By Christine George, President of Marketing and Business Development

Last week I returned from what was, without a doubt, the most inspiring and amazing RE/MAX event, I’ve ever attended.  This, quite honestly, is saying a lot.  I’ve been inside the RE/MAX system for 8+ years and during that time I’ve attended hundreds of local, regional, national and international RE/MAX events. For 7 years, I oversaw the regional events in New England, which I believed (and still believe) were best in class experiences.

Rome however, brought things to a completely different level and elevated the value of RE/MAX way beyond measure.  It wasn’t because of the speakers or the content.  Most were Americans who I’ve seen speak before.  It wasn’t because the European real estate industry is innovative or that they are implementing ideas unknown or untested in the U.S.  It wasn’t because we spent an evening at the spectacular Villa Miani overlooking the city of Rome.  In fact, it wasn’t even because we were in one of the oldest, most historic and beautiful cities on earth (well maybe a little).

The reason this conference elevated the RE/MAX brand for me, is simple.  It was because of the opportunity to build relationships.  There were 1,200 RE/MAX agents from 38 countries in attendance.  The entire conference was presented in English.  Translators were staged in the back of the room and you could hear their buzz through the headphones of the agents listening to the translation.  It was electric.  Agents were exchanging business cards over cappuccinos, sharing stories over lunch, asking questions and learning about the similarities and the differences of each other’s market.  This is a real, live example of being truly global.  Where else can you work as a real estate professional and have the opportunity to build belly-to-belly global relationships?  Imagine connecting with an Agent in Rome who later calls you because he or she has a client whose being transferred to Boston and needs to buy a home downtown.

The opportunities to grow and expand your business become endless when you have access to a global network like we do.  Next year’s RE/MAX European Convention is in Lisbon, Portugal.  I wouldn’t miss it if I were you!