Several Connecticut/Western Massachusetts SIOR chapter members returned from the Fall World Conference in Chicago. The event was held at the Hyatt Regency situated near Chicago's famous Magnificent Mile, and surrounded by the city's premier landmarks and attractions.
Just under 900 members, associates, and sponsors were in attendance, making the 2013 Fall World Conference the best attended conference since 2005, which was also held in Chicago.
SIORs from around the globe participated in another dynamic conference featuring top line speakers, educational workshops, breakout roundtables, and a number of networking events. Continuing a growing initiative of making the society a global organization, almost half of the new members announced at the conference are located outside the United States.

A guest at the conference, Howard Kline from Commercial Real Estate Radio, underscored this global theme in comments made in his article "SIOR: An Organization of Trust, Mutual Respect, & Referrals." Kline wrote about striking up a conversation with one of our chapter members, Frank Hird, SIOR, over coffee. Impressed with the value of SIOR from that discussion, in his article Kline shares Hird's story of transactions he recently completed in Mumbai and Ireland. Hird made it clear to Kline that he was hired by his client for these assignments because of SIOR's reputation, and his ability to properly service his client in these international markets through other fellow SIORs.
The conference's opening general session featured speaker Governor Tom Ridge, the first Secretary of Homeland Security. Ridge's message was about "Branding America"—how Americans are perceived around the globe - making a connection with the Society's initiative to brand SIOR as an international organization.
Sally Hogshead, speaker and author of Fascinate, captured the attention of SIORs at another general session. Hogshead invited everyone at the conference to take her personality test, and to reveal how one can immediately command attention by understanding and applying their individual personality advantages. By understanding our individual personality archetype, we discover our fascination advantage. In today's world of 9 second attention spans, she stressed the importance our introductions play in our personal and professional lives.
The closing general session was highlighted with an upbeat talk from economist Dr. Ted Jones. An entertaining and at times humorous presentation, Dr. Jones delivered an optimistic view of the economy, the likely prospects for commercial real estate, and in particular the continued growth in the industrial sector. Although the national debt continues to loom as a potential crisis that congress needs to address, Dr. Jones is forecasting continued meaningful growth of the economy and in many, if not most, commercial real estate sectors.

The next SIOR World Conference will be April 22-25, 2014 and held in Las Vegas. There is gaining momentum to schedule an upcoming conference in New York City for 2016 or 2017. The Downstate New York Chapter, along with neighboring chapters in the northeast, is leading the initiative for a New York World Conference in the near future.