Ever watch those TED videos? Or want to attend the cool techie conferences such as South by Southwest (SXSW)? Well, sorry to say but we can’t score you free tickets to either one.
But we can get you to a smaller version of these events in your local area. We can also show you how to start your own. Plus – unlike those conferences, we can set you up with a group that focuses on real estate technology.
In order to understand what we are talking about, you have to go back a few years – to around 2003. A couple of years after the dot com bust. An entrepreneur named Tim O’Reilly created a computer media company called, naturally, O’Reilly Media.
Business was down for this fledgling company, and they had lots of office space. So the company came up with an idea to create a conference to bring lots of innovators into the offices and see what developed. The first conference was called ‘Foo Camp’ and it included 200 people from the tech world.
But what’s this got to do with real estate? Ahh… patience young Padawan.
The format of the conference was to become an unconference. That means participants, rather than a host, drive the events. Attendees would rearrange the schedule and topics as much as they want to get the most out of the conference. People could split up to discuss different topics, or get together when many people had a common interest.
Sound pretty chaotic? Possibly. But the idea really caught on. Great innovations often come from chaos.
Tim O’Reilly’s original idea was to ‘change the world by spreading the knowledge of innovators.’ 200 people showed up to that first event and many events have been held around the world ever since.
But What about Real Estate?
Since that initial conference, many of the ‘Foo Camps’ have morphed into ‘Barcamps.’ Whereas Foo Camps have been traditionally invitation-only and mostly for techie types, Barcamps are open to everyone who is interested in coming.
The format of the techie Barcamps became popular enough for other industries to adopt them, including real estate. Cutting edge Realtors, investors and other real estate professionals have been setting up Barcamps all around the country.
The idea behind real estate Barcamps is to ‘disrupt’ the real estate industry with technology. At least ‘disrupt’ seems to be the latest buzzword for introducing large innovations into an industry. Pardon us for jumping on the cliché bandwagon.
Back to the real estate Barcamp format...
A real estate Barcamp is similar to a technology Barcamp. No sessions are planned out in advance. It’s a one-day conference where all participants are encouraged to deliver a session or at least lead a discussion.
When you show up, someone will provide an opportunity for you to put your name on the schedule to deliver a session. When everyone has arrived and submitted their information, the sessions are posted on a big board with locations and times for each session. The length of the sessions vary based on number of participants, size of venue, length of Barcamp and other factors.
The schedule may be changing throughout the day as well.
All of the logistical issues are solved through volunteers helping out or donating. This would include the building for the conference, the office supplies, food, drink, etc.
The Barcamp format may, at first glance, look like amateur hour. But the sessions are meant to be participatory. That means if the presenter sucks, the audience usually picks up the discussion and turns it into something much better.
Barcamp organizers also really try to prevent people from promoting their products in the sessions. People come to learn, not to be sold.
If you feel you are being sold, just walk out and find another session.
Organizers from Barcamps also encourage participants to share the information online through blogs, social media and any other methods. The idea is to bring people together and innovate.
To create great innovations, information must be shared, not withheld.
How Do I Find a Real Estate Barcamp?
Probably the best place to start is to go to the Real Estate Barcamp website.
There you can:
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Learn more about real estate Barcamps
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Contact the organizers of previous real estate Barcamps
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See the schedule of Barcamps to find one in your area
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Find out about how to organize your own Barcamp
There are also a bunch of videos on their website showing what people thought of previous real estate Barcamps.
Here is a great video to check out… it’s an example of a Connecticut real estate Barcamp discussing technology in real estate from 2014.
Don’t feel like you just have to go to the real estate Barcamps either. You can also look for technology and other Barcamps (see a schedule here), where you can cross-pollinate your real estate knowledge with techie guys and gals.
Barcamps are great places to go to meet fellow investors, learn all about tech and real estate and possibly come up with an innovation that changes the real estate world!
Be Social – If it’s not a Barcamp, find other ways to connect with real estate investors around your area and around the world. Websites like Meetup, and the REIA website can help you get out and network.
Setup a ‘Mini’-Barcamp – You can organize a small one with a group of fellow investors in a coffee shop. Just get together occasionally, have someone pick a real estate topic and brainstorm some ideas about how to improve it.
Talk to People Outside of Real Estate – People in the tech world are constantly looking for other industries to ‘disrupt’ and make their industry better. Look outside of real estate for ideas on how you can make your investing business better.
JP Moses
is a real estate investor in Memphis, TN, with experience ranging from land lording to note buying, rehabbing, and wholesaling. However, wholesaling is the area that he enjoys most and where he bring the most experience and expertise to his students.