ORLANDO, FL – February 25, 2022 – It’s been two long years since Keller Williams has been able to open their doors for large-scale in-person events, but the wait was finally over when 10,000+ real estate agents rushed to the four-day, inspiration-packed Family Reunion conference in Orlando, Florida. Unsurprisingly, the Keller Williams Northwest Region took up a large part of the roster, welcoming 469 eager attendees who traveled across the country to celebrate togetherness. With a thirst for knowledge and a crave to network, these agents were ready to hit the breakout sessions and after-hours parties at full-speed.
A Permanent Pivot
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted Keller Williams to pivot to a digitally based, physically enhanced event format, which the real estate giant plans to implement permanently moving forward. Providing both in-person and digital options has proven to expand attendance reach with content delivery that is more widely accessible. Top Northwest leaders could be seen on-stage throughout this year’s Family Reunion, participating on panels, facilitating discussions, and sharing best practices with worldwide audiences tuning in via livestream and in-person. Speakers included Angie Mykel of Keller Williams Greater Seattle, Laura Gillott of Keller Williams Mid-Willamette, Josh Nelson of Keller Williams Alaska Group, and Rebecca Del Pozo of Keller Williams Puyallup, to name a few.
Gary’s Vision
One of the most notable highlights for attendees was the traditionally anticipated ‘Gary’s Vision Speech’ portion of the program. Gary Keller and his team provided a well-researched, data-backed guide for real estate associates to navigate the housing market in the year ahead. While important statistics were shared about home prices, inflation, inventory, and affordability trends – with several warning sign comparisons made to the Great Recession – the overall message delivered to audiences was a positive one.
“What’s fascinating is that some people can have their best years in a down market and some people have their best years in the best markets. So don’t worry too much about what the market is doing in the end. Focus on your main activities of finding men and women who want to do business with you. If you can do that, the market will not totally drive your career.”
Groundbreaking Perks
Keller Williams is known for dropping big announcements at Family Reunion. This year’s most jaw-dropping reveal was the launch of the “Realtor Benefits-in-a-Box” offering, in partnership with Capstone Financial. This offer includes healthcare, dental and vision, long-term disability, life insurance, identity theft and cyber security protection for all KW agents – not to mention 401K options. KW Perks will be the first benefits of its kind available to real estate agents under such a large ecosystem.
Disney Adventures
When a lot of us think of Orlando, we think of one word – Disney! Which is exactly where the Keller Williams Northwest Region chose to host a night of adventure on Monday, February 21. When Disney’s Hollywood Studios was closing, over 400 agents were arriving. Attendees were escorted to a private venue replicating the Raiders of the Lost Arc film set to enjoy an ‘Indiana Jones Experience’.
The evening started off with a 30-minute stunt show as onlookers saw Indy move through action-packed scenes, which came to a conclusion when he outran the famous rolling boulder and was revealed to be none other than KW Northwest Regional Director Bruce Hardie! From there, merriment commenced where Northwest agents were welcomed on the film set for food, drinks, dancing, and even a round of Indiana Jones trivia. To top it all off, unique entertainment was sprinkled throughout the event with sword swallowers, fortune tellers, henna tattoo artists, belly dancers, and more.
The one common sentiment that could be heard echoing throughout the event? “Man, I’ve missed this.”
Tearjerker Moments
When Family Reunion attendees weren’t laughing during the event, it was safe to say they were crying. Collective audiences watched as tear-jerker moments unfolded through the four days and emotions ran high. KW President Marc King proudly shared that 18 new businesses were developed in the past 12 months within the Keller Williams ecosystem, including KW Military. Gary Keller then welcomed the new segment director to the stage, Levi Rodgers, to share his heroic survival story from his time in the service, where an improvised explosive device left 40% of his body severely burned. In another portion of the event, Gary went through the ‘Keller Personality Assessment’ with Marc King, where Marc revealed his very personal story of overcoming adversity. His vulnerability led to a standing ovation in the theater.
Mo Anderson’s Inspiration Morning. Pictured left to right: Kelly Switala, Mo Anderson, Sajag Patel
Keynote speaker Shawn Achor, bestselling author of The Happiness Advantage, shared his expert research on happiness, motivating realtors to lean into the emotion and do everything in their power to promote it within themselves and others. Gary Keller commented following Achor’s presentation that it was one of the best keynote presentations he’s ever seen – which is saying a lot. The conference ended with a big finish on Tuesday, February 22 where Mo Anderson led her Inspirational Morning, which did not leave a dry eye in the house, followed by the KW Cares Golf Tournament in honor of dearly departed Keller Williams friend Dave Jenks.
What's Next?
In-person and virtual attendees can head to the Family Reunion online platform now through April 25, 2022 to view recordings of all the sessions they missed, all the moments they want to revisit, and download the slide decks (including Gary’s Vision Speech) to incorporate into their business strategies.
Most of us from the Northwest touched back down in our local airports following Family Reunion with an email waiting for us in our inbox announcing that the next big event registration is now open for Mega Camp in Austin, Texas August 23-24, 2022. It looks like the fun has only just begun.
For a full breakdown of Family Reunion 2022, listen to the latest episode of The Real Look podcast where hosts Bruce Hardie and Chase Williams share their biggest takeaways.