PacificWest 2024: Innovate, Integrate, Inspire

Now in its second year, PacficWest is a collaboration between BC’s two largest real estate Boards, the Greater Vancouver REALTORS® (GVR) and the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (FVREB), which together represent nearly 20,000 of the province’s 26,000-plus real estate professionals. The impetus behind the undertaking was to create an event that reflects the breadth and scope of the environment within which the province’s REALTORS® operate and to provide a setting for exchange of knowledge, ideas and education.

“The reality is that today’s housing market is increasingly more interconnected than it was even 10 years ago,” said Jeff King, GVR’s CEO. “Our members regularly consult and collaborate with myriad stakeholders—construction, legal, financial, as well as provincial and local officials and councils, all in service of the home buying and selling public. PacificWest offers a unique opportunity to stay abreast of current issues and ahead of future trends.”

Like many regions across the country, BC’s housing crisis has meant that all stakeholders, including organized real estate, are being called upon to play a role in finding lasting solutions. For FVREB CEO, Baldev Gill, this presents a significant opportunity for the sector.

“In the midst of major shifts in housing policy and with affordability issues being more acute than ever, the public is seeking more than mere representation from our members,” said Gill. “They’re looking for guidance and advocacy on the most consequential financial decision they will likely ever make. We want to reinforce the value our profession brings to the table in the quest for housing solutions and stress the need for partnering across all sectors—public and private, profit and non-profit.”

Jam-packed Agenda

From innovation to policy to marketing and technology, PacificWest 2024 will host dozens of local, national and international experts across more than 50 panels, seminars and keynotes that explore all corners of the BC real estate ecosystem.
Day one kicks off with New York Times best-selling author and innovation consultant Diane Kander, whose first book, All In Startup, is used in innovation courses by over 100 universities. Her keynote, Go Big or Go Home, draws unlikely connections between organizational culture, innovation, Snoop Dogg, brand relevance and longevity—
and sets the stage for a jam-packed two days.

ArtificIal Intelligence

Like the rest of the economy, AI is rapidly reshaping the way REALTORS® conduct business. That’s probably why there are no fewer than four sessions for PacificWest attendees to explore the tool in depth, including Demystifying AI: Unmasking the Opportunities for REALTORS®, Hyper-Local Video Marketing with AI Integration, and Mastering AI Prompts for Real Estate. Those seeking to go even deeper, will want to attend global leadership expert and bestselling author of Rethink Work, Eric Termuende’s eye-opening keynote session, Leadership and AI: Building High-performing Teams in the New World of Work to learn how to be a better leader and build resilient, trusting, and engaged teams both because of and despite of AI.

Growing Your Business

There is no shortage of sessions designed to help REALTORS® build a real estate practice with the long run in mind. Some, like Enhance Your Digital Presence, Become a Listing Magnet, How to Build a Niche Market, and Are you Missing 50% of the Market?, focus on marketing. Some are aimed at specific growth strategies like CAP Rates – Introduction to Valuation of Cashflow Properties, A Practical Guide to Land Assembly, and How Charity Programs Help Your Business. Others provide valuable insight into risk-mitigation strategies: Selling Tenanted Property – What You Need to Know, Cyber Security Strategies for Managing Brokers, and AML Compliance Excellence: Enhancing Suspicious Transaction Reporting and Mitigating Risks.

Policy…

Staying current amid the flurry of changes to housing policy and legislation over the past year is a challenge at the best of times. PacificWest explores some of the key developments that directly impact REALTORS® and their clients, including: Review of New Laws Affecting Strata and Rental Properties, Small Scale Multi-Unit Housing Legislation from Concept to Implementation, Short-term Rentals in BC: Regulation and Trends, and Metro Vancouver Real Estate – The Latest Policy, Valuation & ESG Trends.

…& Politics

Two political panels are sure to draw great attention. First, with the pressure on municipalities to deliver on the government’s new density and quota legislation, the Mayors’ Panel on Day 1 of the conference will provide a window into how the municipalities are working –or not—to make it happen. And with an election just around the corner, the Media Panel Panel on Day 2, offers a chance to hear from the pundits about the parties’ respective positions and platforms.

Broker Focus

Newly added in 2024 is BCREA’s Managing Brokers conference. The formerly standalone event now has a new home at PacificWest, adding tremendous value with sessions aimed at supporting strategy and growth for leaders within the real estate industry.

“Bringing our annual Managing Brokers Conference under the PacificWest umbrella, creates a win-win for the sector,” said BCREA CEO, Trevor Koot. “Brokers are a cornerstone of the real estate sector and, importantly, they provide leadership, guidance and wisdom to the generation of REALTORS® who will succeed them.”

The conference closes out on Day 2 on a high note with speaker, Duncan Wardle, former Head of Innovation and Creativity at Disney where he helped Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar and others innovate and create magical experiences for consumers around the globe. Today, he teaches innovation master classes at Harvard and Yale, contributes to Fast Company and Harvard Business Review—and is on a mission to embed a culture of innovation into every company’s DNA.

To register for PacificWest 2024 and for more details about all the sessions, the trade show—and the legendary opening night event—visit www.pacificwest.ca.