It’s no secret that forging new connections at in-person events can help to grow your business. Nothing sets you up for success like learning the habits and best practices of more experienced agents, brokers and other housing professionals.
While your online presence is crucial to your success, each real estate event or conference on our list can help you stay current with the latest market, tech and industry trends, build your skills and expertise, and expand your referral network. Here’s a look at 11 real estate conferences and events that should be on your radar this year.
Summary
1. The Gathering by HousingWire
Open the door to the most powerful room in housing as prominent executives share the 1% of their story that you won’t hear anywhere else. The Gathering by HousingWire brings together some of the industry’s most influential leaders across the housing industry.
With an emphasis on growth and progress, The Gathering offers excellent opportunities to connect with housing leaders, executives and rising stars. Here, you can make connections, learn, and explore solutions to the housing industry’s most critical challenges and promising opportunities.
Date: April 21-24, 2024
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Ticket Price: Tickets cost $2,150 for professionals or $3,150 for technology and solution partners, as well as those who do not represent a licensed mortgage or real estate firm.
What we love: We are biased but The Gathering pulls from a wide net. The three-day conference welcomes all housing industry professionals, including mortgage banking and servicing executives, investors and issuers, real estate brokers, top producers, technology innovators, and policymakers to its roster. Finding so many industry perspectives in one housing event allows attendees to get a 360-degree, full picture of our industry.
Link to register
2. Realtors® Legislative Meetings 2024
Real estate gets a unique Washington twist at Realtors® Legislative Meetings, the annual conference held by the National Association of Realtors®. This unique conference combines forums, educational sessions, and meetings with Capitol Hill representatives. It also features a trade expo. Highlights include product demonstrations, presentations, and networking opportunities. With more than 9,000 attendees and 50+ speakers, there’s something for everyone.
Date: May 4-9, 2024
Location: Washington, D.C.
Ticket Price: While it’s free for NAR members, non-members can purchase tickets to the conference for $125 or $40 for the expo only. Guests of NAR members can enter for free. If you’re a member of the Women’s Council of REALTORS®, tickets cost $350 through 5/6 or $375 on-site. Those tickets, which have a unique conference registration option, allow access to WCR programming (excluding ticketed events), NAR sessions, and the expo.
What we love: Attendees interested in rubbing shoulders with those involved in the governance of the NAR and who volunteer on association committees will have plenty of opportunities to do so.
Link to register
3. New York Real Estate Forum
If you want to learn from some of the industry’s top leaders, The Real Deal’s NYC Real Estate Forum taps into residential, commercial, and everything in between. With a strong emphasis on networking, the event also features fascinating panel conversations, including one covering what needs to happen to boost the city’s dwindling housing supply, an issue affecting our industry nationwide.
Date: May 8, 2024
Location: New York City
Ticket Price: General admission is $125, while VIP is $250. There’s also a group ticket option for $100 each for groups of 6.
What we love: If you don’t have several days to dedicate to a real estate event, the New York Real Estate Forum packs a punch into one 24-hour period.
Link to register
4. Buffini and Company Mastermind Summit
Professional success and personal growth can go hand in hand. If you’re looking for a fresh dose of inspiration that emphasizes the power of community, the Buffini and Company Mastermind Summit will use the powerful motivational tools the company is known for to assist in boosting your career. While the event draws from all different professional realms, the opportunity to network with fellow agents navigating the same hurdles as you can be tremendously valuable.
Date: August 6-7, 2024
Location: San Diego, CA
Ticket Price: $795 for general seating or $995 for premium seating.
What we love: While plenty of the event’s speakers, including Brian Buffini himself, are from the real estate realm, the opportunity to hear from boundary-breakers from outside the industry is particularly attractive. This year’s event includes Life is Good co-founder Bert Jacobs and blind adventurer Eric Weihemayer. Another bonus: childcare is available.
Link to register
5. Tom Ferry’s Success Summit
Tom Ferry’s Success Summit refers to itself as “three days of real estate rocket fuel,” and for good reason. The invigorating event series, which promises to reach everything from motivational tactics to marketing strategies, provides participants with the opportunity to “surround yourself with like minds, with a common purpose, that’s what winners do,” as it states in the promotional video on the Success Summit website.
Date: August 27-29, 2024
Location: Dallas, TX
Ticket Price: General admission tickets are $599, while VIP tickets, which provide bonuses like a backstage tour and merchandise, are $1,599. However, coaching members do receive discounted tickets, so make sure to log into the member center before purchasing your tickets to claim your special pricing. Another bonus? There’s a money-back guarantee if you didn’t find the experience worthwhile.
What we love: Instead of focusing on a “you vs. everybody else” mentality, the Success Summit emphasizes self-improvement. With a focus on a growth mindset, the summit takes on an attitude of “you vs. you” and on improving upon the person you were when you walked through the doors.
Link to Register
Jump to virtual event details.
4. REimagine! Conference and Expo
California, here we go. Hosted by the California Association of Realtors, REimagine! Conference and Expo brings top industry leaders together in an inclusive environment that welcomes everyone from seasoned agents to newbies.
Date: September 24-26, 2024
Location: Long Beach, CA
Ticket Price: TBD
What we love: REimagine! Has a keen understanding of how important social media and marketing is to your personal brand. Don’t hesitate to check out their diverse panels that will help you grow your business with insight from experts.
Link to register
Registration opens in early May.
7. LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance 2024 Conference
Inclusive networking is the name of the game at the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance 2024 Conference. Filled with insights from cutting-edge industry experts, the annual event includes empowering educational sessions and speakers and a celebratory environment that honors the achievements of professionals within the community. The event also has a mission: to support the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance, which aims to promote equality, diversity, and inclusive practices within the real estate sector.
Date: September 25-27, 2024
Location: Las Vegas, NH
Ticket Price: Prices are not yet listed.
What we love: Open to all, this event is ideal for those interested in promoting DEI in our industry or looking to expand their network in the LGBTQ+ real estate community. This event is a guaranteed hit and there’s also a closing night gala!
Link to register
8. NAR NXT, The Realtor® Experience
Fifteen thousand attendees will head to the Bay State to attend NAR NXT, The Realtor® Experience this fall. NAR NXT is all about looking forward and brings together real estate agents, brokers and real estate technology companies. In addition to the NAR governance meetings and education sessions, there’s always a variety of social events that provide attendees with tools for boosting their careers. Expect plenty of opportunities to have fun surrounded by other real estate professionals. Another bonus: you cannot to be in Boston for the event, virtual attendance is an option.
Date: November 8-10, 2024
Location: Boston, MA
Ticket Price: Rates are not yet listed, but should be soon.
What we love: The speaker lineup for NAR NXT is always a must — last year’s event in California featured actress Mindy Kaling and football legend Kurt Warner.
Link to register
Jump to virtual event details
9. Triple Play 2024
One of the largest real estate conventions and trade shows in America, Triple Play draws heavily from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Eighty-seven percent of the 2022 convention attendees specialized in residential real estate, making this an ideal venue for building a referral network with agents in neighboring states.
Date: December 9-12, 2024
Location: Atlantic City, NJ
Ticket Price: Rates are not yet listed, but should be soon.
What we love: If you want a recap of the sessions you attended, the Playback Fast Pass and Season Pass include audio streaming and downloads for every presentation from the Triple Play Convention.
Link to register — While you cannot yet register for the 2024 event, you can join this mailing list to get notified when registration opens.
11. Virtual Conferences
While live events are very important to the success of agents and brokers, virtual events also have tremendous value. Accessible to people in any location as long as they have an internet connection, virtual events provide many of the same components as live ones. Here are a few of our favorites:
Tom Ferry’s Success Summit
There’s a virtual option for Tom Ferry’s Success Summit, which takes place August 22-24, 2024. If you’re looking for a heavy dose of motivation but need to be behind your laptop, it’s a reliable option.
Levi Lascsak
YouTube all-star Levi Lascsak, author of Passive Prospecting, hosts 2-day virtual events that help real estate professionals embrace the video platform. you wanting to level up your video marketing game with one of real estate social media’s brightest stars, it might an excellent place to connect virtually with other agents.
NAR NXT, The Realtor® Experience
As mentioned above this fall’s NAR NXT, The Realtor® Experience is a live event. However, its virtual component is a big bonus for anyone who can’t go to Boston. Taking place Nov. 8-10, the big event will bring agents, brokers and real estate technology companies together, no matter their physical location.
Tips for Networking at Real Estate Events and Conferences
Do your research
A lot of real estate events and conferences allow you to browse a database of attendees ahead of time. Is there another agent you’d like to meet? Take a look at the database, and reach out to ask if they would be interested in grabbing a coffee or a drink. By planning ahead, you can spend your time more efficiently.
Think of a few conversation starters
Not all conversations have to be awkward! Before you head to each event, consider a few talking points to lean on during moments when you’re looking to build connections. Whether it’s sports, notes from the previous speaker, or a geographical connection, having a few topics in your arsenal prepares you for success.
Leverage social media
While social media is essential for agents and brokers no matter their location, making use of it at events and conferences is a different — but incredibly useful — beast. Since people at events and conferences often check in or use specific hashtags to signify that they’re at certain breakout sessions or speaker events, don’t hesitate to leverage that as an opportunity to interact. People attend these events to actively build their contact base, so they won’t find it unusual to hear from you.
Make the most of your downtime
Whether it’s time between speakers or arriving early to see what other go-getters are on deck, your downtime at a real estate event can be spent networking. When you have those slim pockets of downtime, do your best to interact with fellow attendees. Maybe it’s turning to the person next to you in the coffee line, or saying hello to someone next to you in the five minutes between breakout sessions. While it’s easy to get sucked into your iPhone, that’s not what you’re there for.
Put your hand out
People will never forget the way you treat them. Being friendly and welcoming is one of the most memorable ways to make a presence and build connections. When you’re chatting with the people you meet at events, be an avid listener who’s engaged in the conversation. That’s something people will never forget.
Rely on the classics
While connecting via social media is essential, don’t avoid the value of having a high-quality business card. From the paper stock to your branding, having a physical reminder will help you stay connected t with other agents. Of course, you’ll get the opportunity and information to follow up afterward, but swapping business cards is always a great conversation starter.
Don’t forget to have fun!
People want to be surrounded by those who are having fun. By demonstrating that you’re enjoying yourself, you’re increasing the potential for expanding and bolstering your referral network.
Don’t underestimate the power of human interaction. Real estate events and conferences allow agents and brokers from different walks of life to gather, network, and ultimately, become stronger in their field. No matter your location, consider attending an in-person event in 2024. Whether it’s learning about the latest research and trends or simply connecting with other agents, each interaction you have is an opportunity to learn from other agents, build a referral network, and take your career to the next level.
