One of the major benefits of attending Real Estate Connect is the opportunity to meet with and learn from the brightest minds in the real estate industry.  Real Estate Connect is, and always has been, about connecting with other professionals. 

Your first opportunity to connect with others at Connect is at Beer with Bloggers, Sponsored by Zillow.  Join everyone for networking on Tuesday, January 6th from 6-8pm in the Marriott Marquis Atrium Lounge.  There is sure to be plenty of great conversation, so don't miss out on this opportunity to get your Connect NYC '09 experience started on the right foot.  

So, don't forget:

Beer with Bloggers, Sponsored by Zillow

6-8pm Marriott Marquis Atrium Lounge (8th floor)

 And don't worry if you don't consider yourself a blogger.  You still like beer and good conversation, don't you?  

The nature of Inman Connect events is that not only are they great learning opportunities, but they are very social events.  There is a lot of meeting, greeting, networking, and discussing that goes on.  One of the great things about the emergence of new media is that it allows just about anyone to participate in all of this social activity.  Whether you are there meeting people and shaking hands, or back at the home or office, there is no reason to feel left out.  Here are some of the great ways you can use the power of new media to "connect with Connect:"

Facebook:  For those of you using Facebook, there is a very active group of folks in the Inman News Facebook Group.  There are sure to be lots of wall posts and pictures during Connect NYC '09, so be sure to stop by and check things out.  

LinkedIn:  There is actually an Inman group on LinkedIn specifically for networking before, during, and after Connect.  The group is called Real Estate Connect.  With thousands of members, you are sure to make some valuable new connections.  

Flickr: There is now a group for Real Estate Connect photos on Flickr.  Since so many folks take great pictures while attending the Connect events, it seemed like a good idea to have a central place for all of the pics.  The Flickr group is that place.  All you have to do is upload your Connect pics to Flickr, become a member of the group, and then submit the pics to the group.  

Twitter: There is bound to be plenty of Twitter activity around Connect NYC '09.  If you want to follow the action on Twitter, one of the best things you can do is to use hashtags.  The official tag for Connect NYC '09 is:  #icny  For those of you who are tweeting, please tag your Connect-related posts accordingly.  If you are just trying to follow along, you can go to search.twitter.com, and then enter a search for #icny.  That will show you the latest Connect-related tweets.  

There are sure to be tons of Connect-related blog posts during and after Connect NYC '09 as well.  Technorati should be able to help you find some of them, and if people use the "icny" tag on their blog posts, it will make it even easier.  The same holds true for photos.  The more people use the tag, the easier it is to connect with the right content.  

So those are the main ways you can connect with Connect this January.  So if you are going to be joining us in Times Square in January, these are great ways to catch up on anything that you might have missed, and if you aren't going to be able to join us, these are great ways to live vicariously.  

See you in Times Square!

About a month ago, I put out a call for folks to send me their video introductions for Connect NYC '09.  Stacey Harmon was the first to take me up on the offer.  It is pretty obvious that Stacey must be excited to meet and learn from the brightest minds in the real estate industry at Connect NYC '09-- why else would she leave the beautiful beaches of Southern California to fly across the country? 

 So, if you are going to Connect NYC '09, make sure to say hello to Stacey if you see her around.  And if you want folks to be able to say hello to you when they see you, send me a link to your video introduction:  daniel.rothamel@inman.com

If you did, not to worry. You can now listen to it on Inman.com.

Our Roadmap to Recovery Audio Townhall is now available exclusively for Inman Premium Members. This 60-minute call is packed full of great information and features Inman News publisher Brad Inman, Inman News columnist Kris Berg, Patrick Stone of the Stone Group, Cyberhomes GM Marty Frame and Pam O'Connor from the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World.

To listen; log in to your Premium Member Account and click on the link above, or click on our Podcasts section to find it and other great podcasts.

An Inman Premium Membership costs just $149.95 a year and gives you access to our entire Podcast library; as well as event videos from past Connects and much more. 

Sign up today!

Maureen Francis!

The members of the Inman Community went above and beyond, giving us over two dozen submissions to have their blogs made-over live on stage at Bloggers Connect NYC '09.  All of the submissions were carefully considered by the top-notch lineup of Bloggers Connect presenters, along with myself, Joel Burslem, and Jim Cronin and his team at The Real Estate Tomato.  

The voting was done Heisman-style.  Every judge submitted their top 3 choices.  A first-place vote was worth 3 points, second-place worth 2 points, and third-place 1 point.  When all the votes were in, and all the points tallied, Maureen came out on top, in a very close race.  

Here is the submission that Maureen made that will put her on stage at Bloggers Connect (she even added a celebrity endorsement from one of Detroit's most recognizable personalities):

Maureen did an awesome job with her submission, as did everyone else who participated.  The judging was very difficult, but it proved one thing-- the members of the Inman Community are dedicated to what they do, and are always looking for ways to improve.  That's a good thing, because that is exactly what Inman Connect, Bloggers Connect, and the Blog Makeover are designed to help them achieve.  

So, we'll be seeing Maureen at Bloggers Connect, where she will submit herself and her blog to the collective knowledge and expertise of not only the presenters, but the insightful attendees as well.  Together, we should all be able to help not only Maureen in her blogging efforts, but everyone else in attendance is sure to pick up a tip or two.  

If you haven't registered for Bloggers Connect or Inman Connect NYC '09 just yet, don't worry, you've still got time.  Right now, we're even offering a holiday special--  you'll get a 1-year Premium Membership, a pass to Inman Connect NYC '09, and a pass to one of the workshops (Bloggers Connect sounds perfect).  All of that is worth almost $1000, but this holiday season, you can get it all for $599 if you register before January 1, 2009.  Get the details here, and take advantage of this special today!

I know I'll see Maureen in Times Square, and I hope I'll see you there, too!

I know it might seem hard to believe, but the cost of travel has come down considerably over the last few weeks.  A pleasant side effect of falling fuel prices and a slow economy is that airlines and hotels are getting aggressive in attracting your business.  Now is one of the best times in a long while to book travel; especially to place like, oh, I don't know--  New York City on January 7-9th.  ;-)

Just this morning, flights for me from Richmond, VA to NYC were $120 round-trip on JetBlue.  Sweet.  You might be traveling further than me, but chances are, you can do it for a lot less than you thought.  

Same story on hotel rooms. We were able to negotiate a lower room rate with the Marriott Marquis, which has been applied to anyone who previously registered there. If you are looking to save even more, there are plenty of hotel deals to be had. Here are some sites you can check to find the best available deals:

• Farecast -- Winner of the 2008 Webby Award in the travel category. Farecast searches for cheap flights and gives free airfare pricing predictions.

• Kayak -- Kayak searches hundreds of travel sites to give you the widest possible choice then offers direct booking from the selected travel site.

• Hotwire -- JD Power Award winner for 3rd straight year. Hotwire lets you compare prices against other major travel sites to make sure you're getting the best possible deal.

• Expedia -- The World's leading online travel agency. Offering great package deals and top notch customer service.

 We're also very pleased to be able to offer one lucky Connect attendee a very special deal: 

Register for Connect NYC '09 through December 21st, 2008 and you will be entered into a drawing for the chance to win 3 nights at the Marriot Marquis, a $720 value, plus a dinner voucher worth $80. The winner will be announced Monday, December 21st right here, on the Inman Blog.  

Wait, there's more. . .

I know that the folks who attend Connect NYC are some of the friendliest folks in the industry.  I know that many of you are probably interested in sharing a hotel room.  After all, there's nothing like making a new friend, right?  If you are interested in finding a roommate, or you found an awesome travel deal that you really want to share with everyone, head on over to the Connect NYC '09 group in the Inman Community and find a roommate or share your deal.  

If you were thinking, "man, I really want to go to Connect NYC '09, but I'm not sure about the travel," you're not the only one.  The reality is, it's a lot more affordable than you might have guessed.  With our help, and the help of the Inman Community, you can make the trip to NYC on just about any budget.  Don't miss out!

This year has been a period of tremendous upheaval. Our industry in particular has been heavily hit and every day we hear about more and more of our friends and colleagues that have been laid off due to these unprecedented economic conditions.

Inman News wants to help. Our Community section, for example, features a number of available positions in our job search board.

We also recognize that our upcoming Real Estate Connect conference in New York City is the industry's premier event for high-level networking. In the spirit of keeping our community strong, we want to extend a special opportunity to any industry professional that has recently lost their job to attend Connect and take advantage of this unique networking opportunity.

If you would like to attend Connect but are unable to do so due to a recent job loss, please send an email to elaine@inman.com or call 1-800-775-4662 ext. 128  for special consideration. All information will be kept strictly confidential.

We all make New Year's resolutions.  I can't think of a better way to fulfill your business resolutions for 2009 than by attending Connect NYC '09. 

There are currently over 750 people registered to be at Connect NYC '09.  All of those people are going to be getting their year off on the right foot by gathering knowledge, information and inspiration that can only be found at an event as unique as Connect NYC '09.  The brightest minds in the industry will be there, sharing, learning, and discussing.  With over 750 attendees already registered, chances are that some of your competitors will be there, too, so don't miss out!

Because the response to Connect NYC '09 has been so great, we wanted to extend the early bird pricing for one more week, so that as many people as possible can take advantage of this awesome opporunity to energize their business for 2009.  You'll have through December 7th to save with early bird pricing for Connect NYC '09.

With all of the smart, insightful, successful people that are already attending, shouldn't you be one of them?  Don't miss out!

As you're probably well aware, we're counting down the final days before discount pricing ends on registration for Real Estate Connect NYC 2009.  Inman News has put together what looks to be our best Real Estate Connect conference yet, January 7-9th in New York.

Real Estate Connect offers the strongest content in the industry, with stellar keynotes, panelists, case studies, and interactive forums, plus incredible opportunities for shared learning and networking.  We’d love for you to join us.  So consider this your official invitation to Connect.

Remember, prices go up after this Sunday, so if you haven't registered yet, you'd better get moving!  Register Here.

Connect NYC '09 is just around the corner (if you haven't registered, now would be a good time).  That means its time to start up the roll call.  If you are going to be at Connect NYC '09, then stand up and introduce yourself.  All you have to do is record a video telling everyone who you are and what has you excited about Connect NYC '09.  Then, post your video to YouTube or the video hosting site of choice.  Once you've done that, send me an email with a link to the video:  Daniel.Rothamel@Inman.com   I'll be posting the videos right here on the blog all way up until Connect NYC '09 kicks off on January 7th, 2009.

Since I'm asking all of you for videos, it is only fair that I participate:

Don't be shy! Send me those videos, and I'll see you in Times Square!