How Easy Was The Big Easy?

As a Realtor of 10 years, this year was my FIRST journey to the National Association of Realtors Convention.  I found parts of it easy and parts of it…well…not so easy…

Getting there was pretty simple as the airport wasn’t too big and a cab was always waiting, BUT… 
Are there any cities beyond reach of Louisiana with a direct flight to New Orleans?!?!

Getting around New Orleans was pretty easy as it seemed to be a short walk from place to place, BUT…
I think I tripped over the a crack in the sidewalk with every other step and the only thing keeping me from falling was the many other bodies crammed onto the small sidewalks.

BUT David Hasselhoff was there!

All joking aside there were many great things about the convention in The Big Easy this year and there is a new currency in New Orleans. It seems that beads were out and iPads were in! Vendors were giving them away all day long it seemed, and everyone wanted one (we will cover the iPad obsession in a future blog).

The speakers were fantastic from Chris Smith @TechSavvyAgent to Stefan Swanepoel @Swanepoel and all of the others throughout the convention. I stand amazed at the level of presenters who participated. 

The convention floor was where it was happening this year! There were some great booths but it was easy to get lost in the huge space! Many of the booths were providing great training with theatres built into their space. From Kodak with the latest in cameras, to Realtor.com sharing information, to @Market_Leader sharing tips and needed skills for agents. Ben Kinney, the creator of The Internet Marketing Specialist Designation, was often found speaking to crowds at the Market Leader theatre, helping everyone learn how to succeed using the Internet and social media in today’s world.

There were fewer booths at the event than in the past, but each one seems to get larger at each convention I attend. Swag was down this year (and we all know that us Realtors LOVE free stuff). You could find pens, and stress balls BUT the hot item this year was the geeky t-shirt from the IMSD booth.

The information that the National Association of Realtors brings to it’s agents is always powerful and this year was no exception. Now we’ve packed up from The Big Easy and are headed to the Magic Kingdom. I look forward to seeing you all next year and hearing what NAR has to share with us (my question…is will more people be excited to meet Mickey Mouse than were in line for the Hoff?)

Chad Hyams
Team Leader, Keller Williams Western Realty – Bellingham WA