

These interactive barcodes were everywhere from name badges, to business cards, to Expo booth displays. It makes me want to write more about tips and tricks for using QR Codes.  (Maybe it’s time for a class?)  I don’t even remember seeing one QR code last year so to see how wide-spread they were this year is an impressive statement to their ease of use and buzz-worthy factor.

Come to think of it – I didn’t see any “Text: Info to 12345″ signs.  They’ve been replaced with QR’s.  Maybe it’s the anonymous factor that QR codes provide that consumers prefer?  Anyway, expect more from me about utilizing them in your real estate business.

Other noteworthy themes…

Social Media

Even with the new QR kid on the block, Social media still held it’s grasp on the buzz.  The REALTOR.com booth was offering to help REALTORS® start facebook business pages in their booth.  In fact, it looks like twitter and facebook are the 2 social sites winning the buzz battle for social media.  Based on this and requests from agents, it’s time for a facebook business page class.  Stay tuned.

Lead Generation

Lead generation is always huge.  The hard part is weeding through what you’ll use, what will work if you use it, and what is useless.  Lead generation tools come in a lot of different forms.  They had direct mailer companies, real estate sign and rider companies, website companies, and also the ‘purchase contact information’ companies.

Classrooms

flickr photo credit: Brad Andersohn

The number of expo booths with a classroom type layout is on the rise.  Teaching REALTORS® about current marketing and technology trends while plugging products is now a common expo strategy.  I think it’s a great way to provide some value while getting the message out about a product.  The one I sat in was a session by the guys from TechSavvyAgent.com talking about real estate agent reviews (more on that topic in a separate article).

Banks

Second and third place to NAR as far as booth size goes – Wells Fargo and Bank of America.  They had huge displays, not to mention all the other smaller vendors that offered banking, retirement, or mortgage services.

Most Popular Giveaway: iPad

I lost count of how many “Enter to Win” contests I entered to win, but if I win an iPad there will definitely be a re-gift contest on this blog.  We’re all in this together!

Wrap-Up

So the moral of the conference for me, real estate technology training. Stay tuned for the schedule of Facebook Business Page Strategies and QR Codes for Real Estate Agents. Also, let me know what other classes you’re interested in attending.

Here’s to your Success in 2011!