In March’s Advertising and Branding Month, we’ll go deep on agent branding and greatest practices for spending with Zillow, Realtor.com and extra. High CMOs of main corporations drop by to share their latest techniques, too. And to high off this theme month, Inman is debuting a model new set of awards for branding and advertising and marketing leaders within the business known as Advertising All-Stars.

The town of Miami was chock-full of luxurious actual property brokers and brokers this week as Engel & Völkers actual property advisers poured into city for the brokerage’s tenth annual convention, EVX, which passed off Sunday by way of Tuesday.

Referring to the convention’s acronym, Engel & Völkers Americas CEO Anthony Hitt mentioned, “lots of people assume the ‘X’ stands for ‘alternate’ as a result of that’s what this [conference] was known as. Loads assume it’s for ‘expertise’ as a result of that is the EV expertise. I believe it’s for ‘excessive’ as a result of whenever you folks get collectively, that is excessive!”

To again this declare, Hitt pointed to “rumors” that he and Engel & Völkers CEO Sven Odia had danced on tables in years passed by. Luckily, he joked, any photographic proof of such festivities had been destroyed.

Roughly 1,500 attendees gathered on the Fontainebleau Miami Seaside resort to listen to concerning the brokerage’s new initiatives to raise the model and listen to from knowledgeable Engel & Völkers advisers about ideas for succeeding in right this moment’s market.

Anthony Hitt

Hitt famous that the brokerage’s core ideologies of competence, exclusivity and keenness, in addition to its relationships, had helped it thrive by way of the years as different manufacturers got here and went.

“What’s attention-grabbing about this model is we’re a model that’s steady, we’re safe,” Hitt mentioned. “Perhaps we don’t transfer as quick … but it surely works.”

Though Engel & Völkers solely had its second-best 12 months in 2022 amid a market hit onerous by larger rates of interest and a topsy-turvy inventory market, Hitt famous that the corporate’s advisers are feeling optimistic, primarily based on a latest sentiment survey the brokerage carried out.

“You all have been saying that the final 30 days, you have been feeling extra optimistic than [you have] in a protracted, very long time,” Hitt mentioned. “Usually we appear to have a comparatively optimistic outlook about the place we’re and the place issues have been.”

Hitt additionally used his opener at EVX to announce the brokerage’s model refresh, “Refined.”

Engel & Völkers Refined brand | Engel & Völkers

After about two years in improvement, the refresh — to not be confused with a rebrand — will elevate the Engel & Völkers model id with a brand new, proprietary font that will increase white area surrounding letters, an expanded coloration palette, an up to date Engel & Völkers villa graphic that options the motto “Dum Spiro Spero,” which interprets to “Whereas I breathe, I hope” and complementary community property.

Engel & Völkers Refined Villa | Engel & Völkers

Senior Vice President of Advertising within the Americas Katelyn Castellano, Senior Vice President of Model for the Americas Jill DeSilva and Head of Model Administration Lara Maier additionally later shared extra particulars on the Refined actual property adviser profiles which shall be extra streamlined and higher optimized for web optimization.

Within the spirit of Engel & Völkers Refined, Hitt additionally mentioned that he’s focusing extra in 2023 on eliminating pointless issues in his life and enterprise and specializing in serving to the model transfer ahead, together with getting again to the fundamentals and specializing in information, not sensationalism.

“Deal with being joyful, concentrate on your self, focus in your well being — nothing else actually issues for those who don’t do this,” Hitt mentioned, including, “Can all of us agree proper now to have open minds but in addition know when to shut them?”

Sven Odia

As Odia joined Hitt onstage, the 2 reminisced concerning the early days of Engel & Völkers Americas [they actually first met in Florida], and likewise postured a bit on what could lie forward for the corporate’s near-term future.

“With regards to the folks right here on this room, I’ve all the arrogance on the planet,” Hitt mentioned.

His easy recommendation for Americas’ advisers in 2023 is to “hold your head down, refocus, reconnect, refine, chill out a little bit bit and simply do it.”

Within the subsequent 5 years, the model will “hold going straight up,” Hitt mentioned. That’s why I really like this model … We’ve at all times had a sustainable development technique.”

To shut the introductory session, Hitt offered a $309.7K test to the Particular Olympics, the charitable sports activities group for youngsters and adults with mental and bodily disabilities, which Engel & Völkers has supported since 2015.

The convention was scheduled to proceed by way of the top of Tuesday with quite a few panels and keynotes designed to offer Engel & Völkers advisers with recommendation and inspiration for his or her companies.

E mail Lillian Dickerson