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

Twitterazzi who are maybe coming:
@blockrealestate
@franklyrealty
@tinainvirginia
@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, @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.

There’s a session at VAR’s Convention & Expo just for you! It’s called Social Media for the Technologically Challenged and it’s on Saturday, September 27 at 2 p.m.

This session with Tony Arko and Danilo Bogdanovic, two boots-on-the-floor REALTORS® who are raking in clients using social media marketing, will demonstrate how agents can profit from a well-implemented social media marketing strategy. You’ll learn the difference between the many types of social media sites, and how to use them to increase your real estate business. Arko and Bogdanovic promise to help you increase your referral business and sphere of influence by becoming a trusted real estate expert through social media marketing.

This session will help you get past the theoretical so that you can start deploying these powerful relationship-building tools in your business.

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.

You can purchase a one-day pass for VAR’s Convention & Expo 2008 for as low as $145. Here are summaries of what you can expect on the days for which a one-day pass is available:

Friday, September 26 (full schedule)
Unofficially, I’m calling Friday “Fun Day.” Here are some of the highlights:

• First timer coffee hour
• Trend/Countertrend keynote with Robyn Waters
• Virginia Real Estate BloggerCon 3.0
• Out of the Cockpit and Into the Cabin with Marc Davison
• A New Look At Buyer Agency: Putting the Client First with Lem Marshall
• Expo Hall Grand Opening Reception
• Late night afterparty with Rapport (unofficial event)

Saturday, September 27 (full schedule)
And I’m calling Saturday “WOM & Networking Day.” No, it’s not as catchy as Fun Day, I know. This fact notwithstanding, here are the Saturday highlights:

• Breakfast in the Expo Hall
• Word of Mouth Marketing keynote with Andy Sernovitz
• Social Media for the Technologically Challenged with Tony Arko & Danilo Bogdanovic
• Pump Up Your Referral Network: Speed Networking
• Death, Divorce and Bankruptcy: Are You Ready for Some Football? with Lem Marshall
• Inaugural Party, a harbor cruise to toast 2009 VAR President, John Powell (extra fee if buying a one-day pass, included with full convention registration)
• Spontaneous, unscripted post-Inaugural Party merrymaking and hijinx (unofficial event)

Sunday, September 28 (full schedule)
I call Sunday “Short Day.” Not because you can wear shorts (well, who’s gonna stop you, really), but because it’s only half a day. Here’s what you get for your one half-day registration (as low as $45).

• REALTOR® of the Year presentation
• Get Back in the Box: Innovation from the Inside Out with Douglas Rushkoff

So of course, hypothetically speaking, if you can’t attend all of VAR’s Convention & Expo 2008, clearly you have options. And some very good ones, at that.

VAR’s Convention & Expo 2008 marks the final year of a policy adopted by our policy board several years ago that says VAR’s Convention & Expo will be in-state two years and out-of-state (within reasonable driving distance) the next. The purpose of that policy when it was adopted reflected the will of those members who actually attended Convention; surveys showed they preferred the occasional out-of-state location. It was also a strategic move that acknowledged that if we wanted other states to site their convention in Virginia, we should occasionally site ours in theirs (in recent years, North Carolina, NAR and Tennessee have hosted events in our state).

Our record since adopting the policy shows that our conventions are not as well attended when we’re out-of-state. However, as you’d expect, the hotel contracts for events the size of ours are signed well in advance of the actual year of the event, and we committed to Baltimore awhile back.

That’s why a working group was empanelled last year to evaluate and recommend changes to our convention siting method and schedule in hopes of attracting significantly larger numbers of our members to the event — by making it more convenient, attractive and affordable. That group continues its work, and we expect to have their final recommendations this September. Their interim reports, which have been accepted by our policy board, show that states that hold their convention in the same in-state location at the same general time each year tend to have a larger percentage of our membership attend; their final recommendations may include adopting such a plan. At a minimum, it’s unlikely that we’ll continue to have VAR conventions out-of-state on any regular basis after this year.

If this will be your first VAR Convention & Expo, be sure to attend our First Timer’s Coffee hour at 8 a.m. on Friday, September 26. Bring your business cards and come prepared to revel in your first convention moments with others who are also unsure of what to expect. You’ll meet REALTORS® from all around the state, VAR staff members, as well as VAR members serving in volunteer leadership roles.

If this coffee talk session tickles your fancy, consider attending the speed networking session to make even more contacts during the convention.

Photo credit

Attend 50 New Tools and Technologies For Real Estate with Marc Davison at 3:45 p.m. on Friday, September 26 to learn about 50 nifty new technologies that are either free or super cheap but most importantly, a sure-fire way to evolve your business and cut huge costs. There’s no way you’ve heard of all 50 technologies in this rapid-fire presentation, so you’re bound to leave with at least one new trick to help you get things done faster, cheaper or better. Bottom line? You simply can’t go wrong in this session.

Wear a lei and bring along your ukulele, because the after-party will be held at Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion, just one block away from the front door of the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront. Spread the word to your friends, neighbors and relatives. Everyone’s welcome: We want to see you at Roy’s!

Andy Sernovitz is another VAR Convention & Expo speaker that I’ve had the privilege of seeing live and in person. Like his book, Andy’s speech is chock full of practical tips and techniques that will help you turn your customers into a volunteer sales force.

I’m very excited to see him speak again. He’s the former CEO of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, a prolific blogger, and — yes — he’s on Twitter. Andy’s matter-of-fact, down-to-earth speaking style will give everyone at the VAR Convention & Expo actionable ideas that they can start using immediately. You’ll walk out of Andy’s presentations and make a real difference in your business the very same day. Andy is all about word of mouth — and we guarantee that VAR members will be talking about this amazing session.

From Andy’s website, here are three free things you can read and use ahead of his Saturday morning keynote address at VAR’s Convention & Expo 2008. You might even want to subscribe to his newsletter.

Here’s a news flash: REALTORS® aren’t exactly known for being introverts. Still, some of us on the VAR staff notice that attendees tend to flock together with other REALTORS® from their local associations, making it difficult for even the most gregarious agent or broker to actually meet new professionals from other parts of the state. And then there are the rare introverted agents who would benefit from a little bit of structured networking time. We have the solution and it’s called speed networking.

During this facilitated networking activity, we predict you’ll meet more people in the space of an hour than you would ordinarily meet all day long at a convention. Bring a thick stack of business cards and prepare to schmooze until you lose your breath. Having facilitated many speed learning events for other groups, I can assure you that one of the byproducts is becoming hoarse and tired from the constant talking. Not for the faint of breath.

You bring your elevator pitch, some interesting conversation, and business cards. Speed networking will do the rest.