The New England Chapter of CRE held a members-only lunch event at noon on Monday, September 8th with CRE John Leary at Hunneman Commercial's offices, 303 Congress St., Boston. Leary made a presentation entitled "Invitation Process Open Forum." This event is a national effort initiated by the CRE National Invitation Advisory Committee and the Chapter Activities Committee to educate CRE members about how prospective CRE members are administrated through the CRE qualifications. The goal of the committee is to present the program to all CRE chapters prior to the annual meeting in Boston this fall. This session is a must-attend session. If you have ever wondered: *How the Invitation Committee works *Wanted to sponsor a prospective member but weren't sure what happens behind closed doors *Curious on how candidates are evaluated *Sponsored an individual for CRE who was not invited but did not know why *Or just want straight answers about the process Then this was the event for you. Leary's presentation included an hour of material mixed with Q&A. More information will be detailed in the October issue. The chapter would like to thank Emmet Logue for volunteering the location. Mark your calendars! The National CRE Convention will be held this fall in Boston from Friday, October 31st to Monday, November 3rd at The Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel in the BackBay. The hotel has discounted CRE hotel rates available until September 28th. These rooms are limited in number. Please make your reservations early by calling 617-267-5300. The Fairmont is located at 138 St. James Ave, Boston, across from the Boston Public Library and the entrance to the Mass. Pike. The finishing touches are being applied and the chapter should be well represented. The convention is entitled "The Revolution In Real Estate. Will it be a Tea Party or a Massacre?" This unique meeting provides counselors the opportunity to gain perspectives from thought leaders in the industry through top-notch educational programs. Friday, October 31st will be the opening day of the convention with a "Welcome to Boston" city tour in the afternoon. The Invitation Advisory, Chapter Activity and Ethics Committees will meet as well. Then the New Members Welcome Reception will take place at 4:30 p.m. and the General Welcome Reception will follow at 5:30 p.m. at The Fairmont Copley. Connect with old friends and meet the new members at this popular opening event. On Saturday, November 1st, the morning program at 7:30 a.m. begins with the "Open Forum" followed by the "Welcome Address." The General Sessions start at 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. The Welcome Luncheon is scheduled at 12:15 p.m. with an introduction of the new members. At 2 p.m., the convention has concurrent sessions on Business Issues. The goal of the Business Issues Forums is to bring like-minded CREs together to discuss and dissect the challenges and hot topics related to specific disciplines of counseling. Participation in these groups allows counselors to share individual knowledge and form deeper professional and personal bonds that thrive beyond the national meetings. The topics that CRE members can attend include Corporate Real Estate, Sustainability, Litigation Services, Capital Markets and Public/Private Partnerships. Further committee meetings finish the day of programs with an evening event at night. Sunday, November 2nd the morning begins at 7:30 a.m. with Real Estate Roundtables. Then two more General Sessions run at 9 a.m. and at 10:45 a.m. A Welcome Luncheon and award presentations is held at 12:15 p.m. A Boston Development tour will be held in the afternoon at 2:30 p.m. with further committee meetings from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. A second evening event will be held Sunday night. Monday, November 3rd closes out the convention with 7:30 a.m. Real Estate Roundtables and Education and Executive Committee Meetings. The Annual Membership Meeting is at 11 a.m. The convention concludes with the National board of directors meeting at 11:15 a.m. All CREs are encouraged to attend the board of directors meeting. Our chapter wants to make a strong presence at the convention as the host chapter so please consider registering at www. cre.org. Robert Nahigian, FRICS, CRE, is the 2008 CRE chapter president and is the president of Auburndale Realty Co., Newton, Mass.