Peter Gallagher, Princeton Mortgage Wholesale
No matter what industry you find yourself working in — whether it be medical, technology, or housing — it’s almost guaranteed there’s some sort of professional conference in which you can be involved. There’s the Agents of Change Summit in San Diego, the famous SXSW tech conference in Austin, and the engage.marketing conference by HousingWire on September 13th & 14th. As mentioned before, we here at Princeton Mortgage Wholesale will be attending the Northeast Conference of Mortgage Brokers & Professionals, taking place in Atlantic City from September 23rd through the 25th.
So what goes down at these conferences? Do they provide can’t-miss opportunities and information? Or can I just stay in the office, make a few calls, and read an article after the fact?
I’ll say up front I’m a huge advocate of attending these events in person. I’ve been to a handful in my young career, and even had the opportunity to host a short presentation. I’m excited to go to many more for years to come. Here’s why:
The new information you’re exposed to can be a total game changer. Listening to a lecture based on a topic prevalent to you from an expert in their field pays dividends. Learning about the latest trends and how they’re used in your industry gives you something valuable to take back and apply to your work. And because they’re live and in-person, the content is raw and unedited. Listening to someone’s different take on topic could very well spark new thoughts to help you and your business grow. If you keep having the same conversations with the same people, things tend to stagnate. You have to be receptive to different opinions — it could change your perceptions and the way you operate.
Additionally, you get the opportunity to meet your colleagues face to face. It’s a chance to have open and honest conversations about what you’re doing, what they’re doing, what works, and what doesn’t work. You share opinions on the current state of the industry, what you think the next innovative steps are, and have a few laughs over the common stresses of business. We’re able to connect and collaborate quickly online, but the power of a handshake transcends rapport building.
Some of these colleagues will be new to the industry, and some will be veterans in their craft. Connecting with professionals across the spectrum can be invaluable. Maybe you find new tools you were unaware of from a new vendor, or maybe you meet a member from the industry media. Any new connection has the potential to be a resource for you in the future, and you can never have enough resources.
I think it’s pretty clear I’m excited to be in Atlantic City in late September, and I’ll be taking full advantage of everything this conference has to offer. I can’t wait to fully immersed myself into that conference because I know the value it will add to my company and to my personal development.
Hopefully, I’ll see you there!
Until next week,
Peter
The opinions expressed in this post are the sole view of the writer and do not reflect the opinion of Princeton Mortgage Corporation.