With 26,000 members to train on a new MLS system, SoCalMLS general manager Russ Bergeron didn't want to repeat the time and expense it took to train people to use previous MLS access products, so he came up with a cool idea - take members and put 'em on ice for a day.

"You can do the math," says Bergeron. "Even if you get 300 people into a room, the time, expense, and lost productivity is just too much."

SoCalMLS had been using two systems - Stellar as a legacy system and XMLS as a parallel system, and opted to put members on one system - MarketLinx Tempo, so that everyone could be on one Internet-based system, among other reasons. That meant, though, that every member who uses the system had to be trained.

Why not train everyone in one day, he thought? Geographically, the SoCalMLS covers a small number of square miles in southern California which just happens to be dense with agents (membership has doubled in the last five years.) With the right venue, the agents could easily be trained in one location.

The right place was in SoCal's backyard - the Arrowhead Pond, an ice rink used by the NHL's "Mighty Ducks" and within twenty miles drive for every SoCal member.

Bergeron and his associates whipped up a training seminar to end all training seminars complete with sponsors and a trade show and expo.

The event will be held January 14th, 2004. Attendance that will rival the National Association of Realtors' annual convention with about 20,000 Realtors expected.

It will be the largest MLS cutover training event of its kind ever.

The Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, says Bergeron, is a state-of-the-art 18,000 seat arena where the MLS training attendees will be given a two-hour ride through the new Tempo system at one of two scheduled training sessions. Along the facility's concourse, the trade show and expo will be held.

"Our service partners jumped at the chance to be part of the event," said Bergeron. "I have to thank all our exhibitors, especially eNeighborhoods and First American Real Estate Solutions for their generous sponsorships. Their involvement will draw people to the Pond and has helped offset some of the costs of staging this event."

Notifying all 26,000 MLS customers about the show was another hurdle. Agents using legacy and Internet-based systems have different ways of communicating.

"We have used every means at our disposal," said Terry Matt, SoCalMLS' director of training and marketing. "Over the past 3 months we have repeatedly used broadcast FAX, broadcast e-mail, courier service to every office, staff visits to offices and board meetings, log-on messages, pop-up messages, board newspapers, and just this week every customer received a postcard reminder. We've done it all. The idea was that everyone be given equal access to training on this outstanding new system so they could all jump right in the day it goes live.”

Bergeron says response has been overwhelmingly positive. "At first, people were skeptical, but now they're jazzed," says Bergeron. "Many brokers are making attendance mandatory for all their agents. Some are using the Pond event as their weekly sales meeting. Others are renting buses or limos to get their people there.

"Our Board of Directors and staff have worked long and hard putting this event together," he says. "It has been both fun and educational. We expect we'll be the talk of the town, if not the entire MLS industry."

Published: January 9, 2004

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Blanche Evans is the award-winning senior editor of Realty Times, the Internet's leading independent real estate news service. She is featured daily on the Realty Times Video Network in the "Realty Viewpoint" segment. Blanche has been named one of the "25 Most Influential People In Real Estate" by REALTOR Magazine, and has been twice recognized as a "notable." In 2005, she was named "Top Reporter Covering the NAR" by Delahaye-Bacon's. Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. To contact Blanche, email her at . For more articles by Blanche, click here.