Thank you for attending AREC in 2009

Sunday 31 May - Tuesday 2 June 2009
Sydney, NSW

Thank you to all the AREC09 delegates and Trade Exhibitors for your support in making this year's event a resounding success. The feedback TRET has received post-AREC reflects that there are many practitioners out there who are optimistic about the future and leveraging the opportunities of the current economic climate, using this time to constructively reinvent their businesses and careers.

What was interesting from the event stats is the state-by-state attendance breakdown which mimics other trends (except for New Zealand):

• Our friends across the Tasman were up by 1% despite the longer- term negative effects on their real estate market. 

• NSW and Victoria are usually neck and neck (about 30% of total attendance each) with Victoria sometimes out-passing NSW by a few percent (NSW does not necessarily mean Sydney as delegates predominantly come from regional areas). This year NSW was up 7% and Victoria was down by 7% on last year. 

• Back in 2007, Queensland and WA were almost neck and neck by percentage attendance. In 2008 WA started to drop back and this year the gap has slightly widened. Our northern friends dropped by 1% and our western friends by 3% this year. 

• Interestingly there was no change in percentage attendance from ACT, SA, NT and Tasmania.

The AREC09 audience resoundingly enjoyed the injection of energy, enthusiasm and positive advice from past experience provided by all the speakers.

Of the industry speakers the legendary David Knox (US) was the outright winner. Coming in second was young Sydney agent Ivan Bresic who won over the audience with his clear-cut content and passionate delivery. Local industry practitioners Dane Atherton and Peter Kakos were also clear favourites in the ‘excellent' category.  Other industry speakers included Ralph Roberts (US), Jeremy O'Rourke (NZ), Bradley Brown, Lynette Allison and Steven Devine with Lee Woodward.

Dr John Gray, who most will remember as the author of the international bestselling book, Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus blew the audience away with his humorous and often irreverent presentation that revealed the power that can be enjoyed if you can master the understanding of how each sex communicates and responds to communication.  He was without doubt the highest rated speaker at AREC, even surpassing David Knox.

Rob Morton of the Disney Institute (US) came very close in favouritism to David Knox with his eye-opening presentation of the extraordinary business practices behind the magic of Disney and how this has all been built around the vision and culture of founder Walt Disney - many agents walked away with a renewed sense of optimism about what can truly be achieved by working on the culture of a business to impact bottom-line results.

Closing the first day was an extraordinary young man, Khao Do, a poor Vietnamese boat person who arrived in Sydney as a little boy, graduated in law and became Young Australian of the Year in 2005 for his work with the marginalised in our community through film. He cleverly related the story of his personal challenges with adversity to the challenges of leadership and how to make obstacles the basis for extraordinary opportunities.There was not a dry eye in the house during his standing ovation.

The Property Management sessions, many of which were attended by Sales delegates too, swelled in numbers and was ably facilitated by the enigmatic Rik Rushton. As always John McGrath was a hot favourite and was followed by John Gray who again wowed audiences. The audience loved Sydney principal Dean Mackie whose office has grown it's rent roll from zero to 1,000 in two years and Queensland PM supremo Chris Rolls. Other PM presenters included Paulette Whitfield, Melanie Dennis and the ever popular Fiona Blayney.

The Leadership Day again proved popular and saw many of the speakers elaborate on their AREC topics.  Rob Morton was the star of the day with fantastic presentations from Bradley Brown, David Knox, Craig Stephens and Darrell Weekes.

The whole event was expertly hosted by the tongue-in-cheek MC Brett Rutledge who delighted audiences with his political caricatures and again by popular demand cartographer Nils Vesk has produced his ‘visual' notes of every session (these have been made available to all AREC09 delegates).