A time to unite, collaborate and compare professional notes, WIRE is quite literally a celebration of Women In Real Estate.
The acclaimed industry event, proudly hosted by REINSW, is now in its 16th year. WIRE 2023: Where to now? is set to inspire with an exciting list of speakers hailing from a diverse range of industries both inside and outside of real estate.
Headlining speaker, The Hon Julie Bishop, will be joined by MC and former REINSW President Leanne Pilkington, sporting star Jana Pittman, buyer’s agent Amanda Gould, Nic Fern from Bespoke Media Group, Samantha McLean of Elite Agent, Virginia Brookes from Resolver Recruitment, principal Amy Young, and real estate coach Caroline Bolderston amongst others.
Ms Bishop, probably best known for her role as former Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, is currently the Chancellor of the Australian National University and a sought-after speaker. During her long career in politics Ms Bishop held several titles including Minister for Women’s Issues and now collaborates with various female-centric groups including in her position as patron of Shooting Stars (an education program for young aboriginal girls) and ambassador for Football Australia’s Legacy ’23 in the lead up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.
World athletics champion Jana Pittman, now a practising Doctor, specialising in women’s health, will also address WIRE attendees. An in-demand speaker, Pittman’s inspirational talks cover topics such as overcoming fear, finding inspiration, leadership and rising to challenges.
A regular WIRE devotee, CEO of Laing+Simmons Leanne Pilkington said the annual gathering was a permanent fixture on her professional calendar.
“This is the event I book into every year without even knowing who the speakers are going to be. And I book my whole team in too,” she said.
“I trust the speakers REINSW choose are going to be amazing, because they always are. It's also just a moment when we can be in an environment where you’re not only a listing agent or talking about GCI [gross commission income]. It's about coming together and understanding that this business means different things to people and being there to support everybody.”
Ms Pilkington said the atmosphere at WIRE was always one of discovery among likeminded peers.
“We're all driven by different things. A lot of people are driven by sales figures, then there are others who are driven by contributions of service. That’s not to say you can't write a high GCI number without contributions to others, but we can all learn a lot from the different ways of doing business.”
Amanda Gould, founder of HighSpec Properties and star of Dream Listing Byron Bay, sits on the board of directors of REINSW and is a longtime fan of the WIRE events.
"When I first joined the industry WIRE was one of the first events I went to and I remember thinking at the time, ‘How fantastic there’s this communal support of women. What a great industry initiative.’ WIRE has really taught me a lot, so I've always been a big supporter and I've gone to every single one,” she said.
From the speakers to the peer support, Ms Gould said she never leaves a WIRE event without a takeaway lesson.
“I love that they can get such interesting speakers and there's always something we can walk away with; whether it’s from them directly or even one another.”
Ms Gould said she also encourages her whole team to attend WIRE each year.
“There’s so much amazing information shared at these events, but even if you only hold onto one great tidbit from each speaker about handling stress, reaching your goals - or whatever it may be - then it’s worth it. It's just so cool to be in a room with that many women who all have the common goal of wanting to better themselves, learn and grow.”
WIRE tickets are on sale now! REINSW is offering an early bird special price on all tickets. Save $100 OFF the WIRE ticket price! OFFER ENDS at midnight on 28 February 2023. Group bookings are also available and by attending WIRE 2023 you can earn three elective CPD hours. Find out more information on WIRE and purchase your tickets here.