January 26th - 2014

Tools and technology series a hit

The demand for skills and knowledge of tools and technology in real estate continues to grow, according to organizers of a new series of events offered this past fall by the Ontario Real Estate Association.

Speakers of the Emerge events

The demand for skills and knowledge of tools and technology in real estate continues to grow, according to organizers of a new series of events offered this past fall by the Ontario Real Estate Association.

More than 1,100 OREA members took part in one or more in a series of events that took place around the province called Emerge: Moving You Forward with the Tools for Tomorrow.

Among approximately 250 participants who completed a survey after attending an Emerge event, 9 out 10 rated their overall impression as “excellent” or “good”. Moreover, 85 per cent of survey respondents said they were likely to attend a similar event again next year. Ninety per cent said they would recommend the conference to their REALTOR® friends or colleagues. Speakers of the Emerge events

“These numbers prove that there’s a huge demand for updates and discussions related to technology,” says OREA President Phil Dorner. “In today’s digital age, many of us are looking for ways to stay current on emerging trends. Our members have told us that with this series we’ve delivered on that need.”

Topics included: Laptops? How Vintage; The Paperless Office; Facebook for Business; Online Lead Generation and Conversion; Online Security and Reputation Management; By Referral Only; Mobile Applications; Demonstrating REALTOR® Value; and Social Media. Six regional conferences took place over the fall, including an event in each of OREA’s provincial areas. The Emerge events were held in Orillia, Ottawa, Toronto, North Bay, Windsor and Kitchener-Waterloo.

“The feedback we received after these events was overwhelmingly positive, and more than half were sold out,” says Dorner. “We even had members travelling to different regions to attend an event if they couldn’t make it on the day it was offered in their own area. The sessions were chock-full of great content and we plan to build on this success in 2014.”

The success of the series is reflected in some of the comments submitted anonymously by survey respondents.

“I came out extremely satisfied,” wrote one attendee. “The speakers were extremely approachable and answered in plain language. It was a great, full, well-organized day. Nobody was selling anything, there were no fake speakers, and the presenters were really down to earth, giving real answers and meat-and-potatoes content.”

“The energy was high and the content was very informative,” wrote another participant. “Thanks for coming to our community so we didn’t have to travel for half a day in dangerous winter weather. The speakers talked about subjects that are interesting and timely. I am not a new or young agent, but there were people here of all ages and I think the older agents got more out of it. I wish I could have attended every one of the breakout sessions.”

Plans are in place for another series in 2014. Keep watching www.orea.com/emerge for more details.


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For more information contact

Ontario Real Estate Association

Jean-Adrien Delicano

Senior Manager, Media Relations

JeanAdrienD@orea.com

416-445-9910 ext. 246

Ontario Real Estate Association
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