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Published by the CIPS Network of the National Association of REALTORS®
Fourth Quarter 2002
The 2002 FAR Convention - an International Affair
By Carol Kairis
The buzz at the Florida Association of REALTORS® (FAR) Annual Convention in August 2002 was all about “international.” The 2002 FAR International Operations Committee Chair Chip Lubeck, CIPS, (REALTORS® Association of the Palm Beaches), had a vision for FAR International this year. His foresight took FAR from a recurring platform of one committee meeting to three full days of international programming at this convention, including four international committee meetings and two local council presentations.
Planning for the international program at the convention began at the January meetings. International Operations subcommittee chairs Nancy Macaluso, CIPS, Theresa King Kinney, CIPS, and Carol Kairis, CIPS, began working then to bring business opportunities to FAR members; to arm them with the proper tools; and to educate them to become prominent players in international business. First, they created a “brand” identity for the group with which to begin to market FAR international practitioners globally. A logo, a pin, and a state-of-the-art tradeshow booth were created to showcase the brand. An ad was placed on the inside cover of the CIPS Directory, “Who’s Who in International Real Estate,” to bring the world to the FAR Web site www.fl.living.netont>
where the entire membership and its listings can be accessed. Then each local REALTOR® Association board was contacted for information about its international activities, and the network came together piece by piece.
FAR joined FIABCI-USA—only the third REALTOR® Association to do so, adding the benefits of FIABCI for its membership and translated its Internet Data Exchange (IDX) listings into fourteen languages—soon to be twenty! Now, consumers from around the globe can search for property in Florida in their native language. Each member Web site that already contained the IDX feature was automatically upgraded with the language button just in time for the FAR Convention in August.
At the Convention, highlights of the international education track included cross cultural sales; legal, taxation and immigration issues; working with the international e-buyer; starting a local international council; the power of networking; and identifying international markets to target. Honored guests included Bahamas Real Estate Association president David Morley and NAR President-Elect Cathy Whatley, who was the featured speaker at the International Luncheon. Two seminars—”Opportunities to Increase Your Business in Latin America” and “Economic Issues and Current Events”—were presented in Spanish.
At the Trade Show, the FAR International booth was on prominent display. Local Council representatives handed out pins, programs, and information on their products and services. A “Foreign Market Spotlight” panel of six NAR President’s Liaisons and Ambassador Associations—all from Florida—shared country specific market conditions, media tools, and accomplishments. An International Property Marketing Pitch Session followed. Twelve international properties were presented.
IOC Chair Lubeck had this to say, “The FAR REALTORS® International Operations Committee could not have
come this far, this fast, without the full support of President Moe Veissi and his leadership team. We are blessed with a tremendous pool of talented and dedicated volunteers and staff. Without them our ideas would still be on the drawing board instead of in the hands of our members.”
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