The recent Christie's Great Estates Global Annual conference in Boston was a veritable United Nations for international luxury properties professionals, attended by principals of 60 affiliate firms from 18 countries - 40% of which were outside the United States. Some conference highlights were panel discussions on topics ranging from the world wealth report, luxury marketing trends, and new approaches to business, and included commentary by accountants, attorneys, digital media experts, and industry analysts. John Hodnett, principal of Lila Delman Real Estate, participated in a panel discussion on "Risk Management in the Age of Social Networking." Lila Delman uses a live web "beachcam", online magazines, presentations on YouTube, blogging, and social networking on Facebook. "The luxury real estate market is global," said Melanie Delman, president of Lila Delman Real Estate. "Our clients shop internationally for properties. That's why we create personal networks of brokers from all around the world." Lila Delman is the exclusive Christie's Great Estates affiliate for Rhode Island. At the close of the two-day conference, three brokers from abroad traveled to Newport as guests of Lila Delman, to overnight and golf at the Carnegie Abbey Club, tour The Tower residences, relax at Oakwood, a luxury estate off Bellevue Ave., and dine at the New York Yacht Club. Philip Sherry, executive chairman of Ireland's Sherry Fitzgerald Countrywide, Fritz Ulrich Schnorf of Wetag Consulting Immobiliare sagl, Locarno Switzerland, and Jose Ribes Bas, Rimontgo, Valencia, Spain were delighted with the properties and facilities, and will carry news of Newport home to their respective countries and clients. Attending the Boston conference were Melanie Delman, John Hodnett, Catherine Gazder, Robin Nicholson, and Geer Messinger of Lila Delman Real Estate.