Conventions Get Personal

David Saldivar (2004) likes to run.  Mark Hinkins (2014-15) likes to walk.  Helen Chong (2020-2021) likes to meet people. Tim Tikalsky (2023) likes history and music.  Aziz Khatri (2019) likes to soak in the entire conference experience. Davide Pio (2016) likes to party. Every association president has their own interests expressed through their personality, and a favorite way to spend free time between and after conference meetings.

Rationalizing time away from office and family is usually not a stretch.  Networking to generate contacts and potentially future business is a good investment, sometimes it is part of an overall business plan that is executed with forethought. A not uncommon anecdote: Email to the chapter: “Hi. I hope you can help me.  At the CCIM convention in 2015, I met a tall young man with a British accent from Northern California, but I forgot his name and I lost his business card.  I was impressed by him and I have a buyer who wants to purchase some commercial property in the Bay Area and I want to send a referral to a knowledgeable CCIM.”  Response: “Oh, you mean Mark Hinkins. Here is his phone number and email address.  I hope that you have a successful relationship.”

After they have invested four, five even eight years as a volunteer, as chapter administrator, I felt like the least I could do was to help them maximize the year or two that they had at the helm.

At NorCal CCIM it usually takes four or five years for a volunteer to move up the chairs from a committee to chapter president.

When a volunteer ascended to the position of president-elect, and they first attended a mid-year meeting, or Chapter Officer Training, I would set up a long luncheon meeting to discuss personal and professional goals and motivations.  I learned 40 years ago that people have different reasons for becoming involved in their association.  Often, they wanted the travel and the adventure and change of scenery that goes along with it.  Sometimes they wanted to establish credibility, or gain recognition. Sometimes they would say they wanted to “give back” to the association that helped contribute to their success.  To me, the motivation wasn’t important as long as I understood it, and they did too. Only then could we work together to make the year personally fulfilling, professionally enriching while contributing to the associations’ ongoing success.

 

I had my own motivations for attending conferences.  First, I saw them as a unique opportunity to spend some quality time with the people that I was destined to spend much of the next year with.  Every lunch and dinner had a purpose. Some were private affairs with the current or incoming president, others were collaborative—designed to bring together leaders who would spend the year working with each other.  Rarely did anyone really know the members of their Leadership Team, so meal time and free time were valuable experiences, and beer or glass of wine or two didn’t hurt. Inevitably people attending the conference came away with a renewed understanding and appreciation for their colleagues and that personal connection showed throughout the year.  In fact, in some cases it led to long-lasting friendships and even some business relationships that would last forever.

Business trips were the closest thing I had to a vacation. Managing two trade associations with minimal staff support was a demanding 24/7 proposition. Fortunately working from home I had some flexibility. I could write, design marketing emails or do bookkeeping late into the evening and through the weekend. But for nearly 10 years I was also the caregiver for my bedridden wife who had osteoporosis and multiple surgeries. The two or three business trips a year were the closest thing I had to a vacation so I wanted to make the most of them.  After months of planning and finalizing arrangements for a substitute caregiver, I would tack on 2-3 extra days for myself for a road trip. The San Juan Islands, Shenandoah Valley, rural Massachusetts and Louisiana – all destinations for exploration and escape.

By Terry Shores
May, 2024