By Marina R. James
WinnipegREALTORS® is concluding a productive second quarter. We have made considerable progress in advancing our 2017-2018 operating plan. Association staff have been enriching their skill and knowledge sets and several major projects are currently in refinement stage with meticulous attention to detail and planning.
The 2018/2019 WinnipegREALTORS® Operating Plan was completed and presented at the Brokers Meeting on June 6, 2018. This important document provides highly detailed information regarding the activities of WinnipegREALTORS®, along with timelines for completion and progress indicators. Developed in close collaboration between management, the Operating Plan details the day-to-day activities of the Association along with measured outcomes. This spring, the operating plan was shared with our membership giving a new level of transparency that further cements our commitment to communication and responsiveness to our members.
WinnipegREALTORS® continually strives to create enduring relationships and strengthen engagement with stakeholders and decision makers to elevate the real estate industry, promote the benefits of a REALTORS® and collaborate on issues affecting your business. Staff have attended various events including the National Association of REALTORS® Conference, the CREA Association Executives Seminar, the CREA Technical Peer Group national meeting, the Sustainable Building Manitoba Annual General Meeting, the Manitoba Chapter on Trust and Governance, plus a host of other major conferences and meetings. Ongoing industry matters such as the federal mortgage stress test and the concerns surrounding the City of Winnipeg residential in-fill program are being advanced to decision makers in the form of meetings, presentations and social media.
At a professional level, staff have undertaken education to augment their knowledge base. Comprehensive learning on a wide-ranging array of topics such as governance, the Accessibility for Manitobans Act, Prospects Mobile applications, and Lean Management techniques have all contributed to stronger leadership effectiveness and competency. The goals of the association are reflected in the dedication of our staff and their relentless commitment to delivering value to our members.
In addition to providing industry standards of backup protocols and security measures such as implementing HTTPS for Matrix, the IT department continues to review all application upgrades before they are released to the general membership. Their due diligence and thorough testing ensures that any disruption to your business is at an absolute minimum.
In collaboration with RECOM 360, our newly rebranded Call Centre, the imagined and developed broker web chat service is now entering its testing phase. This innovative service provides new level of engagement for you and your clients. Broker web chat offers the ability for those seeking real estate to directly ask questions from your website. As this service becomes available, communications will be sent out along with brokerage presentations by RECOM 360 staff.
In advance of the upcoming launches of the updated association website (winnipegrealtors.ca) and the new Real Estate News site (winnipegrealestatenews.com), a Digital Advertising Policy has been developed and approved by the Board of Directors. A broad range of high impact digital advertising opportunities to support the Winnipeg Real Estate News, Condo Lifestyle Magazine and Commercial Real Estate Magazine will come into effect this fall. IAB standard banner ads, enhanced listing promotions, and page sponsorships will be available through the newly revamped winnipegrealestatenews.com website.
As we maintain our disciplined approach to fiscal responsibility, management continue to scrutinize all third party vendor agreements and pricing. It’s our goal to ensure that we maximize ‘money doing more’ for our membership.
Summer marks that half-way of this operating year, and we use this time to pause and reflect on how our plans are progressing. Whether a past accomplishment, or an opportunity to improve, we are in a constant state of evaluation to examine best possible next steps and outcomes to maximize the benefits to you.
The significant undertakings noted in the operating plan, promise to propel us forward and reinforce our strong desire to be a high performing association that continues on its path to be innovative, responsive and impactful.
Rest assured, we will continue to communicate our progress through e-bulletins, presentations and social media.
I sincerely wish everyone a great summer. Enjoy the many amazing world-class activities that Winnipeg and Manitoba has to offer.