Education, Training, Conferences, Awards

For the next few days Realtor executives across the country will be watching the Realtors Triple Play convention in Atlantic City, a huge regional conference hosted by the New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania Realtor associations that replaces each states' individual convention.

If the Triple Play is as successful as many think it will be -- the associations expect more than 8,000 Realtors and associates to the attend the sessions -- it could serve as a model for state associations nationwide to link up into regional meetings in the future.

Organizers cite a number of benefits to sectional meetings, not the least of which is profitability.

Triple Play has booked about 250 exhibitors to its trade show. Booth space is considered inexpensive enough to attract both top regional vendors and national sponsors. Exhibitors include the likes of Fannie Mae and Stewart Title on down to local mortgage companies.

The meeting is less expensive to attend than the NAR's annual meeting, likely boosting overall attendance. Typically, Realtors will be able to drive to the convention, rather than deal with air travel. Also, since attendees can control their arrival and departure times, hotel costs can be shaved.

Also, because the show is becoming large, it is attracting top speakers from around the country, including Howard Brinton, Bill Barrett and Allen Hainge.

About 25 sessions will be held that offer continuing education credit. Bruce Aydt, a Realtor from St. Louis, will be conducting sessions on Fair Housing and other topics and seminar leader Michael Merin will be teaching on negotiating skills.

The keynote address will be given today (Tuesday, Dec. 5) by internationally known Internet guru Stefan Swanepoel, founder of 9Keys Inc. and author of numerous publications on real estate, the Web and the future of the industry.

Also speaking will be Julie Garton-Good, founder of the new National Association of Real Estate Consultants. Garton-Good will be lecturing on the business potential of unbundling services.

The official hosts of the meeting are New Jersey Association of Realtors President Joseph H. Harrigan; New York State Association of Realtors President George K. Wonica; and Pennsylvania Association of Realtors President Jerry Y. Speer.

Observers close to the convention say a date has not been set yet for the 2001 meeting, primarily because they want to see the results of this year's meeting. There already is talk of inviting additional New England states to join next year. Realtor executives from others parts of the country also are said to have expressed interest in the operations of the meeting.

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