When Greg and I visit Las Vegas we most always stay at The Orleans-Greg’s casino of choice located off West Tropicana. He reserved our room for $35 a night for this stay-awesome. It had changed a little by adding a Chocolate Connection, Baskin Robbins, Fudruckers, and Sbaro. Greg eats most of his meals at The Courtyard so he can play Keno.

March 2 was spent registering and organizing classes. That afternoon I attended Pat Zaby’s class on Marketing. It was very informative and pertinent to selling real estate in Madison and Huntsville, Al. I was so impressed I purchased his Marketing Library. The next class, Build Your Business By Working with Builders was equally impressive by Dennis Walsh was equally informative and prompted my to sign up for the classes for the designations RCC-Residential Construction Certified and CNHS-Certified New Home Specialist. In the future if you or a friend is planning to purchase or build a new home, call me. I will be professionally trained to represent you through the process from start to finish.

March 3: The day started at a Networking Breakfast. The food in Las Vegas is always top notch. I sat at a table with Realtors from Canada, California, and Colorado. Greg and I attended the opening session in MGM’s Grand Garden Arena. The exciting beginning to the conference featured a professional group wearing rain gear, dancing to “Riding the Storm Out” , ending with fireworks and escorting Dave Liniger on stage to “Let the Sunshine in.” We learned to be thankful for real estate in Huntsville, Al. We are fortunate to only have a sprinkle of the storms much of the U.S. are experiencing. Christopher Gardner, the featured speaker, spoke on “Breaking Cycles.” If you have the chance to hear Mr. Gardner speak-do it. The movie “The Pursuit of Happiness” with Will Smith is a true story of his life. I haven’t seen it, but I will.

The afternoon was spent networking and walking through the trade show and attending the classes on “Be the Agent that Buyers Want and Need”- Curtis Hall, “The Art and Science of Prospecting”-Cheryl Fairbanks, and “Market Proof Your Business”-Craig Proctor. The night was spent walking the strip and enjoying the lights. Las Vegas has to be the most colorful place in the world. Greg is always reminding me that tourist are hurt or die most often by looking at the lights and sights and not looking at where they are walking.

Wednesday’s featured speakers were Andy Andrews and Howard Brittan-both colorful and inspirational. Lunch was highlighted by a fashion show benefiting the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. (Support of breast cancer awareness.) The highlighted models were RE/MAX agents who were cancer survivors. I was privileged to break bread and network with agents from Honduras, Texas, Finland, Michigan and Florida. The afternoon included the classes “Enriching Your Career” and learning about the upcoming Re/MAX web design changes. On the trip to LV I received a call from Vicki Nellis from Northern Virginia concerning a referral for a client moving to Madison, AL . Vicki won 8th in residential sales in the US at the “Night of the Stars” program this night. Congratulations Vicki!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday March 5

“What Motivates Buying and Selling Homes for Gen X” by Cam Marston was the topic for the morning General Session. He had all of us laughing one minute and crying the next as he spoke about how to motivate the different generations of buyers. This was a timely topic for selling real estate in Madison and Huntsville, Al considering we have college graduates to retirees purchasing home in our North Alabama area. The afternoon sessions I chose to attend were “Utilizing Leadstreet to Enhance Your Business,” “LinkedIn 101,” and “the Assistance of Assistant.” The LinkedIn class was especially timely considering the present use of internet networks. I now have an information over load. The rest of the afternoon was spent at the Trade Show learning more about the many choices and advantages of the different products and opportunities offered to help sell Madison and Huntsville, Al. real estate.