Ed Icionsub

Every January our corporate offices host an annual convention and trade show for all the brokers and agents in Las Vegas. Every office is required to be represented and all brokers and agents are encouraged to attend. We have a three day sales convention and trade show, with free promotional products from our vendors, a selection of keynote speakers and seminars run by industry professionals.

Last time I went to the annual convention, I came back with a huge tote bag filled with trade show promotional items. Even the tote bag was free – a gift from one of our suppliers when we checked in at the convention center.

The sales convention is always excellent. We have a variety of speakers, from Million Dollar Club brokers to CEOs of mortgage and finance companies, to sales training professionals and motivational speakers. Some of the motivational speakers over the years have been the highlight of the event. My personal favorite was General Colin Powell. Another memorable speaker was Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, who played football for one game at Notre Dame and was the subject of a movie that was the story of his life, called, “Rudy.” After his 30 minute speech about going for the gold, so to speak, he spent another hour in the ballroom, talking to people, shaking hands, having his picture taken with anyone who asked. What a nice guy and a very inspiring story about overcoming all odds.

This time I am going to be on the hunt for specific freebies and giveaways. I want an insulated, travel coffee mug and if I can get two or three of them I will consider the trip to be a success.

Even though the housing market is in a slump and the foreclosed houses are making it hard for people to get full value on the equity of their homes when they need to sell, people still need affordable housing in Chicago and other areas.

There are challenges for a lot of reasons. Some people are getting married and need a starter home. Other people are retiring and need to downsize from a large home that requires a lot of maintenance and high utility bills to something much smaller and easier to manage. Others have to move because of employment, like my friend, Wes.

Wes is a DJ and if you know about the entertainment industry, DJs tend to change jobs frequently. They are subjected to ratings changes, format changes, and flaky management at the corporate radio stations of today. Wes was let go from a large market radio station changing format and he found a job in middle Illinois. He needs to find affordable housing in Rockford and if he can’t find what he needs available now, he will have to find temporary housing and build his own house.

Wes already knows about manufactured homes in Chicago from living and working in the Windy City the past 6 years. Now that he is moving to Rockford, he doesn’t have a lot of money from the sale of his house. Six years is not usually long enough to build up any equity at all, and with the depressed real estate market, many people are underwater with their mortgages instead of having the equity they were expecting.

Doctors and nurses always have my greatest respect. I had considered becoming a doctor when I was in high school. My parents were no very supportive of that idea. My dad wanted me to take business courses and join the family business. But I have always had a yearning for working in a hospital or clinic, and as it turns out the closest I may ever get to that dream would be to attend a medical management course for doctors and then find some way to work with a hospital as a consultant.

My good friend, Nick, just returned from the U.K. where he had attended a two day medical teaching course, in hopes of easing away from his medical practice and doing something a little different, like mentoring younger doctors. He already works with some interns at the medical school here. I think it is great that he wants to give something back to his industry.

The best doctors do find a way to give back. They teach and mentor through a teaching hospital or they give seminars and write for medical journals. For a doctor who has never actually taught a class or seminar, there are classes designed for doctors who want to teach. Someone like Nick who is serious can sign up for a teach the teacher course
and learn about the teaching craft before they jump into a classroom setting without the proper preparation.

Although I don’t follow much college sports, I can’t help but know when there is a Vanderbilt home game. The downtown hotels are sold out for the family and fans of the visiting teams, and traffic becomes a nightmare for miles in every direction as people try to get to the downtown stadium and find a parking spot.

My good friend from school, Tina, turned up on Facebook and we’ve re-connected after all these years. We lived next door to each other from grade school all the way up to high school graduation. And now it turns out that she is living in Scotland, married to a Scott and loving it. He is a musician and she is making a living booking all of the travel and accommodations for his concert tours, as well as other concert tours for “A List” performers.

Of course I would love to take the wife for a holiday to Scotland. Tina told me about a website to find an Edinburgh Apartment that would be perfect for us as a base while we explored the island.

The website has a variety of choices for accommodations. I like the idea of a bed and breakfast, but they also have guest houses, cottage apartments, and even hotels on the site. Scotland would be a good launching point for a side trip to Ireland, as well. The whole idea of taking two weeks in the spring and touring Great Britain is getting me very excited. I’m sure my wife will be thrilled at the idea, and it would be wonderful to see Tina again and meet her husband.