Affectionately referred to as the “un-conference”, RE BarCamp is a unique event that happens all over the country where professionals in the industry come together, leave their brand and egos at the door, and come to learn, teach, network, and partner with others like them to create a productive environment for the exchange of ideas. Our intent is to help everyone walk out of the event a better equipped individual that takes that mindset back to their everyday lives. This is not a place to preach product but rather passion. There is no other event like it and it’s the best value in the industry, hands down.
It is an intense event with discussions, demos, and interaction from attendees. It’s a day filled with agents sharing their best practices in technology and marketing.
Here’s a video that will give you some background about RE BarCamps, and how they got started by Andy Kaufman, who at the time was here in the Berkeley area. (Many of the shots are from the East Bay REBarCamp hosted by the Contra Costa Association of REALTORS).
Here’s last year’s RE BarCamp New York video to give you another first hand account of what happens at these events:
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Don’t let the unusual name intimidate you. RE BarCamp is a casual, open, and fun way to learn about cutting edge real estate marketing ideas.
These events are loosely based on BarCamp.org principals.
BarCamp is an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. It is an intense event with discussions, demos and interaction from participants.
What that means, is lots of great people sharing their ideas. You can come just to listen, or interact, or lead your own discussion.
What kind of topics are covered at RE BarCamp?
Past events have covered everything from building blogs, to real estate digital photography tips, to using social networks like Twitter. Throughout the day, you’ll have multiple sessions to choose from. Sessions may include dozens of people, or even just a few. If you have an idea for a session, just volunteer to lead one and we’ll put your session on “The Big Board”.
RE BarCamps are all about the open exchange of ideas. Everyone is welcome to contribute.
It’s simple.. it’s people meeting people, learning, sharing, gathering, and networking. The knowledge you gain here in invaluable.. the friendships and associations you make here, will change your life and your business!
Still not making sense?
From the REBarCamp Mothership:
People frequently ask “what is REBarCamp?”
Below are answers to some of the most common questions volunteers receive about the event.
The concept for REBarCamp came from a technology BarCamp event held in San Francisco. Wikipedia defines a barcamp as:
an international network of user generated conferences — open, participatory workshop-events, whose content is provided by participants.
REBarCamp is a BarCamp for Real Estate (R.E. BarCamp). What that means- the event is not structured like a typical planned conference. Every session is not planned out in advance. Nobody is paid to deliver a session. Anybody can deliver a session and attendees are strongly encouraged to participate.
How does that happen?
When you arrive at the event, you will have the opportunity to put your name in a slot to facilitate a session/discussion. The number of sessions delivered at any given time depends on the venue and number of attendees. After registration is over, a board will be put up that details each session and what room they are located in throughout the day. The length of the sessions varies at each REBarCamp event–REBarCamp By the Bay sessions will be about 45 minutes long, and we’ll have three sessions at a time.
If anyone can deliver a session, won’t some of the presentations be terrible?
Possibly, but it it not typical. Some of the best and brightest minds attend these events. They lead sessions and they sit in on sessions. REBarCamp sessions are group sessions. They are not meant to be presentations by a single individual. Because the audience participates, sessions that may start out a little rocky often adjust and get redirected by the participation and collaboration of the audience. Presentations promoting specific commercial products or companies are discouraged. If you feel like you’re being sold, or if a session is really bad and your participation can’t turn it around, practice the rule of two feet- get up and walk out.That sounds like chaos. How is that productive?
It can be a little chaotic, but some of the best ideas and invention are derived out of chaos. If you go in looking for a very structured day, you will be disappointed. What you get out of an REBarCamp event is what you put into it.What topics are covered in the sessions?
This depends completely on who volunteers to lead a session. The sessions are frequently related to technology usage in real estate but cover any topic from mortgages, to photography to philanthropy. If you want to hear a specific session, facilitate it!Who runs the REBarCamp events?
REBarCamps are run completely by unpaid volunteers.How much does it cost?
REBarCamps are typically free events because of generous donations from sponsors.How do I maximize my REBarCamp experience?
1. Pick sessions of interest to you.
2. Participate, ask questions.
3. If you hear someone speak about something interesting, find them later and connect in the hallway.
4. Spontaneous sessions happen- embrace them! I attended REBarCamp OC. I was standing outside looking at the session board with some fellow attendees. None of the sessions on the board looked appealing to me at that point in time. A group of us were looking for a more advanced session. On the fly, we grabbed a group and did a spontaneous session on the beach. We literally sat on the sand and held a fantastic and memorable session.What if I don’t want to lead a session?
You don’t have to! Some people like to lead, other people like to listen, but don’t hesitate to ask questions.You own your REBarCamp experience. Make it a great one!
(Courtesy of the ever fabulous Ginger Wilcox)
