It’s a Wrap! Feedback and Thoughts on RE Bar Camp Phoenix

RE Bar Camp Phoenix 2009 is over.

And personally, I thought it was a smashing success!

I’d like to take a moment to thank the organizers and the volunteers that made it all possible. They were an amazing bunch of people to work with, and I am proud to call them friends.

To our sponsors, thank you. The venue was fantastic. The food, while clearly not award winning cuisine, was good and having it on site (and free for the attendees) was greatly appreciated. People are wearing the t-shirts (with your name on the back) with pride. And we had enough water and drinks that no one passed out from heat exhaustion.

To those that facilitated sessions, thanks so much. You were an integral part of the success of the event. To those that wanted to hold a session, sorry there weren’t enough rooms. But I guess that’s a good problem to have. Keep that session in mind for the next one!

Most importantly, I’d like to thank all the people that attended. You can plan and plan and secure sponsors until you are blue in the face, but if no one shows up that’s all for naught.

And not only did people show up (over 300 attended), they participated. And it’s that participation that really makes a bar camp style event rock.

The organizers would LOVE to hear your thoughts. Tell us the good, the bad, and the ugly. What should we do differently for the next one? What did we miss? Any (and I mean ANY) thoughts, ideas and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Here is a little video montage I put together with some feedback gathered that day. It’s too long, but I think it gives an overall feel for what many thought. But it’s tough to give “constructive criticism” with a camera in your face. PLEASE let us have some, it’s the only way to make the next event better!

#REbcPhx on Flickr

For those of us taking photos of REBarCamp-Phoenix activities, we’ve added a #rebcphx group on Flickr.  We would like to encourage everyone to add your pictures to the group and of course, take a look  at all the others that are there. 

Don’t forget to tag your photo with the ” #rebcphx ” hashtag.  Believe it or not, it really does come in handy when searching for like photos. 

Interesting that the event hasn’t even happened yet and already we have some great photos!

#rebcphx is gonna rock!

Free Parking in and Around Scottsdale Stadium

If Scottsdale Stadium, Home of the San Francisco Giants, can accommodate the parking needs of 13,000 baseball fans, then parking certainly will not be an issue for us

With this in mind, we just wanted to provide you with some ideas for free parking in and around Scottsdale Stadium

Registration will be set up at the south entrance (nearest the team shop). There are approximately 150 parking spaces in the stadium lot.

Other options include the Civic Center and the Library – also, free and located just north of the stadium. You’ll need to walk along the sidewalks to the south side of the Stadium, but it’s not a long walk. 

Scottsdale Osborne Hospital is across the street from the Stadium (just to the west), but probably not a good idea to park there … they’re always busy and need the spaces for patients.

Here’s a map of parking that you may find useful. Remember, registration begins around 8:30 with the first session beginning at 9am. 

#rebcphx is gonna rock!

Call for Speakers: RE BarCamp Phoenix 2009

RE BarCamp Phoenix 2009 is less than 4 days away.  We went by Scottsdale Stadium today and made preparations for exactly how we’ll use the available space for the various sessions.  What we’ll have is the team shop, which can handle 200 people, the press box which can handle 50 people, then 2 smaller rooms that can each handle 25 people.  On top of that, we have an awesome networking area with 5 rooms that will handle 5-10 people each, for those smaller more intimate sessions.  Outside those rooms is a large foyer for general networking between sessions, that 50+ folks can mingle in.  Couple that with all of the various patio spaces (it could be hot in the afternoon, so we aren’t relying on them), and there should be plenty of space to accommodate the 250 people we expect in attendance, plus some wiggle room.

The team shop and one of the 25 person rooms will both have projectors, however right now we do not have a wifi solution.  It seems Qwest has decided to stop returning phone calls.  If anyone has a connection at Qwest that will encourage them to call us back, have them call Jay.  It’s not critical, but it would be nice.

This leads us to today’s call to action:  If you are planning to lead a session, please leave a comment here with what you plan to talk about.  When we announced BarCamp, Jay requested this as well, but now that it’s closer, for those that may have been on the fence about presenting, please chime in now.  We’ll be formalizing the majority of the session leaders Thursday morning at 9:30am, but any pre-work we can get done now will help us plan the space, as it is a little spread out, and we recognize the need to “map it out” so to speak.

As a guide, here’s what we’d like to see in your comment:

Presenters Name
Session Title
Description of Session
Do you need a projector?
If you won’t be there all day, please let us know when you can present.

If you cannot be there at 9:30am, when we set the day’s agenda, it’s important we know about your session in advance, so we can slot you in accordingly.

Likewise, if you are attending, and you’d like to hear someone lead a session on a specific topic, please post a comment with what you want to hear about.  Again, Jay asked for this back on February 20.  If you commented on that post, thank you!  You don’t need to comment again.

Session Schedule for RE BarCamp Phoenix

RE BarCamp Phoenix is only a few days away, and if you are attending, you may be thinking, what happens and when?  So here’s the schedule for the day:

8:30a – 9:00a	Registration	Scottsdale Stadium
9:00a – 9:30a	What is Bar Camp?	Scottsdale Stadium
9:30a – 10:00a	Session Scheduling	Scottsdale Stadium
10:00a – 11:00a	Session 1	Scottsdale Stadium
11:00a –11:15a	Break	Scottsdale Stadium
11:15a – 12:15p	Session 2	Scottsdale Stadium
12:15p – 1:00p	Lunch	Scottsdale Stadium
1:00p – 2:00p	Session 3	Scottsdale Stadium
2:00p – 2:15p	Break	Scottsdale Stadium
2:15p – 3:15p	Session 4	Scottsdale Stadium
3:15p – 3:30p	Break	Scottsdale Stadium
3:30p – 4:30p	Session 5	Scottsdale Stadium
4:30p -	#phxafterbar	Salty Seniorita

.
That’s 5 sessions for an hour each.  Those that plan to lead a session now know they have one hour to fill, not 45 minutes and not 75 minutes.  If you can’t make it the entire day (which would be quite a shame), this schedule should help you target an arrival/departure time.

The specifics of who will lead the sessions throughout the day will be set from 9:30a-10:00a. Given that Scottsdale Stadium is a large venue, we plan to allow for as many concurrent sessions as there is both demand and willingness to lead them.  With over 250 registered attendees, it won’t surprise any of us if there are 4 or 5 concurrent sessions throughout the day.  Or even more.  Folks may be talking during a break and then create an impromptu session via their discussion.  That’s cool. Don’t feel like you are “blowing off” something important if that happens.  Likewise, if you are in a session and the value isn’t there, get up and walk over to another one.  That’s part of the magic of BarCamp.

Plus, don’t forget the warm up party at RedPear the night before BarCamp.

See you there!

Stacey Harmon on RE Bar Camp Phoenix

I had the pleasure of meeting Stacey Harmon at Inman Connect in New York City in January. She’s a smart one, and a terrific person (even if she struggles with luggage and getting on trains….)

I was thrilled when I heard she was coming to Phoenix for Bar Camp!

Here’s a post she just wrote about a session she is going to hold –titled “Nuts and Bolts – How to Get Started in Social Media”.

YOU TOO can hold a session! Or just attend. Or hang in the halls and talk to people. It’s your “conference”, you can really make it into whatever you need!

Raillife Reveals Thoughts on RE BarCamp

Nick Bastian has done an amazing job conquering a real estate niche here in Phoenix through his presence as Raillife. Here are a few of his thoughts on technology, real estate business, and BarCamp.

You’ve already gone and done what many agents are looking into or aspire to do which is to fully integrate the web and social media into your real estate marketing plan. What was your initial motivation to take that step?

My initial motivation began once I began to fully realize the power of “Google.” People look to the web for their every day information, real estate is no exception to that rule. An agent without an internet presence risks falling behind in today’s market.

What is your advice to those real estate agents looking at their online options?

The number of options be intimidating. Get started with quality options that fit your style.

What are the main factors that have resulted in your online success? What lessons can agents take to avoid some of your mistakes and mirror your biggest wins?

To me, blogging is a very effective way of communicating a message. Don’t try to be all things to all people. Find your niche and have fun.

Most 2.0 Realtors have heard of BarCamps or have even been to one. How would you describe a BarCamp to agents who, so far, haven’t gone through the whole BarCamp experience?

A BarCamp can be a great learning experience for people of all skill levels. The opportunities for hands on, sleeves rolled up advice on guerrilla marketing, technology and social networking skills is priceless.

What are you most looking forward to at Real Estate BarCamp Phoenix?

Phoenix has a large number of very talented people in the social networking and technology space. I am looking forward to learning new techniques to help my business continue to grow.

You can learn more about Nick and Raillife at the Raillife blog or on Twitter. Heck, just RSVP and meet the man face-to-face

After RE BarCamp Phoenix Social Networking #phxafterbar

In the spirit of continuing the fun after RE Bar Camp Phoenix, PhoenixPowerSearch.com is proud to be sponsoring:

This event will take place at Salty Senorita walking distance from Scottsdale Stadium immediately following RE Bar Camp.  There will be 100+ free drink tickets given out at RE Bar Camp as well as some drawings at Salty Senoritas for items including a Flip Camera.

Where: Salty Senorita
        3636 N. Scottsdale Rd. Scottsdale, Arizona

When:   April 23, 2009 5:00pm ish after RE Bar Camp ends

Encouraged to: Use Twitter has tag #phxafterbar to help build a buzz for the after event as well.

It will be a lot of fun to wind down and talk about everything we have learned earlier in the day and share strategies and war stories of doing business in the internet economy.

More Info: Brian@PhoenixPowerSearch.com or 480-650-7712

Tacos and Online Marketing: a REBarCamp Phoenix Exclusive

Tacos can make people do interesting things. Take this video for example: while pow-wowing over tacos, Jay Thompson (PhoenixRealEstateGuy) reveals to Mark Eckenrode (HomeStomper) his tips and insights on online marketing and what he’s most looking forward to at BarCamp.

So, what are you most looking forward to at REBC PHX?

Socializing, Mixing, Networking – the Night Before

Looking for something to do the night before REBarCamp Phoenix?  The really cool folks over at redPear have signed up to host a pre-camp party for us. We’re calling it “Real Estate Pairing”  Get it? redPear and Pair?  Sounds kinda catchy, huh?

Anyways, after a long day at Technopalooza, you’ll definitely be in the mood for some networking, drinking, eating and basically hanging out with some really cool folks.

So – here’s the scoop:

When:  Wednesday, April 22nd

Time:  6pm-9pm

Where:  3224 S Fair Lane, Tempe AZ

Map & Directions:  whereisredpear.com

Why:  Better to ask yourself, “Why not?”

To help us with crowd control, we considered putting a lock box on the front door, but instead we’re asking you to RSVP by leaving a comment below.  This will really help redPear know how much to buy

Cool.