Associations with International Councils are reaping the rewards of great new publicity and partnerships.

by Teresa King Kinney, CIPS, GRI, LTG, RCE, CAE , EVP of the REALTOR® Association of Greater Miami and the Beaches, Fla.

The most exciting benefit of forming an international council at your local REALTOR® association comes from the surprising new opportunities you’ll create at home.

In Miami, during the five years since we started our international council, the number of new opportunities and relationships available in our own backyard has continued to grow—for all members.

Our international program has enhanced the association’s credibility and image, created new marketing opportunities, and increased public relations beyond anything we’ve ever done. It has definitely provided a great return on investment for the association.

Largely due to the visibility and activities of our international council, the Miami association has expanded the number of local partnerships to include more area Chambers of Commerce, consulates, marketing councils, builders associations and commercial developers—all of which realize the business potential of international involvement. Each year our association conducts joint programs, events, and projects with many of our local partner organizations.

Planning joint programs is easy. Consider the association’s programs that you already plan to do (member orientations, continuing education, and luncheons, for example) and add an international portion to the agenda. This pairing provides a platform for partnership with other organizations and can also cut costs and boost attendance.

Stay in touch with other local organizations to learn what programs they’ re already planning that could become joint events.

For example, each year in Miami we have a luncheon with the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce and a jointly planned international program. The Chamber handles all logistics, registration, brochure preparation, and media. We each promote the event to our members and share the leadership role at the event.

Another successful joint event was a holiday business card exchange and food drive with the Aventura Marketing Council. The arrangements were similar to the Chamber event above. It went so well, we’re already scheduling the next event.

Establishing international education, programming, and networking has created increased visibility, public relations, and partnerships for many REALTOR® associations.

One of the first to get involved in international programming was the Northern Virginia Association of
REALTORS® , which has gone from monthly brown bag lunches with international programs for members to establishing major local and international partner relationships. They recently formed the Greater Washington D.C. International Council of REALTORS® , a cooperative of REALTORS® from several area boards. The council’s mission is to provide services and benefits that include education, information, networking, and marketing in order to meet the needs of the growing number of REALTORS® interested in becoming international real estate specialists.

The Chicago Association of REALTORS® also has found international partner organizations and foreign consulates to partnership with for events, networking, shared programming and hosting inbound and outbound trade missions and conferences. In fact, the Chicago association hosted real estate professionals from Finland, Singapore, and Japan last fall.

As a basis for their international activities, the Missouri association established a strong working relationship with the Missouri Department of Economic Development, which has proven extremely beneficial to them and to all REALTOR® associations across the state. The Missouri association is NAR’s official partner with Japan’s Association of Real Estate Agents.

Visit cipsnetwork.com for more information on how to start an international council. Attend the International Local Council Advisory Forum at each NAR meeting and look at your planned programs to see if there are any international aspects you could also include to get members to see the opportunities.