Tools and Tips for Using Social Media at CCIM Live!

Using social media during CCIM Live! gives you a chance to share your knowledge and make new connections during and after the conference. Get started on the conference website, which has social networking features built into it. Creating a profile after registering will get you connected to other attendees.

Here are more tools and tips for using social media for CCIM Live!

Promote Your Attendance

Tell people in your social networks that you're going to CCIM Live! You are probably familiar with Facebook and LinkedIn events, but you may also want to try Plancast and Lanyrd, which are newer social event sites that are integrated with Facebook and Twitter. These sites allow users to find events that people in their social networks are attending. View and RSVP on LinkedIn, Facebook, Plancast, and Lanyrd.

Go to the LinkedIn Session

Find new ways to use LinkedIn as an informational and productivity tool at You Created a LinkedIn Account, Now What? Mark Eberle will cover LinkedIn etiquette, new features, and best practices for creating a professional presence.

Tweet All About It

Tweeting during a conference can lead to new connections and provides a way to share information with your followers. Use the #ccimlive hashtag for your conference-related tweets. For information on how to get started with Twitter, check out NAR’s Information Central intro to Twitter video.

Daily Wrap Up

CCIM Live! sessions will provide great content for those who blog or have thought about starting a blog. Recapping the sessions in a blog post can help reinforce new ideas and promote your newly acquired knowledge to your audience. Posterous, Tumblr, and Blogger (used for this blog) are free, user friendly blogging platforms.

Onsite Networking Apps

CCIM Live! attendees will have several scheduled and informal networking opportunities. These smartphone apps can help you make the most of that time.

• Bump (Android, iOS) — Tap two phones with this app installed to exchange contact information.
• CamCard (Android, iOS) — Digitize business cards by taking a picture with your smartphone.
• LinkedIn (Android, Blackberry, iOS) — A mobile version of the popular business networking site.

Gadget Prep

The hotel is converting its rooms to wireless from Ethernet, which means some guest rooms will be wired and others will be wireless during the conference. You'll have complimentary wireless in the main lobby, lounge, patio, and pool areas. There is no Internet access in the conference rooms.

Plan Your Free Time

Sites like Afar, Gogobot, Gtrot, allow you to tap into your existing social networks for travel advice. All three essentially operate the same way: You share your travel plans and the sites will connect you to friends or other users for local recommendations. Read the New York Times article "Crowd-Sourcing for Travel Advice" for more information.

Share

The conference doesn't end when you leave Phoenix. Share your photos and videos with everyone by tagging them in Flickr, Vimeo, or YouTube with ccimlive.

The Arizona Biltmore is Full. Where to Stay Instead.

It’s a case of good news/bad news.

The good news is that candidates and members are making plans to attend the meetings, take the Comp Exam, and attend CCIM Live! in Phoenix next month. In the past week, we reached our contracted room block numbers at the Arizona Biltmore.

That brings us to the bad news. Because we filled our block, some members and candidates are having difficulty booking rooms for all nights of their stay.

We are working with the Biltmore to add more rooms to the block, particularly on our peak nights. Our group reservationist is keeping a close eye on cancellations and snatching up those rooms for people on the wait list.

The nearby Embassy Suites Phoenix – Biltmore is an alternative to the Biltmore. The Embassy Suites has a complimentary breakfast and happy hour, a complimentary shuttle to the Arizona Biltmore, and other in-room amenities.

To reserve a room at the Embassy Suites at our negotiated rate of $199/night, call 602-955-3992 and ask for group code IRE or mention you are with the CCIM fall meetings and conference.

Things to Do in the Valley

You registered for CCIM Live! to expand your commercial real estate network, learn about industry trends, and gain new insights. As an added bonus, you’ll be in the beautiful Southwest during one of the best months to visit. So give yourself a day or two to see the sights when you are here. The conference takes place at the Arizona Biltmore in Scottsdale, which is part of metropolitan Phoenix. Known as the Valley of the Sun, the area has outdoor adventures, upscale dining and shopping, and a vibrant college-town atmosphere.

Nick Miner, CCIM

Commercial Properties, Inc.

Contact:

Email

Website

Twitter

CCIM Live! profile

---

All these activities are all within a short distance from the Arizona Biltmore, the headquarters for CCIM Live!

• Mill Avenue – Downtown Tempe is a great place to just walk around and take in the energetic collegiate town atmosphere, even though the Sun Devils will be playing in Oregon on Oct. 15.
• Tempe Town Lake – Enjoy biking and walking on the great trails that loop the lake, or go boating on the lake.
• Old Town Scottsdale – You’ll find plenty of places to eat and shop. A couple of my favorite places to eat are Bungalow Bar & Grill, Mastro's City Hall Steakhouse, and The Breakfast Club.
• Biltmore Fashion Park – This outdoor upscale shopping area is a very short distance from the hotel. If you need help with your iPhone or iPad during the conference, there is an Apple store here. Make sure you save room for cheesecake at Cheesecake Factory.
• Camelback Mountain – Bring your hiking shoes and a bottle of water for a very easy hike and a great view of the Valley. A moderate pace up Cholla Trail will get you there in less than 90 minutes.
• South Mountain Park – Don’t feel like hiking? Well, you can drive to the top of South Mountain and get a view similar to that one at Camelback. Look for this mountain range to the south of Sky Harbor Airport during your landing approach.
• Taliesin West – Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home, studio, and school is less than 10 miles from the Arizona Biltmore and is an architectural masterpiece well worth seeing. Todd Clarke recently wrote about other Wright buildings in the area.

If you have a rental car and want to see some of the sites outside of the Valley, check out:

• Grand Canyon – Arizona’s most famous sight is a little over 3.5 hours from Biltmore.
• Sedona – Home to some of the most picturesque scenes you will ever see, Sedona is about 2.5 hours north of the Valley.

I’m looking forward to seeing you all in Arizona in October. Make sure to share other recommendations in the comments section.