A FIRST TIMER ’ S VIEW BY BETH CRAFTS , 4 SEASONS REALTY
I n my “ multi-professional life ” I ’ ve attended many different industry trade shows : fashion , telecommunication , restaurant and hospitality , and even trade shows for guns and baby products . ( Two separate shows , of course !) I can tell you that while every trade show has its similarities , no two trade shows are exactly alike . And as a “ newbie ” to the real estate industry , this year ’ s Florida Realtors ® Convention and Trade Expo marked my first time attending a Realtor ® convention . The one key thing I walked away with is this : Realtors ® and Restaurateurs are made from the same cloth - they really like to have fun ! I had a blast , but I also learned a lot about our industry as well as a few Do ’ s and Don ’ ts for next time . I rode up to Orlando with my broker and a colleague from our office . We spent the car ride listening to music and talking industry . It was all part of the experience and I ’ m glad I didn ’ t go up by myself , which would have been a little boring . Nevertheless , here ’ s one of the first things I learned from the convention :
Lesson # 1
If you ’ re going to go , make sure you go with people you like . ( I love the people in my office and I can ’ t imagine how awkward it would have been if I didn ’ t .) I know this sounds like a given , but how well do you know your co-workers ? It ’ s important , if you ’ re going to share some personal space – a room , a bathroom or even a bed – that you go with people you know and like . It ’ s more fun than going by yourself and if they ’ ve been around the industry longer than you have , they can introduce you to people and help you network . One word of caution however : remember if you all go together , there ’ s only one car … which brings me to …
Lesson # 2
Spend the extra money , squeeze in a few more people to make up for the difference , and stay at the place where the convention is held . To save some money , we decided to find a less expensive alternative than the Rosen Shingle Creek . In addition to being “ away ” from the action , we also ( because we had one car ) had to co-ordinate when to get up , get ready and go to the convention center together , and when to leave the convention center in the afternoon . The three of us had different agendas and so that being the case , we ended up taking Uber everywhere . Now , although relatively cheap , Uber can get expensive if you have to keep hitching a ride to and from the convention . Had we stayed at the Rosen Shingle Creek , we all would have been able to see more , do more , and sleep in a little longer ! Which brings me to …
Lesson # 3
Go for more than two days . It ’ s not that the convention is so
18 RPCRA . ORG | SEPT / OCT 2016