How can you top a day where eXp Realty posted record third-quarter earnings, longtime Shark Robert Herjavec of ABC’s “Shark Tank” appeared in an inspirational fireside chat and the new eXp brand was revealed? It was exciting, to be sure!
EXPCON 2020, eXp Realty’s annual gathering where agents, brokers and staff and guests gather, kicked off its five-day conference, which is being held virtually for the first time in 11 years. More than 10,000 are expected to attend during the week from across the globe and gather in eXp World, eXp’s platform for collaboration and learning, powered by Virbela. The event will run through Friday, Nov. 13.
CEO Jason Gesing Kicks Off With ‘What a Year It Has Been!’
eXp CEO Jason Gesing started the general session with the theme, “What a Year It Has Been,” recapping eXp’s phenomenal year, including acquiring search platform Showcase IDX, expanding into a fifth country (South Africa) and the launch of eXp Commercial. Gesing emphasized eXp’s success is mainly due to the commitment of the company’s agents, who he called the heart and soul of the company.
“The feeling that you’re part of something and giving it your all is really something,” said Gesing. “If you think about the world around us, there has been a lot of noise, lots of opinions. But, we have been able to operate in this world free of that. Free of the tensions, which speaks a lot about us as a company and our values.”
Michael Valdes Proclaims eXp Global Will Be ‘Best’ In World
Michael Valdes, President of eXp Global, said his division’s goal is to “create the premier global real estate company in the world.” He recapped eXp’s 2020 international accomplishments, including growing international agent count by 30% in the past six months, opening brokerage operations in South Africa in October with plans to open in four additional countries by year-end including India, Mexico, France and Portugal.
“We are going to open in five countries in six months without getting on a plane — what other company could ever do that?” said Valdes.
Head of Ops, Stacey Onnen, Focused on Creating Efficiencies
U.S. President of Operations Stacey Onnen said she and her team’s constant goal is to “try to make life easier, better, more streamlined for everyone.” She announced her team is rolling out a transaction coordinator program as well as a Real Estate Owned (REO) and Relocation Division to go after a lucrative piece of the real estate business.
Dave Conord: ‘eXp Outpacing Competitors in Agent Growth and Sales Volume’
So far in 2020, eXp has been greatly outpacing competitors in agent growth and sales volume. Dave Conord, U.S. President of Growth presented statistics showing that eXp’s sales volume has greatly surpassed competitors so far in 2020 by 91%. Also, eXp’s agent growth currently exceeds 38,000 agents — outpacing competitors’ growth by double-digit results.
“It is not about agent numbers,” said Conord. “It is about attracting great agents and talented leaders — building great lives and futures.”
eXp World Holdings Founder and CEO Glenn Sanford Spoke About What’s Ahead
Glenn Sanford, who founded eXp Realty in 2009, took the stage and reflected on the accomplishments of 2020, plus what lies ahead. He also teased out that a “Big announcement is going to be revealed on Nov. 12, so stay tuned.”
But, his biggest takeaway is to live with purpose and to get to that moment, he cited the famous quote by motivational speaker Zig Ziglar:
“You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”
While he said money makes life easier, he said, “If we go after a bigger purpose than money, it will bring you the rewards you want. And when you think about giving back, it will change how you show up.”
Former Disney Head Duncan Wardle Gave Keynote on Topic ‘Embedding Innovation Into Everyone’s DNA’
Duncan Wardle, the former global head of innovation and creativity for Disney, gave the opening keynote address on Monday titled, “Embedding Innovation Into Everyone’s DNA.” It was a fast-paced presentation in which Wardle led the audience through creative thought and shared steps and strategies on how to create an innovative environment.
He added, “Diversity is innovation. If someone doesn’t look like you, they don’t think like you and they can help you think differently!”
eXp Rebrand Revealed by CMO Courtney Chakarun
One exciting portion of the general session was the big reveal of eXp’s new logo. eXp World Holdings Chief Marketing Officer Courtney Chakarun, along with eXp agents Rizwana Afzali (Montgomery County, PA) and Veronica Figueroa (Orlando) revealed the company’s new logo, which has changed for the first time since 2009.
Similar to the creation of eXp’s original name and logo, the new design resulted from a competition among eXp’s agents, staff and outside creative agencies. More than 100 designs were submitted, and the winning logo was based on a company-wide vote.
CFO Jeff Whiteside Reviews Record Q3 Earnings
Jeff Whiteside, CFO of eXp World Holdings, was joined on stage by eXp influencer Gene Frederick and eXp World Holdings board member, Fee Gentry. Whiteside reviewed eXp’s third-quarter financial results, which turned in record numbers. Here are a few of the highlights:
- The number of agents and brokers on the eXp Realty platform increased 56% to 35,877 at the end of the third quarter of 2020, compared to 23,034 a year ago.
- Residential transaction sides closed for the third quarter of 2020 increased 95% to 75,392, compared to 38,567 during the third quarter of 2019.
- eXp Realty ended the third quarter with a 73 agent Net Promoter Score, which measures agent satisfaction, as compared to 61.
- Revenue increased 100% year over year, from $282 million in Q3 2019 to $564 million.
For more details on the Q3 earnings, click here.
Shark Tank’s Robert Herjavec Joined Gesing for a Fireside Chat
Entrepreneur, author and technology leader Robert Herjavec, the longtime and much-loved Shark on ABC’s Emmy Award-winning show “Shark Tank,” appeared with eXp Realty CEO Jason Gesing for an inspirational fireside chat. He answered many questions posed by eXp’s agents. Here are a few highlights:
- About contestants on Shark Tank: “Those first few words you say are critical. We have already made up our minds. The first thing you sell in any environment is yourself. There are subconscious cues. How you dress, how you stand, your eye contact, how you smile — they are all important.”
- Habits: Robert wakes up every morning at 4:30, has coffee and goes to his office and lights a candle. “In the face of extreme darkness, it is always better to have light. It’s the act of hope. It brings hope to me. It makes me think today will bring me better things than yesterday.”
- About eXp’s stock awards: “Owners work harder. There is just something about being invested in the overall business that gives you pride of ownership.”
- About regret: “The word regret has limited time in my vocabulary. There is no rear-view mirror in my life. You’ve got to let it go. If you don’t like the book that is your life, you have the ability to write the next chapter.”
- Best advice to young people: “You have to be great at something. The world doesn’t reward mediocrity. You’ve got to do something and be good at it.”
Year-end Awards Were Presented, Including Top Videos
To wrap up the day, Candice Garcia, Agent Development Director, led the awards program. Here’s a rundown of the awards:
Best of eXp Video Awards:
- Listings category – Luis German (Orlando)
- Humor category – Sean Cochran (Plainfield, IL)
- Glad to be a Realtor category – Brian Salem (Cleveland)
President’s Production Awards
- Individual – Matthew Battiata
- Standard Teams – Avery Carl, The Short Term Shop
- Mega Teams – Jeffrey Sibbach, The Sibbach Team; Daniel Beer, The Beer Home Team; Andrew James Franklin, The Franklin Team
- Domestic Teams – Michelle & David Saward, The Saward Team
Mentor of Year – Beth Silverman (Tampa)
ICON of Year – Michelle Rinaldi (Singer Island, FL)
Global Award – Christopher Invidiata, The Invidiata Team (Toronto)
Chairman’s Vision Award – Brent Gove, (California)
The day even ended with a concert — a virtual concert — by the eXpressions band.
What’s Coming Up: Daily Keynotes, 50+ Breakouts, Expo, and Trivia
Throughout the week, eXp’s agents, brokers and staff will take part in networking and attend popular workshops led by top-producing agents. Additionally, there will be acclaimed speakers giving keynotes each day, and a three-day EXPO is planned in the EXPCON Expo Hall. Highlights include:
- Daily keynotes — Speakers include:
- Tuesday: Jason Dorsey – Three-time company founder. An expert who studies generational challenges and advises CEOs, startups, boards, venture capital firms and private equity firms.
- Wednesday (Veterans Day): Rorke Denver – Former Navy SEALs commander, New York Times best-selling author (“Worth Dying For” and “Damn Few”) and actor (“Act of Valor”).
- Thursday: Dewitt Jones – World-class photojournalist and former National Geographic photographer.
- Friday: Kate Leavell – Speaker, trainer, coach, consultant and author of four books, including “Confessions of an Imperfect Coach.”
- Breakouts — More than 50 breakout sessions are scheduled along the themes of productivity, leadership and vision.
- EXPO — A three-day EXPO will be filled with booths representing eXp’s international operations (Canada, UK, Australia, South Africa), diversity groups (Black network, LGBTQ, veterans) as well as eXp’s Preferred Partners (businesses from mortgages to moving).
- XCamp — An “unconference” will be held Wednesday in which agents, brokers and staff meet to network and share real estate strategies and insights..
- International reception — eXp Global leadership will be available Wednesday at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET to share information and answer questions about eXp’s expansion plans.
- Other highlights — Trivia Night will be held Tuesday evening; state and community meetups are planned and daily scavenger hunts scheduled.
Click here or the video below for a recap of events during Day 1 of EXPCON:
_____________
Interested in jump-starting your real estate career? Learn how eXp Realty puts agents first.
