Last Minute National Speaker ~ Doug Devitre

Doug Devite signed up to attend RE BarCamp St. Louis right away when we announced the date, but then he ended up with a paid training gig and he had to cancel.

Doug hails from St. Louis and has so much good information to share that we were really bummed.

Doug and I got creative and we found a way to make it work.

You’ll have to check back tomorrow to find out what we have up our sleeves!

Get Connected!

We’ve got free WiFi access at the Syndicate, our event location this year.

So…

Bring your computer.

Bring your tablet.

Bring your smartphone.

And don’t forget to tweet it out with the hashtag #REBCSTL.

 

Breakout Session Presenters ~ Information You Need to Know

Everyone attending a RE BarCamp event is expected to participate either by volunteering to help with the event, presenting a topic, leading a discussion or actively engaging in the sessions they attend.

If you planned to come and sit at the back of the room quietly, think again. While everyone won’t feel comfortable leading a session, we want you to really consider giving it a go if you know a lot about a topic that could benefit other real estate professionals.

Who Should Present a Session:

You should!

If you have an interest and knowledge in any of these topics, we want you to share what you know or facilitate a discussion.

• Photography
• Video
• Podcasts
• QR codes
• Websites or blogging
• Email marketing
• Social media
• Geo location services
• Using apps
• Tablets or smartphones
• Cloud based computing
• File sharing or backups
• Transaction management or e-transactions
• Craigslist tips
• Online reviews
• Converting clients
• Database management
• IDX – home searches

You get the idea. The list is completely open. If you are doing something that you think would benefit other agents, sign up when you arrive to teach a session.

It’s ok if you have never taught a session before. This is your chance to give it a try.

Nitty Gritty Info for Presenters:

If you plan to be a presenter, please keep this in mind:

• Breakout sessions are 45 minutes long.
• Most sessions will be in rooms without any AV equipment (projectors/screens).
• Sessions that really need visuals to get across points will be assigned to a room with a projector, but space for these rooms is very limited and not guaranteed…plan accordingly!
• Powerpoint presentations are discouraged.
• If you want to give out handouts, bring copies. A better solution would be to upload the handout online where people can go to download it.
• Most sessions should be facilitated discussions – make your session interactive!
• Session size can vary from 10-50 people and most will be held in staged condos in the living room. If you have a small group, take advantage of the chance to delve deeply into your subject.
• WiFi access IS available in the building but there is no guarantee that signals will be strong in all rooms.
• RE BarCamp is about giving the attendees what they want…if they take your topic in a direction you hadn’t planned, go with it.
• Attendees are encourage to duck out and try a different session if the topic they chose isn’t engaging them. Don’t get insulted.

How to Sign Up:

When you arrive at RE BarCamp on October 20, you’ll head to the registration table. You’ll be handed a piece of paper which asks you if you want to present anything. If you do, here’s what you’ll need to fill out the form:

• Session Topic/Title
• VERY short description of what your session will cover
• Your name
• Your email
• Your cell phone number
• Your website address (to be published on the website so people can contact you later)
• If you require a projector to effectively cover your topic (requesting one does not guarantee one!)

If your session is best suited for beginners or advanced users, please be sure to let us know.

You DO NOT need to let us know in advance that you plan to present or get your topic approved.

How will I know when I’m teaching and where to go?

Once we’ve put together the schedule, we’ll text you the time and room of your session. If you don’t get a text and asked to teach, please stop by the registration table to find out if you are on the schedule or we simply didn’t have space for your session.

Special Message for Vendors:

Let me be very clear…this is a non-selling event. Under no circumstances should you plan to talk about your product or services and tell people you are available for hire.

Don’t plan a session explaining how your company can help people be better agents or talk about something else but try to sneak in a 5 minute pitch at the end.

Here is what you CAN do.

You can talk about how products like yours AND your competitors can be used to help agents succeed. You can skip talking about your product at all, and instead talk about your use of technology or marketing practices. You CAN tell people what you sell in the process of explaining how you market your services.

Here are some ways you could present that would not violate the non-selling rule.

• You sell promotional items that would be good as closing gifts. You lead a discussion on how you build relationships with real estate offices and agents to get them to try your products, and how agents could use your techniques build relationships with potential buyers/sellers.
• You are a website designer. You show people examples of template websites, custom sites, blogs, static websites. You might show one of your custom websites as an example, and you mention that the site is one you built for a client.
• You are a lender. You talk about the importance of getting potential buyers on a drip campaign such as your Scouting Report OR Listingbook or a MLS client portal cart. The point here is that you can give tips that would benefit someone regardless of which system they used rather than talking about how your system has features that the other ones don’t.
• You handle short sales. You talk with agents about tips that you’ve found effective at getting banks to cooperate or you talk about how you manage complex transactions using a transaction management system.

You get the idea. You’ll naturally need to explain what you do in order to give examples of how you do it. Just make what you do a side note and not a pitch. The best way to get people to hire you is to be helpful and offer them good information. If they are impressed with you and need your services, they’ll find you.