Divas have TEN good reasons why we are excited to join the entourage at Inman Connect New York in January 2016.
A couple of weeks ago we received an email letting us know we were selected as Inman Ambassadors at Inman Connect New York City 2016. Needless to say – we were both extremely excited to be part of this stellar group. It is a huge honor to be part of such an awesome gathering of innovators and leaders in the real estate industry.
Inman Connect is being hosted in New York City January 26-29th. In many small and big ways the friendships we have made at ICNY have pushed our own business to the next level. Since we have gained so much from participating in Inman Connect throughout the past few years we thought it would be fun to give you our Top Ten reasons why you should join us at ICNY 2016 this January!
10 Reasons Why We are Excited to go to ICNY 2016 and Think You Should Join The Divas in New York!
1. Coldwell Banker #GenBlue Power Represents:
Coldwell Banker’s #GenBlue crew is well represented in the ICNY 2016 group of ambassadors. GenBlue Super stars and ICNY alum Sean Carpenter, Linda Aaron, and Sam DeBord will be making a return. They will be joined by us Divas. That is FIVE of us wearing our Coldwell Banker Blue at ICNY. Another interesting nugget is that three of the ICNY 2016 Ambassadors (The Diva and Linda Aaron) come from the largest Coldwell Banker Affiliate – Coldwell Banker Bain. Wow! We are super proud to represent our Coldwell Banker folks at ICNY 2016.
2. Pacific Northwest Real Estate Pros Make Their Mark:
It makes us Divas quite proud to know that the Pacific Northwest is so well represented at ICNY 2016. Anne Jones, Linda Aaron, Sam DeBord, and the Divas all come from the Northwest. It just goes to show when you go outside of your region for inspiration, you improve, your cohorts take notice, and by doing so your local market of real estate professionals changes as well. The Northwest continues to be a stellar example of how to do real estate the Diva-way = AWESOME! We are excited to hangout with Anne, Linda, and Sam in NYC who are some of our inspirations in this industry. So proud to be part of this fab group!
3. New York in January is Awesome!
For the last couple of years we have been going to NYC in January for ICNY. Luckily for us, it is as off season for the hordes of tourists that infiltrate NYC the other 11 months of the year. Which also means it is super cheap to fly and stay in to NYC. Also – getting reservation in the “go to” restaurants is easier and – if you plan right – you may even get great seats to that Broadway show you’ve been dying to see. Of course, packing a good winter jacket and boots is a must. Outside of that, you are good in your all black outfits. This year we will be taking a little extra time to hang out with our dancer friends and enjoy the city like locals.
4. It is Inman Connect’s 20th Anniversary!
We Divas are big fans of theatrical moments (secretly hoping that Brad Inman jumps out of a Birthday Cake.) Or fireworks? Maybe a gift exchange? I hear on the 20th Anniversary one gives China or Platinum. Can someone please let us know if Inman Connect is registered at Macy’s so I can take the cool escalators at the NYC store?
5. Make Real Estate Friends For Life
The very first Inman Connect The Divas attended was in 2012 in San Francisco. To be perfectly honest. The reason why we went was because Katie Lance asked Diva Chavi to speak on one of her panels. Apparently the ICSF 2012 was filled with extra special sauce that year. We met for the first time our Coldwell Banker Home Office pal David Marine and our soul sister of real estate Heather Ostrom, and got to know the awesomeness of Anne Jones (yes in SF not in Seattle), who introduced us to the amazing Marguerite Giguere. We also met Stacie Staub in a break out session hosted by the fabulous Kelly Mitchell. At a mixer we met Melanie Piche and the Toronto gang. Whew! As the years have gone on the connections just keep growing. We’ve built ongoing relationships with Seth Price, Teri Conrad, Nikki Beauchamp, Andrea Geller, and the list of awesome people goes on and on. Who will we meet at ICNY 2016?
6. Always Sit in the Front Row:
Once you “adult up” sitting in the “back of the bus” becomes so passé. You can meet all kinds of great interesting folks when you sit up front. At ICSF 2012 we sat in the front row and met our co-ICNY Ambassador Tiffany Kjellander. Later on we sat in the front row at ICNY 2014 and met Greg Fischer. It has turned into a longterm best bro/lesbian friendship. Then Greg introduced us to Alyssa Hellman at ICNY 2014. So who knows who you might meet sitting in the front row at ICNY 2016? Maybe the Divas?
7. Buy a Beer For Sean Carpenter and be Blown Away By His Enthusiasm For Real Estate:
Sean’s motto is “Build Relationships, Solve Problems, and Have Fun”. And frankly the building of relationships happens when you make time to connect with folks outside of your region, industry, comfort zone, etc. Sean is great at pushing you past your comfort zone and having a good time while doing it. Team Diva increased their listings by 30% in 2015 because we fully embraced Sean Carpenter’s listing methodology. All cause we went to his class at GenBlue and bought him a beer or two. Plus, his #CarpArt is so much fun to follow at #ICNY on Instagram. Take a beer break with Sean or someone else you are dying to meet at #ICNY and watch the magic happen!
8. Linda Aaron is One of the Longest Running Inman Ambassadors and – Is Freaking Smart
Here is the deal. No one knows more about the thought leaders in this industry than Linda. Listen to the speakers she recommends and you will not be disappointed. Take the time to meet and chat with Linda and you will make a lifelong friend. There are very few people who have had such a huge influence on our business as Ms. Linda Aaron. Werd!
9. The Speakers Are Pretty Awesome
Pictured above is one of our favorite people in Real Estate, Alyssa Hellman. We simply cannot wait to see this missy get on stage and deliver the goods. To be perfectly honest, we are pretty stoked about this year’s line up of speakers. We are huge fans of Seth Godin and impressed to see a strong group of power gals taking the stage. So be ready bright and early and have your coffee and bagel (this is NYC of course!) in hand so you don’t miss one of these fabulous speakers during the General Sessions.
10. The Referrals | The Warm and Cuddly Kind
I know what you are thinking, “Another real estate conference where people will be shoving there lame cards at me only for them to get lost at the bottom of my big Diva bag.” Yes – we are those cranky anti-card people. But here is the deal – The Divas have given and received more closed referrals in the past four years because of Inman Connect. Reason – Inman gives us the opportunity to spend time with like minded agents from key cities across the nation. We knew immediately we were going to refer Diva Dwellers Kim and Mark to Joe Schutt at the Unit when they moved to Boston. And that Joe – he knows how to close deals. Which means happy clients and a nice referral fee. Not a bad deal. Same goes for all our Inman Connect pals. That said – we still are not the biz card exchanging types. You can always find the Divas on Facebook (or Twitter or Instagram.) Hope to find you there as well!
Now that you have 10 good reasons to join us at ICNY 2016 – you are booking your tickets now, right?
Here’s how: Go to Inman Connect New York 2016
Connect with us: Chavi at @ChaviH and Kim at @SeattleDivas on the Twitters. And look for us in the front row with the rest of the Ambassador crew at ICNY. Ciao for now peeps!
