Hit ‘Em With A Phonebook, Catch ‘Em With a Pillow.
This age old adage was the message coming out of the sold out 2016 Calgary Real Estate Conference this year.
The Phonebook? The Calgary Real Estate market hasn’t bottomed out yet – it’s going to get worse.
The Pillow? 2017 is the “year of the turnaround” with this caveat: recovery is going to be very slow but it will move in a positive direction for a refreshing change.
The Telus Convention Centre was once again the host for this year’s conference where attendees had the opportunity to listen and participate in several panel presentations throughout the course of the day ranging from retail to technology to how to manage real estate when recovering from a natural disaster like the Calgary flood of 2013 and the Fort McMurray wildfires. This year’s conference also provided ample networking opportunities and breaks between sessions to allow new connections to be made and old colleagues to reconnect.
One of my favorite parts of the conference the last couple years has been the afternoon key-note address. By focusing on fringe topics of real estate, this year’s presentation “Boomerennials: Demographics Don’t Tell The Whole Story, People Do” re-energized the crowd and created opportunity for everyone to think outside of their traditional mindsets.
In summary, the conference is well organized, well attended and a great opportunity to meet with peers new and old. The message isn’t always what you want to hear, but at least you know you’re not alone when you are there.
Leah Stewart, Sizeland Evans Interior Design
BOMA Member
Image Credit: Ian C Whitworth Photography