Herlong Sotheby’s International Realty hosted the first Carolinas Networking Event Oct. 12-14, to rave reviews.
About 250 Sotheby’s International Realty agents from over 40 affiliates in the U.S. — plus the Grand Caymans — came to Greenville and other venues, to learn more about Upstate South Carolina and one another.
“The response from SIR agents everywhere was almost overwhelming,” owner and CEO Joan Herlong said, “and the feedback we’re still receiving has been uniformly positive — about greater Greenville, the incredible range of properties within our market and especially our magnetic downtown. Every aspect of this event delivered a wow factor.”
The planning process took about a year, orchestrated by Jackson Herlong, Broker-in-Charge and Chief Strategy Officer; Venetia Moseley, Office Manager and Referral Coordinator; and Chief Operating Officer/In-House Counsel William Herlong.
“The CNE was Joan’s brainchild. She envisioned a ‘fun-sized, bite-sized’ Sotheby’s Networking Event, but it’s a pretty daunting project when you invite 250 people to anything,” Jack Herlong said. “You could say that we took it upon ourselves to raise that brainchild. We benefitted from input from our SIR partners across the Carolinas, and we expected our range to begin and end within the Carolinas. But soon after announcing our ticket sales, we had tremendous interest from our coastal Florida feeder markets, and across the U.S. We’re exhilarated by how this all turned out.”
As the CNE began to take shape, Sotheby’s International Realty took a personal, supportive interest in helping Herlong SIR, which is a hallmark of the Sotheby’s brand in residential real estate.
“Sotheby’s International Realty has kept every promise they’ve made to me as an owner, and then some,” Joan Herlong said. “I regard their execs as a brain trust, a personally supportive resource that I call on whenever we need help, or just a sounding board. They’re the leading luxury brand in real estate for all the right reasons.”
The keynote speakers for the first CNE featured Joan Herlong, Greenville City Councilmember Dorothy Dowe, Jack Herlong, Sotheby’s Chief Marketing Officer Brad Nelson and Sotheby’s Chief Education Officer Sandesh Bilgi.
The breakout sessions featured experts in risk mitigation, artificial intelligence, luxury lifestyle marketing and mastering social media. While several Upstate realty firms are many times larger, Herlong Sotheby’s International Realty is the leader in social media reach, followers and impact.
This first CNE exceeded Herlong’s goals and met or exceeded the expectations of fellow SIR agents.
“We’re exhausted but exhilarated, and already strategizing to make the next CNE even better,” Joan Herlong said. “We brought the Upstate to the world’s attention and they loved it.”
