The real estate industry was recently abuzz with the arrival of the eXp Global Impact Leadership team, who paid a special visit for the launch of eXp South Africa’s business conference and agent awards ceremony, ‘The Africa Leadership Tour: eXperience The Future’.
“We are extremely proud of Andrew Thompson and the eXp South Africa team for such a successful two years in business and for delivering a world-class conference to celebrate the milestone. It was truly humbling to be a part of this historic event and we look forward to continued growth of eXp South Africa into the future!”
For those in the know, having the opportunity to rub shoulders with and hear (live and in-person) from international industry stalwarts was not an opportunity to be missed. Michael Valdes, Chief Growth Officer eXp Realty, Meghan Kelley, Vice President of Operations eXp Global and eXp Global Regional Director EMEIA, Ilaria Profumi were warmly welcomed by Andrew Thompson, Director of eXp South Africa, local industry experts and over 600 property professionals who attended the big-business bonanza.
Programme director of 2022’s industry highlight event was the enchanting and witty entertainer ‘Mo Magic’, who captivated the audience as master of ceremonies and seamlessly linked a jam-packed programme of international and local guest speakers.
eXp South Africa Managing Director Andrew Thompson’s inspiring opening words on ‘eXp South Africa, The Journey so Far’ set the tone as a fitting testament to the fastest-growing estate agency in South African history. Acknowledging the havoc that the global pandemic unleashed upon the world, Thompson said, “The dramatic socio-economic dichotomies of the pandemic proved to be the perfect time to introduce a catalytic new business model into the South African economy. A lifeboat that the real estate industry was not expecting was launched and embraced. eXp South Africa has since started transforming one of the hardest hit professional markets.”
Heralded as a ‘masterclass on the future of real estate,’ Michael Valdes, keynote speaker and one of the world’s most successful property professionals, took a deep dive into how property professionals can thrive in a shifting economic climate whilst providing their clients with the ‘gold standard’ in service excellence.
In terms of the significant impact eXp South Africa has made to date, Valdes said, “ When we opened our doors in 2020, eXp South Africa ranked 5000th in local real estate agencies by agent count and today ranks number 9! It’s evident that our agent-centric, innovative model and leading value propositions have resonated with real estate agents and their families around the world.
FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE
In a panel co-facilitated by South Africa’s realty skills development expert Steven Johnstone, eXp Global Agent Advisory Committee Chairman, and U.S.A based Meghan Kelley, VP of Operations eXp Global, delegates heard from the source of select eXp South African CAP agents about life with eXp.
Sharing her experience at the event, Kelley said, “South Africa was the first country to open under the newly established eXp Global, and at that time, our brand was new to the international market. What the South Africa team and the agents have built and accomplished in two years is truly amazing. It’s clear from the live panel discussions to individual conversations with event attendees, that the eXp model is offering a level of freedom and autonomy for real estate agents that is completely life-changing. We are excited to continue this momentum and growth into the future.”
The panel also featured international industry veteran (ex RE/MAX International director) Ilaria Profumi. As a key takeout endorsing the impact that eXp’s transformative business model is having on South Africa’s real estate industry, Profumi said, “South Africa has been one of the pioneer countries for eXp Realty. Exactly two years after opening the local branch, we have witnessed major growth – and we are just getting started! Our business model offers agents the freedom to build their own business with the backing of a strong global company, which is extremely attractive and offers enormous potential. It was so exciting to witness all the amazing people who joined us at this leadership event and to celebrate the real estate professionals who are changing the rules of real estate in South Africa.”
IMPACTING LOCAL, EARNING IN DOLLARS
Reward and recognition came with eXp South Africa’s annual awards, which saw Lydia Vorster named eXp South Africa Agent of the Year 2022 amidst stiff competition from over 600 peers. In addition, James Conyers and his team at NRG powered by eXp walked away with the eXp South Africa 2022 Team of the Year accolade.
The penultimate highlight of The Africa Leadership Tour came with the naming of eXp South Africa’s social responsibility beneficiary for the year. A donation of R350,000.00 was pledged to the esteemed Dr Imtiaz Sooliman to support the enormous efforts of the Gift of the Givers Foundation.
Commenting on the donation, the inimitable Dr Sooliman said, “Gift of the Givers appreciates the generosity of eXp South Africa and their team for the generous contribution of R350,000 being derived from a percentage of agents’ commission on the sale of properties. This sets a worthy example for other agents in the real estate industry to emulate. The benefit for communities suffering from the ravages of hunger, lack of water, sanitary pads, school uniforms, stationery or wheelchairs is immense, bringing dignity, joy and functionality to the poorest in our midst. This proactive, novel CSI initiative from eXp South Africa is deeply valued.”
The success of the event was an endorsement to how eXp South Africa and eXp Realty, as the world’s fastest-growing cloud-based real estate company on the planet, is paving the way for a revolutionary shift in the real estate industry and as the world’s most agent-centric real estate brokerage, is changing the lives of agents and their clients alike.
The eXp South Africa Leadership Tour ‘eXperience The Future’ was held in proud partnership with eXp Global, MultiNET Home Loans, Currencies Direct, STBB Attorneys and Nedbank.
