Experiencing Keller Williams Realty Family Reunion

Experiencing Keller Williams Realty Family Reunion doesn’t feel like this all the time… but it does a few times.

If you have never been to Keller Williams Realty’s Family Reunion (annual convention), read on! Each year it is an intense few days as so many good sessions are offered and there is limited time.  Below is a quick overview of the 5-Day Schedule.  Starting in 2016, the event will be compressed into 4 days so get ready.  Intense just got intense’r!

Saturday

For many, Saturday is a partial travel day. Registration begins in the morning and after lunch Gary Keller usually does a 2pm-5pm session.  The topics have ranged from his current book projects to Quantum Leap.

Once Gary’s session Saturday afternoon is over, attendees are free to decompress or reconnect with KW friends from around the world. Even though the Vendor Hall is open 5pm-7pm, there are no scheduled Family Reunion events Saturday night.

Sunday

Sunday starts off in the main ballroom at 8:30am with the Opening Ceremony.  This ceremony typically includes some local flavor.  The year Family Reunion was in Dallas, TX it opened with the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.  

Once the clock strikes 9:00am, Gary Keller and Jay Papasan come on stage (with AC/DC’s Back in Black playing) to share their vision for the real estate industry in the US and Canada. This equates to a “State of the State” national overview which lasts until 11:00am – at which time attendees are free to hit the Exhibitor Hall and network.  A buffet Lunch is provided in an adjacent hall at noon – picture a sea of round tables where agents mingle and exchange cards in groups of 8 over lunch.

Once lunch is over, the Session Scramble begins.  Grab you map because it is time to find your first session and grab a seat. Don’t be late and think you are going to sit in the aisles or around the edges… It is not unheard of for the fire marshall to come through and clear the excess people out to get bake to the posted room capacity. The convention center plays host to roughly 25 concurrent sessions that attendees have to chose from in each timeslot.  The first session runs 1:30pm to 2:45pm. Then, the BIG SWITCH happens because you have 30 minutes to navigate the halls to your next session which starts at 3:15pm.  The second session ends at 4:30pm and at that point attendees are free to visit the Exhibitor Hall.

Sunday night is also the night for the Red Bash where the Gary Keller band plays and artists like Michael McDonald perform.  In short, the Red Bash is a mad house!!

Monday

Monday starts off at 9:00am with The State of the Company session in the main ballroom. This ends at 11:00am and again a buffet lunch is provided in an adjacent hall at noon – same sea of round tables where attendees mingle and exchange cards over a buffet lunch 😉

This is when we get to hear about International Expansion Country Announcements!

Once lunch is over, the Session Scramble begins again.  The first session runs 1:30pm to 2:45pm. There is also an International ALC Meeting where company-wide issues are discussed during this first session timeslot.  Then, the BIG SWITCH happens because you have 30 minutes to navigate the halls to your next session which starts at 3:15pm.  The second session ends at 4:30pm and the BIG SWITCH starts again to get to the third and last session of the day which starts at 5:00pm. By 6:15pm most people are DONE!

Alliance Partners and vendors to the rescue!! There are usually some alliance partner Happy Hour events like this one at B.B. King’s Blue Club in Orlando where attendee’s can unwind and debrief after the day.

Tuesday

Tuesday kicks off first thing with the Keynote Speaker! In 2015, Adam Grant, author of the book “Give and Take”was the keynote speaker.

Tuesday is also a FULL 3-Session afternoon. So the day is packed with learning and connecting. By the end of Tuesday, most people are running out of gas. Dinner is on your own as people push to connect with those they hoped to meet and have not yet reached. This is the LAST night!  Some will fade and some will rally. It only happens once a year… Which would you be?

Wednesday

The only event on Wednesday is Mo Anderson’s Inspirational Brunch from 8:30am – 10:30am.  Each year, we get to hear from people who have persevered through hardship and sometimes tough personal decisions that had to be weathered out of principle.

Hearing stories of the human spirit and heroic decisions reminds us that the pain of taking the high road really is worth it.  That taking a cultural stand in a dog-eat-dog culture is never easy. In 2013, we also to see how the Keller Williams Realty family came together to rally around unfair business practices involving a KW market center in Iowa.

Once the Inspirational Brunch is over, everyone heads home.  That is, unless, you decided to tack on a vacation 🙂 Then, the fun continues!

Until next time…