• Tweet
• Share
• Email

• Tweet
• Share
• Email

I’m just back from “Round 2″ of Inman News‘ Real Estate Connect San Francisco.

Return to the City by the Bay

My recap post from my inaugural ICSF experience last year remains one of my most “Liked” blogs of all time.

Why? I am speculating, of course, but I think it was – more than anything else – the TITLE of the post: “Meeting Old Friends for the First Time.”

I think that idea resonated with people.

The thought that we CAN come to know people online..

…and that we can expand our networks infinitely using Social Media and technology…

…and that we CAN “cement” those relationships by meeting face to face.

It’s the PEOPLE

Because, at the end of  it all, what makes these Connect events so special – beyond the tech, beyond the tools, beyond the toys, beyond all things “cool” and “new” and “shiny” – is the amazing collection of industry people who show up. THAT is what makes Connect so memorable and so “must attend.”

To reinforce this point, watch the video below. I interviewed a number of people randomly, and what you will see is 100% of the content I captured (with VERY minor editing).

As you will note, over and over again, you hear comments about THE PEOPLE and THE CONNECTIONS and THE RELATIONSHIPS.

Four Top Takeaways

All that being said (and watched), here are my top four ICSF 2011 Takeaways:

1. Three rockin’ events: Agent Reboot, Data Summit and the main event, Real Estate Connect, were all three smash hits. There was an energy in all three that just rolled from one event to the next. Major kudos to everyone at Inman News (see next point) for putting on not one, not two but THREE great events in one week.
2. 
   
   Inman crew is top notch: I had the pleasure of meeting even more of the Inman crew while on this trip. I’ve now met Tim Smith (@Inman_Tim), Will Hansen (@Inman_Will), Tracy Weir (@TracyWeir), Alice Myerhoff (@Motodot) and the man himself, Brad Inman (@BradInman). And I have gotten to know Chris Smith (@Chris_Smth), Katie Lance (@KatieLance) and Madelyn Mock quite well. And I can tell you that this is a first-class, smart, understated, savvy group of professionals very deserving of the success they are having. And my strong suspicion is that they are just getting started.
3. Chris CRUSHED: Continuing the prior point, as I’ve blogged before, Chris Smith’s hiring at Inman (that’s him at right)  was a big deal in the Social/Real Estate world. It created a lot of buzz, and rightfully so. As such, Connect was Chris’ true “coming out party,” and I am sure that many were watching to see how he’d handle the big lights, intensity and pressure of a top-tier industry event of this caliber. And I am here to report that, from where I sat, he absolutely crushed it. He’s a natural performer on the big stage, and I am certain that the decision makers at Inman are very pleased to have this guy on their team right now. (Also, one more time,  big ups to Brad Inman for tapping Chris as Chief Evangelist; I think it was a masterstroke. I also think this could usher in an era of companies engaging tribe-builders in C-level positions to better leverage the opportunity that Social Media affords every savvy brand that sees the future like Brad obviously does.)
4. F2F FTW: As already stated, the number one takeaway I heard over and over: F2F is still the biggest “benefit” people get from the Connect events. Here’s a Tweet from Jeff Turner (@ResPres) in reinforcement of this point:

Relationships Still Drive Everything

As I look back on this post as drafted so far, it is somewhat jarring that I’ve written not one word about technology.

And that’s NOT because there wasn’t great content about technology at Connect…there was, and it was everywhere. HootSuite. AirBnb. Cloud-based brokerages. And SO much more.

It was a literal tech-stravaganza. And that part was truly awesome.

But it all takes a back seat to the people.

Because, no matter how much technology evolves and morphs and changes our lives…at the root of it all, relationships still drive everything. They just do.

I’m already counting the days until Inman Real Estate Connect New York in January of 2012.

I can’t wait to see my people again…