The question is, where exactly do you start and how do you make sure it’s worth your attendees’ time? Investors plan meetups every day in their communities, but not all meetups are created equal. How do you make yours stick out for all the right reasons?
Here’s a rundown on how to plan the best real estate meetup ever—one that actually adds value to the lives and careers of its attendees.
Connect with Influencers Early
One of the most critical things you can do to create winning real estate networking events is to connect with the right industry influencers. The quality of your influencers is the difference between the success and failure of your real estate business networking meeting attempt.
So, first and foremost, begin networking with high net-worth investors. After all, you can’t bring in the best experts and accredited investors to your real estate meetup if you don’t know who they are personally first.
Networking Ideas
For starters, check out social media sites, like Facebook, to see if any real estate professionals in your area have formed online social media groups centered on real estate. You may discover a group filled with individuals who are real estate brokers or investors in a wide range of commercial properties or residential properties, for example.
The more you engage in conversation with these professionals and build a relationship, the more you’ll learn about the knowledge they have to offer, and you can begin building relationships with them. Then, you can introduce to the major local players the idea of taking part in a physical real estate meetup, and you can ask if they’d be interested in presenting at one. These players may also know of other experienced individuals who wouldn’t mind presenting or attending your real estate business networking meetup.
Another way to network with local real estate industry influencers is through local community groups that focus on real estate. Those who run these in-person groups may be able to point you to a few outstanding experts who may be interested in speaking at your local real estate meetup.
Plan Ahead
While networking with local real estate experts, you’ll need to take time to explore your local area for the perfect place to hold your real estate meetup. You may need to reserve a room to ensure that you’ll have that space on a certain day and at a given time.
Great locations for real estate networking events include shared workspaces or even a local real estate influencer’s current rehabilitation project. You could even have a meetup at a pizza restaurant or a bar. The place doesn’t have to be formal or fancy; as long as it fits everyone who wants to attend and the open sharing of ideas and information can occur, you should be good to go.
Announcing Your Meetup
Be sure to announce your real estate meetup as early as possible. Ideally, let people know about the real estate business networking event three to four weeks ahead of time. This is enough time for potential attendees to plan for the meeting, but it isn’t so much time that they’ll forget about it.
You can announce these types of real estate networking events on social media, meetup websites or in your local newspaper. Also, feel free to post flyers in public areas where this is allowed in your town, or at your local eatery, for instance. Wherever you announce your event, be specific regarding the date, time, and location.
Keep Your Attendees in Mind
While you’re hosting your real estate meetup, don’t forget why you put together the real estate business networking event in the first place. You’re there to help your attendees, so promote the sharing of contacts, educational tidbits, stories, pitfalls, and strategies. For instance, your influencers should feel free to talk about things like how they got started in the business, the most horrendous buildings they’ve seen, second mortgages, and purchasing multifamily properties.
The reality is that your local real estate influencers, and even those attending the meeting, may technically be your competition. However, there are plenty of opportunities to go around. So, the more you create an environment where people are comfortable with being open and sharing, the more everyone will gain something valuable from your event.
Also, keep in mind that the benefit of hosting a meetup is that local real estate professionals will not only grow their knowledge but also network and find possible partners, sellers, buyers, and lenders over drinks and food.
Should You Charge for Your Event?
Avoid charging for real estate networking events. And along these lines, avoid upselling.
Many formal clubs are based on the idea that organizers have to generate money. For this reason, they end up partnering with traveling experts and focus on pitching specific products during their events. Then, they divide the profit.
Today, though, the most effective meetups aren’t investment clubs with the agenda of a for-profit entity. It’s okay if you want to provide specific training or have a particular agenda, but your event shouldn’t be about making money. It should be about helping both experts and novices to come together to increase their knowledge and take their local investing to the next level.
Get Started with Your Local Real Estate Meetup Today!
Now is the perfect time to start planning your local real estate meetup. According to famous author Timothy Ferris, you’re the average of your five closest associates, so it only makes sense to surround yourself with successful real estate investors who are experiencing the types of achievements you’d like to have.
Meetups are taking place regularly around the United States, and they are giving birth to lucrative real estate deals time and time again. Get in on the action by planning your own meetup or join me at the Best Ever Cincinnati Meetup!