Guess who’s going for FREE?
August 4, 2008
Congratulations to lucky number 88 Gary Lou Allen, Sr. of Century 21 Virginia Beach, VA, our first winner in VAR’s Convention & Expo 2008 giveaway. Gary received a free convention registration valued at $325 and all he had to do was register.
Sign up online today for your chance to receive a FREE REGISTRATION and save up to $355 on your trip to Perfect Opportunities: VAR’s Convention & Expo 2008. The count is close, we’re about 26 registrants away from giving away our next free registration. Register now!
How’s the wireless hotspot at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront?
July 10, 2008
In three words: Not so hot.
We were a bit spoiled last year at the Williamsburg Lodge, where the whole facility was covered with a gratis and strong Wi-Fi signal.
This year, we’re not quite as fortunate. Although the Marriott’s lobby and event areas do have Wi-Fi, there is a fee for use. Virginia Real Estate BloggerCon 3.0 will offer free Wi-Fi for all participants, but that signal will be rolled up after the event has ended, probably by 5:30 p.m. on Friday, September 26. We’ve run the numbers, and providing a free Wi-Fi connection for attendees throughout the convention is simply cost prohibitive.
Alternative internet surfing options:
- VAR’s Cyber Café offers hard-wired computers you can use for free
- Pay for use of the Marriott’s Wi-Fi connection
- Bring a wireless modem
- War drive
We are very sorry for the inconvenience. Trust me: It pains us as much as it pains you.
Why VAR members REALLY come to convention + the Twitterazzi
July 3, 2008
What’s the best reason to come to VAR’s Convention & Expo 2008? It’s pretty simple, actually. You!
The opportunity to network with people like you is the reason that Virginia REALTORS® come to VAR every year. As of July 3, more than 150 people have already taken the plunge and registered.
However, there is a group of VAR members attending VAR’s Convention & Expo this year that requires special mention: The Virginia REALTOR® Twitterazzi.
For the uninitiated, Twitter is a kind of social networking site based on text messaging. There is a rather sizable contingent of REALTORS® using Twitter, and Virginia REALTORS® are notorious for their sheer numbers. You can meet them IRL (that stands for In Real Life) at VAR’s Convention & Expo 2008. Without futher ado, here are the Virginia REALTOR® Twitterazzi who are planning to be there.
Confirmed Twitterazzi:
@tonyarko
@nrvliving
@mattrathbun
@drewfristoe
@hthrflynn
@jaemery
@danilob
@jimduncan
@realestatezebra
@candylynn
@scottprogers
@bryanpenman
@mattwilkins
@sarahstelmok
@winvaliving
@drodio
@novaliving
@johnlauber
@blockrealestate
Twitterazzi who are maybe coming:
@franklyrealty
@livtopraise
@jeffroyce
@rvabusiness
Not to mention, two of our speakers are on Twitter:
@sernovitz
@1000wattMarc
Are you a Virginia REALTOR® Twitterazzi attending the Convention, but not on the list? Or are you a “maybe” who has decided to attend? Leave a comment and I’ll add you lickety-split!
Not a Virginia REALTOR®? We don’t care! Heck, we’re not even holding our convention in Virginia this year! So, this is an open invitation to all mid-Atlantic REALTOR® Twitter users (ahem @dezdaniels, @gotbob, @kimwood, @billlublin, @johnlauber attending, @ravishah, and @sarahwv), you can be a part of the fun, too! You can drive or take the train into Baltimore for a fun-filled tweetup with the notorious Virginia REALTOR® Twitterazzi. If nothing less, please plan to attend our unofficial afterparty on Friday, September 26 at 7 p.m.
Getting a peek behind the curtain: Tale of a first-time VAR Convention attendee
June 27, 2008
Never attended a VAR Convention before? Skeptical that you could possibly get anything out of it?
You’re not alone.
Last year, Danilo Bogdanovic had never thought twice about attending VAR’s Convention & Expo. But now, he sees attending it as a top priority, and he’s even willing to cross a state border to get there!
Read how Danilo’s experience at last year’s Convention set the stage for his future involvement at VAR. The following entry was originally posted by Bogdanovic on VAR’s Convention & Expo 2007 blog in October. His experience helped him realize how crucial it is to be plugged in to REALTOR® association activities. In fact, Danilo went from skeptic to supporter in just a few short days at VAR’s Convention & Expo 2007, and this year you can actually see him teach a session along with fellow Loudoun County REALTOR® Tony Arko. Here are his thoughts at the conclusion of last year’s event:
Not sure how many of you have been to the VAR Convention before, but this was my first time here so I had no idea what to expect. Though there were a variety of things I learned and took home from the convention, the biggest thing I got out of the experience was a better understanding of what VAR’s role was and that VAR actually cared very much about it members (yes, I was a skeptic up until very recently).
VAR does seem to care about what it’s members think and how they feel on issues as illustrated by it’s staff, management and board members - they took the time to stop by, listen to and engage with myself and others in discussions about everything ranging from disclosure issues on blogs to VAR’s desire for increased interaction with members and it’s role in the future. This kind of forward thinking and interaction is exactly what VAR needs to help retain it’s current members and attract new ones, as well as help it’s Realtor members remain competitive and efficient in their business.
Thank you to everyone at VAR for putting this together and helping to change my views. Definitely looking forward to the next VAR Convention and BloggerCon being even bigger and better.
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VAR's Convention & Expo Experience
