I was very lucky to have been part of the Ray White Group team that attended the Inman Real Estate Connect conference in San Francisco from 1-3 August.

The conference is the largest real estate technology conference internationally and attracts attendees from the US, UK, Europe and Australasia.

The Ray White contingent for this event was significant, 16 in total. The greatest benefit of us all being there at one time was the conversation that occurred between events and into the evening.

We spent the day before the conference at Google. What a great day. A true highlight for me to see this campus and to walk around all those clever people. Read more about that day in my earlier post.

The conference itself was action packed.

Key messages from the 3 days were:

  1. Mobile is king. Apps just form part of your overall mobile presence.
    Next year, mobile and tablet sales will out perform desktops!
    People expect the full experience on mobile, a “lite” version does not cut it!
  2. Big Data – I personally don’t like to overuse of this term now, gives me thoughts of “CLOUD”… but it is important
    Big Data is simply any amount of data above what you can currently consume effectively. Is different for individual circumstances.
    The potential power of understanding this is huge.
    Case study showed how property prices increased by following traffic flows from several off ramps near by. Increased traffic -> increased employment -> increased house prices. Amazing.
  3. Video. Are you doing video? If not, you will be irrelevant in 12 months.
    Video is now easy. iPad/mobile apps can create professional quality videos in minutes.
    Be personal. Video is a chance to express your personality and professionalism. Much more effective than testimonials for building trust with clients.
Plus “ONE MILLION” apps going around as you would expect at a technology conference.
Some ones to try include:
  1. Videolicious – Video creation on the ipad – requires 5.1.1 http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/videolicious/id400853498?mt=8
  2. Field Agent 2 – Mobile Property Management app http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/field-agent/id375913374?mt=8
  3. Houzz – Beware, seriously addictive design, architecture, home app – Don’t say I didn’t warn you http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/houzz-interior-design-ideas/id399563465?mt=8