NVAR Convention

This page is now posted publicly for archival purposes. Thanks to all for attending and sponsoring the 2012 NVAR Convention!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - See the event flyer here!

NVCC Annandale Campus (Maps & Driving Directions)

Our Largest Event
FREE to Members
Giveaway contest!
New! - RPAC Silent Auction
Redskins, Nats, Wizards tix!
(get auction details)

Registration is not required to attend the convention!

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED for the Politics and Pancakes Breakfast!
- Guest Speaker: Kathleen Parker (Ticketed event)

• PLAN your schedule
  - More than a dozen sessions!
• MAP the Trade Show
  - Over 70 local service vendors!
• DONATE to United Community Ministries Food Drive
  - Please bring non-perishables (hint, this is a contest requirement!).

Convention Page Index Links

• Convention Schedule
• Convention Sponsors
• Campus and Driving Maps
• Session Details
• NV/PAC Silent Auction Details
• Donate to UCM Details

7:30 – 9:30 a.m.	Politics & Pancakes Breakfast Guest Speaker: Kathleen Parker (Pre-Registration required, click here)
9:00 a.m.	Exhibit Hall Opens Silent Auction Bidding Opens in the Atrium (until 2 PM) Morning Coffee Service in the Exhibit Hall until 10:30 a.m.
9:30 – 10:45 a.m.	Keynote – High Tech. High Touch. How to Use Emerging Technology to Forge Deeper, Stronger Relationships - details
10:55 – 11:45 a.m.	Breakout Sessions | Round One - details Make Small Changes to Make Big Bucks Winning Business: Old School & New School Methods New Tools from MRIS and RBI to Strengthen Your Relationships 2012 – A Year of Change
11:45 – 12:30 p.m.	Lunch in the Exhibit Hall
12:30 – 1:20 p.m.	Breakout Sessions | Round Two - details Building Your Personal Network Moving Beyond Gridlock: Political Cat & Mouse Cultural Etiquette for Today Electronic Signatures in the Mainstream
1:20 – 3:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m.	Afternoon Snack Silent Auction Bidding Closes
1:30 – 2:20 p.m	Breakout Sessions | Round Three - details I Did It My Way! How Top Producers Found Success It Really IS That Simple: Six Low-Tech/No-Tech Strategies to Double Your Business It’s Getting Easier to Be Green Surviving the Avalanche of New Forms for 2012
2:30 –3:40 p.m.	Closing Keynote – Business IS Personal - details
3:40 – 4:00 p.m.	NVAR Annual Meeting
4:00 – 5:00 p.m.	Closing Reception in the Exhibit Hall
5:00 p.m.	Exhibit Hall Closes

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Our 2012 Convention Sponsors:

• Convention Sponsor: MBH Settlement Group
  
  

• Reception Sponsor: Embrace Home Loans
  
  

• Demo Lounge Sponsor: MRIS
  
  

• Politics & Pancakes Sponsors: Commission Express
  
  

• Politics & Pancakes Sponsors: Monarch Title
  
  

• Breakout Sessions Sponsor: VHDA
  
  

• Afternoon Break Sponsor: Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
  
  
  
  

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Complete Location Information & Map Links:

• Northern Virginia Community College - Annandale Campus
  Ernst Community Cultural Center Building (Adjacent to parking garage and main outdoor lot)
  8333 Little River Turnpike - Annandale, VA 22003
  ? Campus Map
  ? Driving Directions
  ? Google Regional Map

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Session Details:

7:30 – 9:30 a.m. Politics & Pancakes - (Forum Room, 2nd floor)

Politics and Pancakes - (pre-registration required, click here)

Speaker: Kathleen Parker, Pulitzer Prize-winner and political columnist

Want your politics served with a side of common sense? Attend the always popular Politics and Pancakes Breakfast at the NVAR Convention & Trade Show for an in-depth look at the issues surrounding the November elections.

This year we are pleased to welcome as our guest speaker Pulitzer Prize-winning commentator and columnist Kathleen Parker. Ms. Parker's syndicated columns appear in The Weekly Standard, TIME, Newsweek, The Washington Post and The Daily Beast. She is a regular on Sunday morning news shows and was the co-host of CNN's Parker Spitzer in 2010.

In addition to hearing her insights, Politics and Pancakes will also give you the opportunity to meet your federal, state and local elected officials and network with your fellow NVAR members. You won't want to miss it!

Sponsored by Commission Express & Monarch Title




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9 a.m. Exhibit Hall Opens 9 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Silent Auction - (Atrium, outside of the exhibit hall)

RPAC Silent Auction Details

Place a bid for your business success! From sporting events, to vacations, to gourmet gift baskets, there’s something for everyone at the NV/RPAC Silent Auction. 100% of the winning bids benefit the Northern Virginia/Realtors® Political Action Committee, the voice of Northern Virginia Realtors® in federal, state and local government.

Bidding Opens at 9:00 AM and closes at 2:00 PM. The auction display will be located in the Atrium, outside of the exhibit hall.

Check out these GREAT Auction items donated!:

• Grand Cayman Oceanfront Villa Stay
  
  
• Rehoboth Beach Condo Stay
  
  
• Golf At Washington Golf & Country Club
  
  
• Pheasant Hunt & Lunch In Pennsylvania Countryside
  
  
  

• Potomac River Yacht Cruise
  
  
• Nation’s Capital Tour Via Segway
  
• Dancing & Dining – Private Ballroom Dance Lesson
  
• Gorgeous Original Art
• Wizards Tickets vs. Milwaukee and Dinner At J. Gilbert’s

• Coach Bag & Tiffany’s necklace
• Redskins Tickets & Tailgating Package
• Nationals Tickets, Signed Baseball & National’s Fan Items
• Gourmet Baskets
• Restaurant Gift Cards
• Artwork

For NV/RPAC Silent Auction sponsorship opportunities, click here.

RPAC Silent Auction Sponsorship Opportunities and Details

Here are the benefits you get for donating money or prizes to the Silent Auction:

You will be listed in these publications:

• The auction on-site flyer that will be seen by all convention attendees
• In Update magazine in a “thank you” advertisement in the Nov/Dec 2012 issue
• In “Town Hall Notes”, sent electronically to all NVAR members
• On the NVAR website on the RPAC page
• Your name will be prominently displayed on the bid sheet for the item you donate and will be seen by all Silent Auction attendees

Your monetary gift or donation will not be counted as an RPAC donation, but can be categorized as a “business expense” on your taxes.

Deadline for donations for the Silent Auction: Friday, September 14. Please contact Leslie Dickemann at 703-207-3212 if you would like to participate, or if you have questions.

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9 – 10:30 a.m. Morning Coffee Service in the Exhibit Hall

Sponsored by Wells Fargo Home Mortgage

9:30 – 10:45 a.m. Keynote

High Tech. High Touch. How to Use Emerging Technology to Forge Deeper, Stronger Relationships

- (Theater Auditorium, 1^st Floor)

Speaker: Jeff Turner, Zeek Interactive

Technology can be both a friend and an enemy. Our race toward technological adoption can often lead us to unintended behaviors and outcomes. This is made even more complicated when both the tech media and tech creators have hidden agendas that may conflict with yours. This presentation will help you ensure that technology bends to your will and not the other way around.

Sponsored by MBH Settlement Group

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10:55 – 11:45 a.m. Breakout Sessions | Round One

Make Small Changes to Make Big Bucks

- (Theater Auditorium, 1^st floor)

Jean O’Brien, Impress for Success-Executive Presence Coach, Trainer, Speaker

This session will prepare you to make excellent first and lasting impressions in 30 seconds. You will learn the importance of dressing for success, extending a sincere handshake, making comfortable eye contact and flashing a genuine smile. A confident presentation of body language will also be discussed. You will walk away with tips on how to develop confidence and cultivate skills that will promote enhanced business performance and productivity. Jean O’Brien has used her unique combination of executive experience and leadership skills to help hundreds of professionals to nurture career-growth and success.

Sponsored by VHDA

Winning Business: Old School & New School Methods - (Forum Room, 2^nd floor)

Moderator: Bic DeCaro, Westgate Realty Group, Inc.

• Jeff Wu, Century 21 New Millennium
• Amy Cherry Taylor, Avery-Hess, Realtors®
• Marybeth Eisenhard, Long & Foster Real Estate
• Jolee Rubin, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

There is no right or wrong when it comes to winning the business of your clients. Whether you decide to focus on a particular niche, neighborhood or age group, you can be successful as long as you have a plan in place. Some agents join powerful networking groups, while others focus on becoming an area expert. Attend this lively discussion featuring four of your fellow Realtors® and you will learn what methods of winning business have worked for them.

Sponsored by Wells Fargo Home Mortgage

New Tools from MRIS and RBI to Strengthen Your Relationships - (Dance Room, 1^st floor)

Speakers:
Scott Saghirian, Client Alliance Manager, MRIS
Tim Makoutz, Account Executive, RBI

Have you heard about MRIS Homes – the official MRIS mobile app that will give you real-time MRIS data from any smartphone or tablet? Attend this session and you will learn how to build a stronger connection with your customers by having access to the most accurate information available. Provide a value-added service to your clients by having access to agent-specific information whenever and wherever they are. When you use RBI data in client presentations, you can feel confident they will value your knowledge. Learn about key tools that will allow you to show them how their specific market is different from what's happening elsewhere in the country. Help them make smarter decisions and you will build stronger relationships with your clients.

Sponsored by MRIS

2012 – A Year of Change - (Seminar Room A-D, 2^nd floor)

Ryan Stuart, MBH Settlement Group

Learn how to maneuver through and succeed amid the many changes of 2012. This 50-minute class will focus on the remaining unanswered questions in the 2012 Regional Sales Contract, and the purposes and practices behind the new Residential Standard Agency laws. You will also hear tips about how to prosper in this low-inventory, appreciating market.

Sponsored by MBH Settlement Group

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11:45 – 12:30 p.m. Lunch in the Exhibit Hall

The Legal Hotline is pleased to feed you lunch. Stop by booth #106 for answers to your legal questions.

Sponsored by NVAR Legal Hotline

12:30 – 1:20 p.m. Breakout Sessions | Round Two

Building Your Personal Network

- (Theater Auditorium, 1^st floor)

Sam Schwartz, BNI International

Today’s speaker is the founder of Business Network International – a business and professional referral organization whose primary purpose is to exchange qualified business referrals and develop word-of-mouth marketing techniques. When you attend this session you will learn how to network in a deliberate and professional manner. Don’t miss this chance to learn how to build your personal network and take your real estate business to the next level of success.

Sponsored by VHDA

Moving Beyond Gridlock: Political Cat & Mouse

- (Forum Room, 2^nd floor)

Speakers: Rep. Gerry Connolly (D) and former Rep. Tom Davis (R)
Moderated by NewsChannel 8’s Bruce DePuyt

Join Northern Virginia’s Own “Tom and Gerry” for a Game of Political Cat and Mouse. With ideological lines drawn in the sand, how can our political parties work together to solve our nation’s problems? Can partisan rivals put aside differences to achieve a common goal? You’ll want to attend this frank discussion with two of Northern Virginia’s political leaders.

Sponsored by NVAR Government Affairs

Cultural Etiquette for Today

- (Dance Room, 1^st floor)

Moderator: Reggie Copeland, Long & Foster Real Estate

Panelists:

• Miguel Avila, Long & Foster Real Estate
• Mary Bayat, Bayat Realty
• Tracy Comstock, Comstock Realty & Investment
• ing Ying Li, Long & Foster Real Estate

People in the Northern Virginia area come from many cultural backgrounds. Attend this panel discussion comprised of four of your fellow Realtors® who hail from vastly different cultural backgrounds. You will learn how to develop diplomatic sensitivity to international business customs and cultures. You will become aware of cross-cultural nuances within the United States, a skill that is sure to launch your business in the right direction.

Sponsored by Wells Fargo Home Mortgage

Electronic Signatures in the Mainstream

- (Seminar Room A-D, 2^nd floor)

Steve Mapes, Instanet Solutions

Attend this session to learn how using electronic signatures streamlines the process of executing documents. Buyers, sellers and other transaction participants are rapidly adopting electronic signatures. But are they legal? Are they secure? Learn to overcome objections when someone refuses an invitation to sign online or if a lender will not accept documents signed electronically. The session will conclude with a demonstration creating a package of completed NVAR forms and having them signed with Authentisign.

Sponsored by NVAR

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1:20 – 3 p.m. Afternoon Snack

Sponsored by Wells Fargo Home Mortgage

1:30 – 2:20 p.m. Breakout Sessions | Round Three

I Did It My Way! How Top Producers Found Success

- (Theater Auditorium, 1^st floor)

Moderator: Suzanne Granoski, Keller Williams Realty
Panelists:

• Katie Wethman, Keller Williams Realty
• Rob Ferguson, RE/MAX Allegiance
• Christine Richardson, Weichert, Realtors®

Are you a new Realtor® trying to figure out how to start your business? Or are you a seasoned real estate professional looking to hone some new skills and take your real estate career up a notch? Wherever you are in your real estate career, this session will provide you a unique behind-the-scenes look at the techniques and habits that helped these four top producers achieve great success.

Sponsored by Monarch Title

It Really IS That Simple: Six Low-Tech/No-Tech Strategies to Double Your Business - (Forum Room, 2^nd floor)

Jennifer Allan Hagedorn

Trying to decide among all the gizmos and gadgets, programs and systems available for purchase – all of them promising to be the magic bullet to jump-start your business? Will they skyrocket you to the success you dream of? Wondering how much of the hype is true... and how much is, well, hype? Some real estate professionals make things more complicated than they need to be, especially when it comes to building their businesses. But it really doesn't have to be that way; in fact, perhaps the simpler and less sophisticated your business-building efforts are, the more effective they'll be. Join this discussion about some fun high-touch/low-tech strategies to get your business where you want it to be!

Sponsored by Commission Express

It’s Getting Easier to Be Green

- (Dance Room, 1^st floor)

Moderator: Bob Adamson, McEnearney Associates

Panelists:

• Peter Nguyen, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
• Nina Landes, Avery-Hess, Realtors®
• Jason Shine, Keller Williams Realty
• Adam Gallegos, Arbour Realty

“Being Green” is now part of our every day vocabulary. But is your business as paperless as it can be? In this session we’ll hear from a panel of Realtors® who’ve taken their business to the next level by integrating technology into everything they do. Explore green marketing techniques, paperless transactions, and a variety of other “green” tools that can be implemented as part of your real estate business.

Sponsored by MRIS

Surviving the Avalanche of New Forms for 2012 -

(Seminar Room A-D, 2nd floor)

Art Grace, MBH Settlement Group

Is your first thought: “Are you kidding me with all these new forms?” Then attend this session and gain better understanding of the significant changes to forms that took place in 2012. You will walk away knowing how to navigate them without becoming intimidated.

Sponsored by MBH Settlement Group

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2:30 –3:40 p.m. Closing KeynoteBusiness IS Personal- (Theater Auditorium, 1^st floor)

Shannon King, Real Estate Road Warrior

Are you looking for a way to differentiate yourself in order to attract more clients? Are you ready to make a difference in your client’s lives? Do you want to love your work and have a positive impact on those around you? In today’s high-tech world clients are starving for a way to connect personally in business transactions.

We’ll explore how large companies from Zappos to Toms Shoes have changed the landscape of what clients are expecting. You’ll walk away with dozens of ideas about how to make your business more high-touch and focused on your clients’ interests.

In this high-energy closing session, Shannon W. King will share lessons from innovative companies that inspired her personal journey. Learn about her move at the height of the housing crash into one of the hardest hit market places, and how she started fresh with a charity-based for-profit company..

Sponsored by Embrace Home Loans

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3:40 – 4 p.m. NVAR Annual Meeting - (Theater Auditorium, 1^st floor)

4 – 5 p.m. Closing Reception in the Exhibit Hall

Sponsored by Embrace Home Loans

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5 p.m. Exhibit Hall Closes

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Donate to United Community Ministries

Admission to the Convention is free, but attendees are asked to donate a bag of non-perishable items at the Convention. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!

Food Pantry Immediate Needs:

• Canned meat and tuna fish
• Canned soups
• Canned fruits and vegetables
• Canned beans
• Pasta
• Rice
• Tomato Sauce
• Cereal
• Macaroni & Cheese
• Peanut Butter & Jelly
• Dry Milk
• Baby Food
• Diapers
• Small juice boxes
• Small individual serving boxes of cereal
• Pop-top or peel-off cans of meat, fruits & applesauce
• Small boxes of raisins
• Nutritional bars
• Disposable utensils
• Small toiletries
• Paper & plastic shopping & grocery bags

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