HGAR Travels to Nation’s Capital for Major RE Conference

WASHINGTON—I had the privilege of attending earlier this month RISMedia’s 34th Annual CEO & Leadership Exchange 2022 at the iconic Mayflower Hotel in Washington D.C. It was a top-notch high-energy event. Talks and panels shared everything from game planning in a shifting market, changing consumer expectations and adapting to new and efficient strategies.

The real estate industry’s most powerful leaders shared their perspectives and insights on how to stay competitive and profitable in uncertain times.

The more than 25 presentations and panel discussions featuring more than 120 industry leaders were phenomenal.

The event kicked off with The Policy Debate: Creating the Right Path Forward, which focused on developing and advancing proper policy that is critical to ensuring the tenets and sustainability of the MLS. Brokerage leaders and MLS executives discussed the policies that will lead to greater transparency for consumers and more efficiency for subscribers.

The opening keynote by Paul Boomsma, President & CEO, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, discussed the biggest influences impacting the global real estate market that underscored both the challenges and opportunities for real estate leaders.

Our very own HGAR CEO Richard Haggerty, who also serves as President and Chief Strategic Growth Officer of OneKey MLS, was featured in a discussion on “The MLS/Brokerage Relationship: Is There a Better Way?” moderated by Dan Forsman, Chairman, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties. The panel included Merri Jo Cowen, CEO, Stellar MLS; Jeremy Crawford, President and CEO, First Multiple Listing Service; Rebecca Jensen, President and CEO, Midwest Real Estate Data; and Cindy Ariosa, Senior Vice President, Long and Foster Real Estate.

The panel discussed forces redefining the industry landscape, including portal threats and commission wars, and the need for MLS and brokerage leaders to collaborate for the betterment of agents, consumers and the industry.

From increasing cooperation and communication to collaborating on good policymaking, the relationship between brokers and their MLSs is more important than ever. In this session, brokerage and MLS leaders came together to brainstorm strategies for working together to move the industry forward and better serve agents and consumers.

Leslie Rouda Smith, 2022 President of the National Association of Realtors, and Bob Goldberg, CEO, National Association of Realtors, spoke on a panel moderated by John Featherston, CEO, RISMedia sharing insights about the top three issues facing real estate.

Charlie Oppler, 2021 NAR President, was a panelist on The MLS of the Future: How to Shape the Next Chapter. The discussion ranged from data sharing and consolidation to interoperability and technology. This panel also shed light on how the real estate community can contribute and prepare.

NAR Chief Economist Dr. Lawrence Yun separated fact from fiction breaking down the most critical economic issues including rising interest rates and affordability affecting the real estate market as we close out 2022 and prepare for 2023,

I am honored and thankful for this tremendous opportunity to network, interact and learn from the industry’s top leaders!