Hi there, only a few days left before the candidates videos must be submitted. Election day is closing in fast.
1) I'm a believer in healthy competition and collaboration.
There are tons of real estate investing groups in and outside of Ottawa that investors and real estate professionals can join. It's a sign that Ottawa is a popular market to be in. OREIO isn't the only game in town. I don't view the other groups as threats to OREIO at all.
Personally, I like the fact that Ottawa has seen a growth in the number of new investing groups and Meetups. Healthy competition will bring out the best in all of the groups. Also, I've found from experience that working and collaborating with others will ultimately improve the membership's experience.
So, if I'm elected President, my goal will be for the Executive to seek opportunities with other groups, individuals and real estate industry companies that will benefit OREIO members. The benefits could be in the form of speakers, membership discounts, and services.
In 2013-2014, OREIO Executive member Denise MacPherson negotiated deals with companies that were willing to provide discounts and benefits to OREIO members. The companies were:
HUB Insurance, CAA, Preston Hardware, REIN, Rent Check. I say let's reach out to those companies again as well as others.
2) 2020 Meetings:
- COVID-19 has disrupted how meetings are held. None of us know when we will be able to have in person meetings again or what type of safety measures will be needed/wanted when it happens. The big question in my mind is how many members will attend in person meetings again? How many members will want to sit in a room with over 100 people? Maybe future meetings will be a combination of in-person and live streaming? Anyways, I think that the July-August-September OREIO meetings should be held online. Let's wait and see where COVID is at after the September meeting before deciding how meetings will be held for the rest of the year.
- When in-person meetings resume, let's bring back the pop, juices, cookies, and chips that used to be served at break.
- I'm totally open to changing the current format of the in-person meetings. Different day, different times, shorter meetings, different locations.
- I think that the Executive members can take turns leading the meetings. It might even be a good idea to bring in a "host" to Emcee the online meetings.
That's it for today :)
Tony
