Jacy Riedmann, vice president at Amoura Productions, has had an incredible Inman Connect journey over the years. Closely connected to the Inman Ambassador Program, she’s become an invaluable resource for attendees looking to navigate the week’s worth of activities, and has made some wonderful, long-lasting business and personal connections over the years.
We recently had the opportunity to ask Jacy what advice she’d give first-time attendees, and to share some of her thoughts from recent Inman conferences with us.
You’ve been coming to Inman Connect New York for several years now. What do you remember about your first experience, and what advice would you give a first-time attendee?
At some point, we all look for the answer to the question, “How do I grow my business faster?”
For me, Connect was that answer. I took a chance meeting with Chris Drayer, a local affiliate making big waves in town through several startups and his ReBarCampKC event. He invited me on a video project he was creating at the following Inman Connect.
Weeks later, I was on a plane and ready to launch my business to the next level. We filmed video interviews during a small party where I was introduced to a host of wonderful people whose names I would begin to learn, and whose business savvy and wisdom I would come to admire greatly: Laura Monroe, Robert Reuter, Laurie Weston Davis, Chris Nichols, Jeff Turner, Lisa Archer, Debra Trappen, and the list goes on and on.
The event was followed by a chance dinner where Jeff Turner told the waitress, “Just surprise us.”
I threw my picky Nebraska girl appetite to the side and tried foods I couldn’t even pronounce, and I learned what “phone stacking” was.
One Connect and I was already hooked.
Connect is very well known for its ability to create long-lasting, meaningful networking opportunities. What would your advice be to those looking to grow their business through new connections in January?
These connections became friends who I could reach out to for business advice, referrals and genuine friendship during the ups and downs of the startup culture.
During the following Connect, those relationships had flourished to the point where Laura Monroe asked me to return and film video interviews for a project Better Homes and Gardens was doing at the next Connect.
Suddenly, I was filming interviews with Sherry Chris and meeting powerful beta-brokers like Leighton Dees and the people behind the successful Hawaii Life Real Estate Company.
This led to cocktail parties where I was rubbing elbows with CEOs and CMOs and refining that elevator pitch I didn’t even know I would need!
How do you pick which sessions to attend, and why?
The more Connects I attended, the more great people I met, and the more those connections grew between events.
When I launched ReBarCampOmaha, a tech unconference back in my home state of Nebraska, almost half the special guest speakers who came to share their knowledge and insights were connections I had made during Inman Connect.
Last year was our fourth ReBarCampOmaha, and nearly 80 percent of our speakers were friends I had made from Connect who traveled from 17 different states!
What’s the single biggest thing not to miss at every Connect?
It was at Inman Connect that I was able to announce one of my proudest accomplishments to date — becoming one of The Geeky Girls!
It’s a blog full of articles, videos and reviews of real estate and social media topics run by Laurie Weston Davis, CEO/owner of Better Homes and Gardens Lifestyle Property Partners and director of social media at Revaluate, and includes the brilliant writing of Tiffany Kjellander, the CEO/owner of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate PorchLight Properties.
These are lifetime connections that not only helped grow my business and aid in my own professional growth, but also became friends who support each other through triumphs and hard times.
I have seen this community pull together during so many beautiful and dark times. We have experienced losses through the death of close colleagues, celebrated love through engagements and marriages, and welcomed those who were new to the industry into our herd through the Inman Ambassador Program.
For those still on the fence about attending, what’s the one piece of advice you’d give them?
The conference may be less than a week, but it will affect your career for a lifetime. If you are looking for your real estate family, you will find it at Inman Connect.
Want to connect with Jacy? You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.