BR,SP & HF @ ICNY

Readers of Carp’s Corner know that I try to focus on three things each and every day; building relationships, solving problems and having fun. Well, this last week I was in New York City for the annual Real Estate Connect conference presented by the fine folks at Inman News. Also known as “Inman Connect New York” (or ICNY for short) it was very easy to pinpoint how my interactions and activities fell into each of those three categories.

Building Relationships at ICNY

Each day I try to create a new relationship with someone I have not met or deepen a relationship with someone I already know. Many of the attendees at this year’s event are regular attendees of Inman Events (NYC in January, San Francisco in summer and additional events throughout the year) so I’ve had the chance to get to know them over the years since I attended my first Inman event in 2011. (Thanks Katie & Chris and Debra for referring me).

My Inman friends like Dane, Jeff, Joe, Chris, Aaron, John, Sam, Rob and Peter are people I would do anything for – in business and in life. The Ambassador connections I have like Laura, Alyssa, Rosemary, Linda, Kelly, Tiffany, Jacy, Tara & Nikki are some of the most genuine and beautiful people I will ever call friends.

This year I met knew connections like Valerie (Oh Canada!), Bret (Go Gators), Karlton, Elza, Leighton, Marci and Gina and developed new relationships with other attendees, vendors and Inman staff members.

In real estate, the houses are just the widgets we work with. What is really important are the people who live IN the houses. It’s the relationships we have with the buyers and sellers and the other people involved with a real estate transaction that make us successful or not. Well, the “success” of someone’s participation in an event like Inman Connect is 100% dependent on your ability to reach out, shake hands, break bread and share cocktails with people. The conference is focused on real estate and technology and how they “connect” but I’m certain that when founder Brad Inman created Connect, there was a deeper meaning of how this event connects one person to the next.

Solving Problems at ICNY

This year’s theme was “How To.” Almost every speaker, breakout panel or conversation revolved around the idea of how to get something done. It’s not uncommon at events like this to have speakers and guests talk about WHAT they’ve done but rarely do they share HOW they did it.

From the show opener Alexis Ohanian from Reddit to the Day 2 “Indie Brokers panelist” including Brian Copeland, Raj Qsar and Susana Murphy or final day participants like Leigh Brown, this year’s speakers were completely transparent in their discussions. They not only shared WHAT worked for them and HOW they did it, but the deeper WHY behind the actions and WHERE those efforts have taken them. WHO else besides me thinks that’s pretty neat?

Oh, there was other less “business-related” problem solving occurring all week such as how to attend three or more  vendor parties when they are all hosted the same night; the delicate balance between one’s desire to respect your 2015 health resolutions and the utter enjoyment of cheesecake from Juniors; or staying out late or… staying out later? New York is truly the city that never sleeps, even when I was forced to “shut down”  due to an approaching blizzard that turned out to be the most overhyped thing to hit Broadway since Footloose. In the words of Brad Inman at the opening session, “If that was a blizzard, I’m Brad Pitt.”

If you want more insights to some of the amazing content shared at Inman Connect, jump on Twitter and search #ICNY or just join Inman Select and get updates on what’s happening in and around the real estate industry.

Having Fun at ICNY

Q: How do you get 1,500+ Realtors, brokers and vendors to have a good time in New York City?
A: Get 1,500+ Realtors, brokers and vendors together in New York City!

As the attendees juggled travel schedules, changed flights and even modes of transportation, the beginning of the week was a real life version of Planes, Trains and Automobiles. My roommate for the week, Dane Briggs from Phoenix, enjoyed such an adventure it earned him a lifetime pass to future Inman events that was awarded for the “Craziest Travel Story.” (Anytime you take a $600 ride in a Prius, driven by a Haitian cabbie, from Hartford, Connecticut to Manhattan in a Level 3 snow storm you’re almost a shoe-in for the prize, right?)

Whether it was in the hotel lobby, local pubs or at the NYC home of Brad and Yaz Inman, there was more laughter and smiles shared between attendees than the number of snowflakes that actually ever fell on Times Square last week. We shared meals together at Gaggyl events (thanks Sarah & Zach) and lunch breaks in Hell’s Kitchen, grabbed coffee anywhere from Starbucks to the concierge lounge at the Marriott Marquis and mingled with each other before, during and after the daily sessions, often carrying the conversations with us to happy hour, dinner or a late-night LobbyCon. I connected with people from Ohio to Omaha, from Boston to Austin and even some Aussies I’ll forever call friends…or is it “mates”? Shoot, I’m jet-lagged just from thinking about all the relationships built, problems solved and fun we had.

The great news is that even though we’ve all returned to our personal homes, offices, companies and countries, we’ll be able to continue to build relationships, solve problems and have fun both on-line and off. After all, that’s what being “connected” is all about.