When you attend a conference related to your area of expertise, you will get opportunities to communicate with nationally known leaders of your profession–colleagues you recognize by reputation and through their articles and books. How do you get the most out of the conference, to strengthen your job performance permanently?
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Matthew Finlason HGTV's The Stagers
Designer, TV Host, Mover & ShakerBorn in Jamaica and raised in Canada, loud, outspoken, and endlessly entertaining Matthew Finlason was introduced to the construction business at a young age. Learning the ins-and-outs of building and property development from the ground up he soon discovered, like his father, a talent for designing homes. Like his decorator mother, he possesses an eclectic knack for breathing life into any dull space. He continues develop real estate, design interiors, decorate and stage homes throughout Toronto, Vancouver, Los Angeles, and the Caribbean. Catch Matthew’s antics and aesthetics in Season 2 of the HGTV television series ‘The Stagers’ as he rushes to transform problem homes, with DEKORAinto show suites — often in just a few days. Amid the tantrums and turmoil are tips and touch-up ideas you can put to work in your own home. ‘The Stagers’, produced by Paperny Films and creatively produced by Keith Behrman received 4 Leo Awards for which Matthew won “Best Host” in a “Lifestyle Series”.
Also a prolific designer and art director for stage, commercial, film and television projects, Matthew formed The Concept Room – an artistic collective he directs to develop and execute ideas in production design, art direction, stage design, interior design, and lifestyle programming. He recently worked with Scott Smith and Gregory Middleton on ‘Capturing George’, a short film commemorating George F. Walker’s 2009 Governor General Award; Samantha Jo Simmonds’ ‘Grace’; and Cam Labine’s feature film ‘Control ALT Delete’ which premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival. Somehow he finds the time to set design Paul Anthony’s televised LIVE Comedy Cabaret ‘Talent Time’.
Tune in to watch Matthew and his teammate, Olympic gold medalist Kristy Yamaguchi, as they compete in a high-pressure, high-octane race-against-the-clock design competition! Brought to you by Los Angeles-based Pie Town Productions, ‘HGTV Showdown’ is centre stage for competitive drama where the best of HGTV’s design stars battle for supremacy.
Matthew will kick off our conference with pure Matthew style!
Matthew will speak on how to stay motivated by diversifying and sustaining your brand in fluctuating markets. “A stager’s skills set has never been more relevant!”
Matthew will also be serving on our panel of Experts as well as Crown the RESA Professional Stager of the Year.
www.RESAConference.com Get your ticket today and come meet Matthew.
NOMINATIONS FOR 2010 CLOSED
To further support the growth of the home staging industry, RESA will be recognizing leaders within the staging industry for their outstanding contributions and personal accomplishments.
Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) is now accepting nominations (deadline for submission of nominees is November 3rd) for the RESA Staging Industry Awards in the following categories:
- RESA Professional Stager of the Year
- RESA Rookie Stager of the Year
- RESA Staging Innovator of the Year
- RESA Staging REALTOR® of the Year
- RESA Product of the Year
Winners will hold their titles in their category for 2010.
The following provides the guidelines for submission to each of these categories. Please note: Nominations will be accepted from October 21, 2009 until November 3, 2009.
RESA Professional Stager of the Year
The RESA Professional Stager of the Year is a professional home stager that has been in business more than two years and is demonstrating professionalism and excellence in staging.
Nomination Guidelines:
- Both RESA members and non-members may nominate up to 5 home stagers for this category
- Only RESA members may be nominated. If you’re unclear as to whether or not the professional stager is a member of RESA, please use the following set of directions at the bottom of this document or ask the nominee
- Last year’s winners are eligible to be nominated in the same category
- Last year’s nominees are eligible
- Self nominations are not allowed
Finalists:
- Nominees who have had ethics disciplinary actions pending or taken in the last 2 years will be disqualified.
- Nominees must be a RESA member in good standing
- The top 5 nominees with the highest number of nominations will be the top 5 finalists.
- Finalists will submit a summary (using the criteria listed below) that highlights why they should be voted RESA Professional Stager of the Year. Submissions can be up to 5 pages and submitted as a PDF.
Finalist will be judged on the following:
20 Points- Branding (website, logo, etc…)
20 Points- Education through marketing, workshops, blogs, etc…
30 Points- Before and after examples
20 Points- Support to other stagers
10 Points- Overall appeal of entry
Judging:
The top 5 finalists will be reviewed and voted on by a panel of REALTORS® and two celebrity judges.
RESA Rookie Stager of the Year
The RESA Rookie Stager of the Year is a professional home stager that has been in business less than two years and is demonstrating professionalism and excellence in staging.
Nomination Guidelines:
- Self nominations are allowed. However, if self nominating, you may only nominate yourself once
- Both RESA members and non-members may nominate up to 5 home stagers for this category
- Only RESA members may be nominated for this category. If you’re unclear as to whether or not the professional stager is a member of RESA, please use the following set of directions at the bottom of this document or ask the nominee
- The top 5 nominees with the highest number of nominations will be the top 5 finalists
- Must be in business less than 2 years as of January 2010
Finalists:
- Nominees who have had ethics disciplinary actions pending or taken in the last 2 years will be disqualified
- Nominees must be a RESA member in good standing
- The top 5 nominees with the highest number of nominations will be the top 5 finalists
- Finalists will submit a summary (using the criteria listed below) that highlights why they should be voted RESA Rookie Stager of the Year. Submissions can be up to 5 pages and submitted as a PDF
Finalist will be judged on the following:
30 Points- Branding (website, logo, etc…)
30 Points- Education through marketing, workshops, blogs, etc…
30 Points- Before and after examples
10 Points- Overall appeal of entry
Judging:
The top 5 finalists will be reviewed and voted on by a panel of REALTORS® and two celebrity judges.
RESA Staging Innovator of the Year
The Staging Innovator is a service provider who is providing innovative solutions to home stagers and/or the home staging industry.
Nomination Guidelines:
- Must be a service provider to the home staging industry. Examples are: Furniture Rental Company, Home Staging Training Providers, Social Networking Sites, Marketing Tools and Resources for Stagers, etc.
- Self nominations are not allowed
- Nominees that are RESA members who have had ethics disciplinary actions pending or taken in the last 2 years will be disqualified
- Both RESA members and non-members may nominate up to 3 choices for this category
- Nominations must include a link to the company website
- Last year’s winners are eligible to be nominated in the same category
- Last year’s nominees are eligible
Finalists:
- The top 3 nominees with the highest number of nominations will be the top 3 finalists
- Finalists will be asked to submit a summary (using the criteria listed below) that highlights why they should be voted RESA Innovator of the Year. Submissions can be up to 2 pages and submitted as a PDF
Finalist will be judged on the following:
- How the provider delivers excellent service to the home staging industry/home stagers
- How they are contributing to the growth of the home staging industry
Judging:
The top 3 finalists will be reviewed and voted on by the RESA membership.
RESA Staging REALTOR® of the Year
The Staging REALTOR® of the Year will be a REALTOR® that collaborates with professional stagers and fully endorses the staging profession.
- Both RESA members and non-members may be nominated
- Both RESA members and non-members may nominate up to 3 REALTORS® for this category
- Last year’s winners are eligible to be nominated in the same category
- Last year’s nominees are eligible
- Nominee must be a REALTOR®
Finalists:
- The top 4 nominees will be determined by RESA leadership
- The top 4 nominees will be the finalists
- Nominees that are RESA members who have had ethics disciplinary actions pending or taken in the last 2 years will be disqualified
- Finalist will submit a summary (using the criteria listed below) that highlights why they should be voted RESA Staging REALTOR® of the Year. Submissions can be up to 2 pages and submitted as a PDF
Finalist will be judged on the following:
- How they think staging has increased their overall business
- How staging has improved their listing presentation
- How they work with professional stagers
- Why they think staging is important when selling real estate
Judging:
Judging will be voted on by the entire RESA membership
RESA Product of the Year
The Product of the Year is a product that professional stagers use in their day-to-day business.
Nomination Guidelines:
Finalists:
- The top 3 nominees with the highest number of nominations will be the top 3 finalists
- Nominees that are RESA members who have had ethics disciplinary actions pending or taken in the last 2 years will be disqualified
- Finalist will submit a summary (using the criteria listed below) that highlights why they should be voted RESA Product of the Year. Submissions can be up to 2 pages and submitted as a PDF
Finalist will be judged on the following:
- How well their product relates to a home stagers business
- How easy the product is to use
- Overall customer service of product provider
Judging:
Judging will be voted on by the entire RESA membership
Important Deadlines:
October 21st, 2009 to November 3rd, 2009- Nominations Accepted
November 4th, 2009 to November 6th 2009- Finalists Notified Via Email
November 18th, 2009- Submissions due from Finalists- Late submissions will be disqualified
November 30th, 2009- December 14th, 2009- Judging
January 25th, 2010 Winners Announced at the Awards Dinner and Ceremony at the
RESA International Staging Conference
Directions on how to determine if the professional stager is a RESA member:
Click here to do a search for the member by their last name. If their name comes up they are a member in good standing. If you are still unsure please ask the nominee.
Nomination Guidelines:
Hi everyone. I am getting so excited to meet you all at the RESA Conference in Las Vegas. Woo Hoo! How fun. In order to build some family and cohesiveness, I would like to put together a photo show with pictures of all our members.
Here is the deal: (more…)
Early May I received a call from a local event planner asking me if I can stage a room for an event for Nutrichem and Susanne Somers was going to be the speaker. Now when I heard that I jumped on the opportunity, not ever staging an event before but how hard could 1 room be compared to a vacant home?. Meeting with the event planner in the desired room to be decorated was an exciting point. Once I saw the room my heart dropped. Flamingo pink faux finished walls & matching carpet, “can we paint” I asked? The event planner replied “No, I’ve already asked!”…..how was I going to get over this obstacle?? Not showing my minor amount of fear I proceeded to ask the necessary questions. Once I got home I got to work developing room plan after room plan on my computer. Then VOILA one I fell in love with. (more…)
MT. LAUREL, N.J. — Professional Organizers will infuse their successful careers with a bit of magic courtesy of the National Association of Professional Organizers’ (NAPO) 21st Annual Conference and Organizing Exposition, which will be held in Orlando, Florida April 29 to May 2. The home of Disney and all things enchanted, Orlando is the perfect place for organizers to make their career dreams come true!
“The Annual Conference is the premier event of its kind, offering something for everyone regardless of their experience,” said NAPO President Standolyn Robertson. “I look forward to the conference every year because it helps me connect with colleagues and gain new insight into all aspects of professional organizing.” (more…)
Real Estate Staging Association announces speaker line up for the 2010 International Staging Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada
Stockton, CA Sept 13, 2009 Real Estate Staging Association (RESA®) the member run home staging trade association announces speakers for the international conference being held in Las Vegas Nevada, January 24th-26th 2010.
The RESA International Conference is the only one of its kind focused on providing professional real estate stagers with personal and professional development opportunities to take their businesses to the next level of success. The conference will bring together home staging and redesign business owners for education, networking and to strengthen the evolving home staging industry.
The Key Note speaker Mike Robbins is the author of the bestselling book, Focus on the Good Stuff: The Power of Appreciation and the new book Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken. He is also a contributing author to Chicken Soup for the Single Parent’s Soul and Thirty Things to Do When You Turn Thirty. Marketing and Branding Expert David Avrin is known internationally as the “Visibility Coach.” A best-selling author, highly regarded speaker, trainer and executive coach. His new book: It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Who Knows YOU! – The Small Business Guide to Raising Your Profits by Raising Your Profile will be released Nationwide in November. Networking & Real Estate Expert Ginny Mees from WomenHomeOwners.com will be speaking on how to “Boost Your Business Through Network Marketing”. Trademark Attorney Erik Pelton will be speaking on “Trademark and Copyright Law-How it Affects Your Staging Business”. Ricardo Bueno a social media expert with the Real Estate Tomato will be speaking on “Using Social Media to Grow Your Staging Business”. Audra Slinkey, President of Home Staging Resource, and Website and SEO Expert will speak on Ten Critical Keys to Every Successful Website in addition to serving on the panel of experts. Home Staging Expert Ashley Whittenberger from the Interiority Complex, will speak on 50 Ways to Market Your Staging Business.
The conference will also include four workshops covering Creating Limitless Market Opportunities – Becoming the “Go-To” Company, by Melissa Marro of Certified Staging Professionals and First Impressions Home Staging & Interior Redesign. Michelle Minch, President of Moving Mountains Design and Kathy Nielsen, President of Georgia Interior Solutions will present on Home Staging Photography 101. Lori Polk of Artful Journey and Ryan Dressel of Stage Right Design will present on Diversifying Your Business: Working with an Investment Team (Flippers), and Real Estate Expert Terrylynn Fisher will present on Unlocking the Mystery with Realtors, Why collaboration works.
RESA will also have a panel of Home Staging Experts including: Christine Rae of Certified Staging Professionals, Karel Rogers of Real Estate Staging Unlimited, JoAnne Lenart-Weary from One Day Decorating and Audra Slinkey from Home Staging Resource.
For further details on the conference or to download sponsor packets please visit www.RESAConference.com
The Real Estate Staging Association is the member run trade organization for professional stagers in North America. We provide support services and educational resources for professional stagers in addition to providing vital information regarding the benefits of staging to Realtors and consumer. For more information on the International Staging Conference, the Real Estate Staging Association, general information about home staging or to hire a professional home stager, contact Shell Brodnax at 888-201-8687 or via email Shell@RealEstateStagingAssociation.com .
