The Ultimate Guide To Inman Connect New York 2023

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Tickets for Connect? Check.

Priority boarding? Check.

Hotel reservation? Check.

Comfortable shoes? Check.

Business cards? Check: Well, at least until you realize you actually left them at home — again.

No matter what you’ll remember or forget to bring, Inman Connect New York 2023 is poised to be an unforgettable experience for the 2,000 attendees, 175 speakers and 50 vendors who will fill the Hilton New York Midtown hotel from Jan. 24 to 26.

There’s plenty to see, learn and do during your time in New York City, and we’re here to help you have the ultimate experience whether it’s your first or tenth time at ICNY. Use the guide below to expertly navigate conference sessions, learning labs and vendor areas and even plan time for fun in Manhattan.

Tuesday, Jan. 24

Welcome to ICNY! You bravely navigated airport security lines and layovers, survived the rollercoaster of taking a taxi from LaGuardia, JFK or Newark into Manhattan, met the Inman crew at Monday night’s Welcome Happy Hour, and now you’re ready to dive into the first day of the conference.

Get started: If you’re an early riser, head down to Sutton Hall (second floor) and the Grand Ballroom (third floor) at 8 a.m. to meet one of the 50 vendors sharing cutting-edge tech tools and platforms that make listing, marketing, transaction management and closings a breeze.

While you’re there, pick up a complimentary cup of joe from The Listings Lab.

General session: The conference officially kicks off at 9 a.m. with two hours of dynamic speakers gracing the Grand Ballroom stage. Although we hope you’ll stick around for both hours, we understand the pull of carefully planned brunch business meetings or other networking opportunities.

With that in mind, here are three general session segments you can’t afford to miss:

• Brad Inman will open ICNY with a dynamic and insightful keynote detailing the opportunities within a changing market to transform yourself, your technology and your business for the better.
• The past three years have been a whirlwind as the housing market responds to a pandemic, seismic shifts in consumer needs, topsy-turvy mortgage rates and other macroeconomic factors that have complicated the most basic decisions. Real CEO Tamir Poleg, Parker89 Managing Partner Nate Levin and Era Ventures Managing Partner Clelia Peters will explain what’s coming in 2023 and how you can stay ahead of the curve.
• Mortgage rates will continue to be the main driver of consumer activity in 2023, with homebuyers and sellers carefully tracking rate fluctuations and weighing the benefits and risks of entering today’s market. Rocket Mortgage Chief Revenue Officer Austin Niemiec will share his mortgage forecast for 2023 and explain how you can help clients make the best decision for their financial future.

Take a break: Get some expert social media training from Inman Global Head of Community Laura Monroe, The Agency agent Matt Lionetti and Engel & Völkers agent Karen Stone. The trio will explain how to create content that converts while offering a few laughs in the process.

Get to the nitty-gritty with team, agent and broker tracks: You’ve spent the morning learning about the overarching trends ruling the industry. Now it’s time to learn how those trends specifically impact your role with power hours — four mini-general sessions featuring four 15-minute chats.

• Team Power Hour (11 a.m. to noon): If you missed renowned real estate coach Jon Cheplak at ICLV in August, here’s your chance to learn his system for successfully recruiting, training and retaining productive and resilient agents.
• Agent Power Hour (noon to 1 p.m.): Keller Williams Regional Director Kymber Menkiti, SERHANT. agent Talia McKinney, Duarte Real Estate owner Emily Duarte and Realtor Coalition Properties Group Managing Partner Keith James explain how to build relationships and properly nurture leads from the first message to the closing table.
• Broker Mastermind (noon to 12:45 pm): A skilled sailor is never built in calm waters and the same can be said for a broker. Listen to SparkTank Media CEO Jeff Lobb, Happy Grasshopper founder Dan Stewart and Nest Seekers International broker and Managing Director Bianca D’Alessio talk about common broker pain points and how to solve them in a choppy market.

If you missed the power hours, no worries. The afternoon will be filled with several other specialized tracks, including The Future of Finance (1 to 2 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom), Broker Connect (2 to 4 p.m. in the Trianon Ballroom) and Tech & Data Connect (2 to 4 p.m. in the Grand Ballrooms).

These tracks feature speakers, such as OJO Chief Real Estate Officer Chris Heller, PLACE Head of Industry Vija Williams, Compass Chief Evangelist Leonard Steinberg, Pacaso co-founder and CEO Austin Allison and Council of Multiple Listing Services CEO Denee Evans.

Closing time: Whew! You’ve had a packed first day at ICNY. End the day at the Booth Bar Crawl in Sutton Hall from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Meet fellow attendees and our featured vendors while enjoying light snacks and expertly-mixed cocktails — trust me, they’re good.

The after-party: Although you love Inman and wish you could stay glued to your conference seat all day long, we’d be remiss not to let you experience the unique sights and sounds of New York City.

The Hilton New York Hotel is near the legendary Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Museum of Modern Art. You can also make your way over to Times Square with a quick taxi ride.

If you’re feeling fancy, Ocean Prime, Mastro’s Steakhouse, Nusr-Et Steakhouse and Le Bernardin are a stone’s throw from the hotel. However, if you’d like a true NYC street-food experience, hit up one of The Halal Guys’ famous yellow stalls on the corner of 53rd Street and Sixth Avenue. You won’t regret it.

Wednesday, Jan. 25

Get started: How was that after-party on Tuesday? Rough? After taking a couple of Tylenol and regaining your energy with a quick workout, begin your day with us once again in Sutton Hall with complimentary coffee. If you’re a latte aficionado or need something stronger than a basic brew, there’s a Starbucks across the street from the hotel.

Don’t forget to swing by our registration desk in the Rendezvous Trianon Hall to pick up a replacement badge, chat with attendees and meet some of our events team (they’re the best!).

General session: You know what time it is. Get to the Grand Ballroom bright and early to grab a seat and prepare for another day of dynamic speakers. As with yesterday, it’s best to stick around for the two hours — after all, you might miss out on a speaker doing a killer crane kick or spilling the beans on a new project.

However, if that’s not possible, here are a few sessions you must see:

• What makes a good leader? It may not be what you think. Brad Inman and Glenn Sanford will sit down and talk about the soft skills that are often overlooked in professional development — empathy, kindness and the ability to speak to others’ humanity.
• Consolidation is the name of the game, and everyone is figuring out how to keep their piece of the pie as alternative business models attract the attention of agents and consumers alike. Anywhere Brands President and CEO Sue Yannaccone will hit the stage to talk about the franchise model and what it will take to stay ahead of the curve with tech, branding and customer service.
• Layoffs were the name of the game in 2022, with some of the industry’s largest companies slimming down their workforces in preparation for a lean 2023. Although most leaders have been able to glide through layoff news, Better founder and CEO Vishal Garg found himself in the hot seat after firing 900 employees over Zoom. He’ll take the stage for the first time since returning from a brief leave of absence.

Take a break: Meet The Agency founder Mauricio Umansky and his daughters/business partners Alexia Umansky and Farrah Brittany in a special meet and greet in Sutton Hall. Take a few pictures and maybe get a question or two answered.

Get to the nitty-gritty with breakout sessions: Much like Tuesday, Wednesday afternoon will be filled with a plethora of sessions geared toward brokers, agents, team leaders and tech wonks.

C-Suite leaders will have the opportunity to attend the invite-only CEO Connect in the Trianon Ballroom from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and some of the fiercest women leaders will take over Sutton Hall for a special WomanUP! session from 12:15 to 1 p.m.

Here are a few sessions to catch:

• Is it a buyers’ market? Is it a sellers’ market? Is it both? No matter where your market falls on the spectrum, hear Keller Williams Trainer and Growth Director Dana Cadena, star Compass agent Phillip Salem and eXp Realty Experience Real Estate Brokers broker-owner Kathy Helbig-Strick explain how to expertly navigate a changing market without driving yourself and your clients insane.
• A lot has changed in the real estate industry over the past several years as the coronavirus accelerated the path to a fully-digital transaction and ushered in a brief era of unprecedented sales activity. However, there’s another change looming ahead with several lawsuits having the potential to upend buyer-broker agreements as we know them. Watch Kendall Bonner Team broker-owner Kendall Bonner, Ten Hoeve Realty Group agent Ten Hoeve, Better Homes and Gardens Native American Group CMO Barry Jenkins and CMLS CEO Denee Evans untangle what a new compensation model would mean for the industry.
• When times get tough, the tough get going. Lamacchia Realty broker-owner and CEO Anthony Lamacchia, Side Florida Managing Broker Donnie Pingaro and Olivia Cooley Real Estate CEO Olivia Cooley all explain why now is the time for brokers “to get greedy” and invest in the tools and systems to ensure their team’s success.

Sidenote: If you’re worried about missing out on sessions, don’t. Luckily, your ticket includes access to playbacks of both general sessions and the handful of sessions and specialized tracks that will also be live-streamed for our virtual ticket holders. 

Closing time: Look at you! You’ve breezed through another day of ICNY. As a reward, come to Cocktails at Connect from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Remember those cocktails from yesterday I told you about? There are even more. Just take it easy so you can enjoy the after-party too.

In addition to Cocktails at Connect, the lovely leaders of WomanUP! are hosting their own cocktail hour at Bridges Bar inside the Hilton New York Midtown from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

The after-party: The evening isn’t done yet! There’s still plenty more to see and do during your last full day in New York City. Manhattan has plenty to offer with access to Broadway and off-Broadway shows, a plethora of restaurants and other tourist attractions.

However, consider giving the other boroughs and neighborhoods some love with these events:

• Tap into your inner amateur sommelier at the New York Wine Festival in Queens. Tickets are $39.
• Go to the ‘Boogie Down Bronx’ and check out the Universal Hip-Hop Museum’s [R]Evolution of Hip Hop pop-up hosted by Microsoft and MIT. Tickets are $20.
• Have your time in the spotlight at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. You can take photos in front of the pop culture landmark and then head down the street to dine at famed chef Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster Harlem.
• NYC is a bastion of diversity. Go to any of the city’s cultural hotspots like K-Town, Chinatown, Little Italy and Jamaica (Queens), which is home to many of the city’s Caribbean communities as well as immigrants from India, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Sri Lanka. Use New York City’s Official Guide to plan an evening in whichever neighborhood piques your interest.

Thursday, Jan. 26

Get started: We’re nearing the home plate! In a few short hours, we’ll sadly be saying goodbye and setting our sights on ICNY Las Vegas (you’ll be smart to buy your ICLV tickets now for a pretty sweet discount).

Take your last trip to the registration desk, around the vendor hall and grab — you should know this by now — a complimentary cup of coffee from The Listings Lab.

General session: Since today’s agenda is only two hours long, there should be no reason to leave early unless you’re part of the crew of Aussies who regularly come to ICNY and have a ridiculously long flight home (G’bye mates!).

But since we’re softies, we’ll still give you the cheat sheet to the best sessions to catch on Thursday:

• At the last count, there are more than 1 million Realtors in the United States. But guess what? There are nowhere near 1 million homes to sell — so that means some fierce competition is afoot among brokers to gain market share with the best agents by their sides. Compass regional president Rory Golod, @properties Christie’s International Real Estate co-founder and co-CEO Thad Wong and eXp Realty Chief Strategy Officer Leo Pareja will take the stage to talk about consolidation and what the extra competition means for you.
• Diversification is the name of the game, and Keller Williams President Marc King will share how agents and brokers can create additional revenue streams in the midst of a market slowdown and possible recession.
• I’m sure you have plenty of burning questions from the week’s sessions. Ask them all and more during Meet the Speakers from 11 to 11:45 a.m. in the West Promenade Hallway. Marc King, Dolly Lenz, Bernice Ross, Anthony Lamacchia and more will be sharing their valuable insights during the last moments of ICNY 2023.

You’ve made it — Take the afternoon to do some networking, sightseeing, or prepare for your flight home. Although Inman Connect New York is over, you can continue the journey by watching replays of conference sessions and making Inman part of your daily reading routine. You’re reading Inman, right? Right? Good.

Until next time!

Email Marian McPherson