Finding Your Path

"If you can dream it, you can do it."

That’s the quote for which animation pioneer Walt Disney is best known, and it’s a fitting message for REALTORS® as they head to Anaheim, Calif., Nov. 11–14, for the REALTORS® Conference & Expo.

This year’s conference comes five years into a tough housing market, making it a good time to recall that some of the greatest achievements in business occurred during grave economic times, says Bill Taylor, cofounder of Fast Company, who will speak at the conference.

During the Great Depression, the company that would become United Technologies gave birth to the aviation industry. The year 1973 marked the start of the OPEC oil embargo—and the year FedEx launched its highly successful delivery business. In fact, many of the world’s largest corporations, including IBM, Proctor & Gamble, and GE, were started during periods of great financial uncertainty, Taylor says.

In Taylor’s estimation, 2011 is the time for reinvention. “If you don’t change your game, you won’t win the game,” he says.

Along with Taylor, conference attendees will hear from life coach Jack Canfield, cocreator of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series. Canfield will share his road map to success, which he based on interviews with 75 influential leaders.

The Expo

Check out the products and services that will be vying for your business dollars at the Expo in Anaheim. Download the exhibitor list PDF.

And headlining the conference’s general session will be former Disney CEO Michael Eisner. Eisner took the company to new heights during his 20-year tenure—but, in his keynote speech, he’s also expected to talk about the dark days that led to his 2005 resignation and how he has changed course himself in the age of the Internet.

If you’re serious about finding a new path to success, the 2011 REALTORS® Conference & Expo is a great place to start. With more than 100 educational sessions featuring the industry’s top speakers, the conference can help you build the business you’ve always dreamed of.

If you do make it to Anaheim, remember that the company that put that town on the map released its first full-length animated film, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” in 1938. It was a year when the country’s economic recovery was facing serious setbacks, but for Walt Disney—who dared to dream big—it was a very good year.

Planning Your Trip

• Registration. Full registration to the REALTORS® Conference & Expo ($380 for NAR members) gives you access to all nonticketed conference programs, the Trade Expo, and the Nov. 13 REALTORS® Celebrity Concert with Diana Ross. You’ll also be able to download audio recordings of the education sessions to your laptop or iPod, courtesy of Bank of America.
• Hotel. Conference hotels in Anaheim start at $89 a night. Complimentary shuttle service will be provided.
• Air travel. Four airports service the area, making it easy to find affordable fares.
• Your schedule. Use the online event planner at REALTOR.org/conference to create a customized schedule with education sessions you want to attend.

Full Details: REALTOR.org/conference