Kicking it Off Right! 2017 R4 Opening General Session

It was impossible not to feel the energy. At the 2017 RE/MAX R4 Convention’s opening session in Las Vegas Feb. 27, it was clear how extraordinary a global presence in more than 100 countries and territories really is. The Mandalay Bay event center was filled with eager chatter in Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and dozens of other languages. Bursts of jubilant cheers and flag waving broke out in various sections of the arena. Group photos – family photos, really – were being snapped everywhere.

One world. One RE/MAX. And one major reason to celebrate – following 1.6 million closed residential transactions in 2016, nobody in the world sells more real estate than RE/MAX.

Great host, great leader

When a crowd of 6,000 comes together with this much excitement, you don’t rein things in – you take them even higher. That’s exactly what Emmy Award-winning entertainer Wayne Brady did as the show’s host. Following an unforgettable parade of colorful flags from countries and territories where RE/MAX has a presence, the Master of Improvisation kicked off the program with a frenzied – and funny – real estate rap built on word suggestions from the audience. The crowd loved it. And the energy grew even more.

Brady was soon joined by RE/MAX CEO, Chairman and Co-Founder Dave Liniger, who quickly noted why RE/MAX continues to be so successful.

“We’re the leaders in the industry because of the quality of the real estate agents and brokers in this room,” said Liniger, noting that 2016 was the best real estate year in the past decade.

With attendees from 60 countries, this year’s R4 convention – a week of networking, learning and sharing – is a vibrant display of diversity and unity, just as it always has been.

RE/MAX wasn’t designed to dictate or mandate the way people lived their lives, Liniger said. The whole point was to create an environment in which agents “could do more business in less time, make more money and have more time for their families.”

For Cara Alboucq of RE/MAX Fine Living, learning the legacy of RE/MAX from the founders was a highlight.

“Hearing from Dave was my favorite part,” she said. “I’m a new agent, so it was neat to see where RE/MAX started. That really fired me up.”

Brand power

As Liniger told the crowd, RE/MAX is designed to help Associates achieve whatever level of success they seek. So the conversation turned to business – and how that design is working out.

Kerron Stokes, Sales Manager of RE/MAX Leaders in Centennial, Colorado, and Dane Rickard of RE/MAX Professionals in Littleton, Colorado, joined Chief Operating Officer Adam Contos on stage to discuss the immense power of being with RE/MAX.

“The biggest thing for me is how dynamic this brand is. It really allows you to double down on your goals and your dreams as a business owner,” Stokes said. “If you utilize all the things the brand has to offer, not only does it let you grow your business exponentially – and in my case my team’s business exponentially – it allows you to use those tools to serve your clients better. And that’s the most important thing in what we do.”

Creating value all the time

Michael Thorne, a 100 Percent Club member with RE/MAX Little Oak Realty in Fort Langley, British Columbia, came on stage to discuss the importance of personalized, localized social media marketing with Cory Vasquez, Director of PR & Social Media. Thorne has built good will, visibility and opportunity through an innovative, community-focused approach to social videos.

Two other onstage conversations followed, covering professional development (RE/MAX University!) and the art of global consumer marketing.

“When you’re No. 1, you need to remain competitive,” said Amy Somerville, Vice President of Education and Training. “RE/MAX is home to the best brokers and the best agents in the world – people who know that education gives them an edge.”

Wow!

For the past 25 years, RE/MAX Affiliates have put their money where the miracles are. And as the OGS came to a close, a little girl with a larger-than-life voice provided a special moment that attendees will talk about for years to come. Angelica Hale, this year’s Miracle Child, brought the house down with her rousing rendition of Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All.”

The performance earned not only a standing ovation but also a bouquet of roses from a surprise guest: Miss America 2017, Savvy Shields.

Brady called the event “a great, great night” before Contos reminded the crowd that no one in the world sells more real estate than RE/MAX. Then, as if to illustrate just how bright the future is for RE/MAX and its Affiliates, bright pyrotechnics lit up the stage and R4 was officially underway.