An Australian-New Zealand contingent has recently returned from the fifth annual Asia Pacific Convention for the global real estate giant, RE/MAX, which took place in New Delhi, India from August 19 to 21.
RE/MAX Australia and New Zealand managing director, Michael Davoren, said the event represented a continued building of relationships.
“After a succession of conferences, people are now talking business and not merely exchanging pleasantries,” Mr Davoren said.
“There are more and more meetings being organised amongst delegates about actual business rather than potential business.
“Australians buy in Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and in regions right through the Asia Pacific, for example, and I observed meeting after meeting where market experts were connecting to get business done.
“And while there’s been a lot of publicity about money not being able to come out of China to Australia and New Zealand, there is a lot that can.
“Large commercial property investments are particularly on the radar of buyers in Hong Kong and mainland China.”
Mr Davoren said the Asia Pacific regions looked to Australia and New Zealand for guidance in the development of their real estate industries.
“Many of these regions are going through the pain of developing their industries, often from nothing, and they want to learn from Australia and New Zealand, which have the most sophisticated real estate industries in the Asia Pacific.”
Real estate business owners and agents from approximately 30 RE/MAX regions across the globe traveled to India for the event, bringing together more than 400 delegates representing the 18 regions in the Asia Pacific, plus other countries including the US, Canada, Greece, Finland, Italy, Egypt, UAE, Estonia and Turkey.
There were more than 20 speakers on the program, from the Asia Pacific, Europe and the US, which began with the traditional flag ceremony.
“As the Convention grows, the more spectacular this becomes and it’s a visual reminder of how large this region has grown for RE/MAX,” Mr Davoren said.
Daryn Trowbridge from RE/MAX Regency on the Gold Coast and Don Ha from RE/MAX Revolution in Auckland were the Australian and New Zealand flag-bearers.
Mr Davoren addressed 50 of his regional owner peers on day one on the topic ‘Think Bigger’.
“This forum is about the people in our global network knowing how to give their every client and customer the most valuable, most exceptional real estate experience,” he said.
“Even the best can get better, and when you do that you differentiate yourself from others. It’s the recipe of a champion.”
On day two, he joined fellow regional owners from Indonesia, Mongolia, Philippines, Egypt and the UAE to address ‘Mastering Asia Pacific real estate’.
Don Ha and Cairns’ real estate identity Tony Williamson, from RE/MAX Real Estate Services, were panelists for ‘The role of a coach’. Each was also an invited keynote speaker with Mr Ha’s session of “Think Bigger’ and Mr Williamson’s talk on ‘Hitting 6’s and winning’.
Global motivational speaker and celebrity spiritual guru, Dr Gaur Global Das, was feature speaker on the program and the celebrity guest was legendary tennis player and Grand Slam Tournament winner, Mahesh Bhupati.
Mr Davoren said the parent body, RE/MAX LLC, was well-represented at the Convention.
“RE/MAX LLC sees the Asia Pacific as the major growth area on this planet, growing rapidly every year; and, as its real estate industries are maturing, business is increasing,” Mr Davoren said.
“And the increase in countries outside the Asia Pacific, which are represented at the Convention, reflects that they see Asia Pacific as the future of real estate around the world.”
Mr Davoren said the real estate industry in India was established but not highly regulated, and one he felt was soon to be the fastest growing master franchise in the RE/MAX world.
It’s owner, Gaurav Marya, had his first real estate and RE/MAX experience on the Gold Coast in 2017, when he attended the third annual Asia Pacific Convention as a guest.
Mr Marya is a highly respected and connected business identity in India.
After the Convention, a group of Australians and New Zealanders took in the Golden Triangle, touring Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, and were joined by RE/MAX India regional owners Mr Marya and his wife, Sonya Chowdhry, for dinner in the special location of the Suvarna Mahal restaurant in the Rambagh Palace, Jaipur.
“We ate dinner at palaces, now hotels, in unbelievable luxury,” Mr Davoren said.
“I have never been to a country as busy – or as divided demographically. Then, it has its truly spectacular, its immense wealth, its immense poverty and a massive and growing middle class.
“I found an ancient fort in Jaipur, which was built a couple of centuries earlier than the Taj Mahal, very special; and the Taj Mahal is as good – no, even better – than they say and certainly deserves its place in the ‘wonders of the world’.”
