Improvements in the commercial real estate picture within the past year have inspired the theme of “Engage!” for ACREcon, Alabama’s statewide commercial real estate conference, set for Feb. 7.
Sponsored by the Alabama Center for Real Estate and hosted by Daniel Corp., ACREcon again will be held at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center in Birmingham.
“Stabilizing economic indicators in conjunction with favorable commercial real estate sales and leasing trends are opening a long awaited opportunity of engagement for real estate practitioners and affiliates, ” says Grayson Glaze, executive director of ACRE, a central source of commercial and residential real estate statistics, research and forecasts.
Based on the University of Alabama campus, ACRE was developed through a collaboration of the Alabama Association of Realtors, the Alabama Real Estate Commission, UA Dean’s Office and other leaders in the real estate industry.
About 500 real estate and other business professionals are expected to attend ACREcon, now in its 14th year. The conference will provide continuing education and professional development opportunities, as well as serving as a resource for networking.
ACREcon will begin at 7:30 a.m., with registration and continental breakfast. Following the opening of the conference, a review of the Alabama real estate market will be given by University of Alabama MBA students and their mentors from the National Association of Industrial & Office Properties.
The morning keynote address, “Communication Skills, Doing It Live, ” will be presented by nationally known commercial real estate instructor Mark Polon, president of RIISnet LLC. Polon will discuss how to foster sales through improving communications skills. “When enough people have similar talents and are competing for the same opportunities, the real differentiator is interpersonal skills. Your customers and clients are more interested in how you handle yourself in a business relationship than they are about the content of your reports, ” Polon says.
The commercial real estate outlook for 2014 and beyond will be presented by Lawrence Yun, chief economist and senior vice president of research at the National Association of Realtors. Glaze says real estate professionals won’t want to miss Yun’s presentation, which will give them market insights they need to stay competitive.
The lunch keynote address will specifically highlight thought leadership in today’s market. “Successful companies will foster an environment that rewards creativity and innovation, remain flexible, diverse and responsive, ” Glaze says. “Future success requires thought leadership, which is the key to sustainability, productivity, profitability and growth. It sets the tone, provides the vision, and brings out the best in people.”
Following lunch, commercial real estate professionals will have the opportunity to attend a risk management continuing education session. Conference attendees licensed by the Alabama Real Estate Commission can earn as much as six hours of continuing education credit during the conference.
A pre-conference networking session will be hosted by law firm Burr & Forman from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. the night before the conference.
Conference registration and sponsorship information is available at acreconference.ua.edu. Those interested in learning more may also contact Rachel Jennings, ACRE outreach coordinator, at 205-348-0188 or [email protected].
Text by Kathy Hagood
