SIOR Global President's Message
“Virtual” has long been a part of our personal and business lives. In fact, over the last five months, it has become our life. The majority of our meetings, conferences, social gatherings, and more have been in virtual form. The reality is, while the amount of “virtual” we are doing will change, “virtual” will be a permanent part of our lives moving forward. This is no different at SIOR.
As many of you know, SIOR is known as a relationship organization. We pride ourselves on our relationships and the quality of the people we develop those relationships with. But how do we develop those relationships? By connecting! Because if there is no connection, there is no relationship!
The fact, then, is…SIOR is really a connecting organization. Our focus is connecting people to people; people to knowledge; people to markets; and people to opportunities, globally, in person, and virtually. And while we have perfected the face-to-face part of that mission over the years, we had a little bit of work to do on the virtual side.
I am happy to report—through the efforts of our staff, our leaders, our members, our partners, and our sponsors—significant progress has been made. Evidence of this is in our transition to a virtual CREate 360 conference, scheduled for Oct. 21-23. Attendees will hear from an array of industry leaders during a packed schedule of exciting networking events, and will experience three amazing general sessions headlined by individuals who have shown what it means to lead and succeed during the toughest of times. Former president and CEO of The Ford Motor Company, Alan Mulally; former United States Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice; and Tony and Grammy Award Winning artist, Leslie Odom, Jr. All three will inspire CREate 360 attendees to tackle the opportunity of leadership with courage and strength (and maybe a song or two to keep you going). I know every SIOR conference is one you do not want to miss, but I have to say, this is TRULY an event like no other. Head over to our website at www.sior.com/CREate360 to learn more and register.
As you delve into this issue of the SIOR Report, I encourage you to take the opportunity to evaluate your CRE business and learn from the successes and disappointments of our industry experts. I am especially excited about the “Up Your Social Engagement” (pg. 34) article which discusses the need for CRE professionals to have a social media presence and how to utilize it to better your business. My company, Sentry Commercial, believes in the importance and necessity of social media, and in times like these, a significant digital presence is especially critical.
I look forward to "seeing" all of you at CREate 360 in a few weeks! Stay safe and healthy, and as always, I encourage you to reach out with any questions, comments, or a simple “hi.”
Keep smiling!
Sincerely,
Mark Duclos, SIOR
2020 SIOR President
duclos@sentrycommercial.com