Last month, Inman & offrs.com announced an opportunity for two lucky readers to attend this year's Inman Connect held in San Fransisco, July 17th-20th. The winners were drawn and offered a complimentary All Access Pass to the event. Today, offrs announced the winners of the Sweepstakes...
- Patrick Ryan, Sr. Vice President & Managing Broker at Related Realty in Chicago, IL
- Guy Parker, REALTOR® & GREEN Designee at Atlanta Intown Real Estate Services in Atlanta, GA
We were able to reach out to each regarding their interest in the Inman Connect event in San Francisco this year. For Patrick, technology seems to play a large role in his firm's approach to the RE space and their commitment to the in-person and professional relationships they develop. He says that his Chicago boutique brokerage focuses on applying data technology in relationship-building, and went on to say that they "utilize the most up-to-date technology as one should and have a distinct advantage with the amount of urban demographic information [that they are provided through partners]."
Asked which areas of education, networking (or similar interest) they might be focused on for the event, Patrick, who has attended the Inman Connect in New York in the past (and who spoke as a panelist there on how "Social Good can increase your bottom line") discussed his interest in "networking with colleagues in other parts of the country, best practices, and technology..." (particularly in the area of virtual assistants).
Guy, who hasn't yet attended an Inman Connect event himself (but whose colleagues do regularly attend Inman Connect NY) says that he remains focused on "lead generation technology," and hopes to discover what's around the bend as well as to establish a better referral network. Asked what advice he could give to others attending the ICSF18 conference (as well as those who won't be able to make it), he offers up "Brace technology! Don't be afraid of change! Make it work for you!"
With the general discussion in our industry surrounding RE tech, we were curious about which areas of technology in particular that these attendees of ICSF18 feel might affect their business the most. For Patrick, all technologies have their place, but "automatic follow up technology with a personal touch" is best. As both point out, we too are fans of the school of thought that a balanced approach through the use of technology and relationship-building (in what is ultimately a relationship-centric business) is key to the sort of longevity that produces practical results.
"We all can do a better job of giving back and making sure our efforts are improving the communities we do business in... by improving our professionalism and customer service." Says Patrick in this regard. We agree wholeheartedly.
Congratulations to these winners of the Inman Connect ICSF18 Sweepstakes - we look forward to seeing you there!