January 2018 Board of Directors report

On February 1, the first meeting of the 2018 Board of Directors of WinnipegREALTORS® was convened. Utilizing the 2018 Strategic Plan as a framework for results, each committee was provided with their mandate to accelerate the evolution of the association.
 
Member Services
The Members Services Committee is busy planning several upcoming events. On March 2, the President’s Gala, celebrating the accomplishments of members within the industry, takes place at the RBC Convention Centre. The Gimme Shelter Fundraiser, scheduled for May 11 at the Metropolitan, will have a lively new format for its auction event. 
 
WinnipegREALTORS® will offer members a discounted ticket program for the Home & Garden Show being held at the RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg on April 5-8, 2018. Tickets may be purchased in bulk for a discounted price, suitable for distributing to clients.
 
REALTOR Reset will not be held this year. The trade show, proposed speaker lineup and format will be revisited in 2019.
 
Technology
The development of two new websites, one for the Winnipeg Real Estate News, and one for the WinnipegREALTORS Association, continues. A complete site plan for both sites detailing features, functions, mapping and content has been created. A request for quotation (RFQ) was delivered to three qualified website development companies.
More on this in the coming months.
 
Commercial Division
Discussion ensued about the new association websites and it was determined that the link for commercial listings should direct to the CPIX client portal at winnipegcommercialrealtors.ca.   
 
REN/PR
A working group of the Committee has been established to assist in developing the online advertising opportunities for digital marketing associated with the new website.    
 
A new radio campaign will begin in March, and run till late October. New scripts that promote the advantages of a real estate professional and the benefits associated with using the Real Estate News will promote to the age 25 to 64 demographic. 
 
Expanded promotion of infographics of local market statistics on social media will take place during 2018.
 
New marketing materials to broaden the publications’ advertising base have been introduced, including a professional media kit, new mini ad sizes and branded open houses. In an effort to expand the number of business and affiliate partners for the association, policy changes have been implemented, including the creation of a pre-approved list of businesses related to real estate to optimize access to advertising and sponsorship opportunities for those interested parties.
    
Government Relations
With a civic election on the horizon, the Government Relations Committee will lead discussion with candidates on issues concerning Winnipeg’s real estate industry, such as grow-op regulations, residential infill policies and impact fees.
 
A mayoral forum is in the planning stages, along with the potential creation of real estate based videos for candidates to answer specific questions.
 
A social media campaign regarding civic candidates and real estate is being planned.
 
MLS
Post and Pad was added as an additional choice for Foundation type when entering in property information in Matrix.    
 
Currently, every photo sent to Matrix is automatically watermarked with the word “Keystone,” to prevent illegal use of member property images. It was determined that this was causing confusion to the general public. A motion was carried to change the watermark to the Realtor “R” logo, and further reinforce the Realtor brand.    
 
Membership Engagement Committee
This is a new committee, which was established last year due to changes in association governance rules. Its role is to promote and sustain engagement with the membership, this new committee established several metrics and goals for 2018, including increasing attendance at member events, increasing open rates on communication pieces, creating some short, fun videos, survey questions, and potential expanded networking opportunities.