I needed the whole weekend to recover from a long week and long flight to Toronto and back. It was great to see so many friends in the same place. The conference itself was CMLS’ largest attendance. We’re back baby! Overall my “hot” take away was the venue itself was probably the worst ever. Which is unfortunate for the CMLS crew to deal with. Between limited air conditioning, muggy rooms, slow and non working elevators and a maze like venue layout that included a lot of stairs and a bridge, things couldn’t have been worse. Every one on the stage had a light sheen of sweat from the humidity of the room, and I don’t think anyone’s hair behaved except maybe for Adrese from Zillow. 😉
I will say however I did love the lobby bar layout, so there’s that. But where did all the bourbon go??
My “sticky” take is on the VERY positive side, I think the content of the conference was probably the best in a long time! The panels and talks were very relevant and actionable. Craig Cheatham made another appearance, with another long list of grievances, including what restaurants MLS execs choose to go to dinner. At least he didn’t have a deadline or countdown this time. With it being Denée’s last year, I thought it was a lost opportunity to really push back on Craig. But Denée has a lot more tact than I do.
Loved seeing AnneMarie DeCatsye get the 2025 Shuttleworth MLS Executive of the Year. Also great was Merri Jo Cowen entering the CMLS Hall of Fame. Well deserved Merri Jo! She has truly been a fountainhead of leaders in the industry.
I also had a blast at the RETechnology party, “Turn It Up Toronto! “ Great to have live music, a super fun Photo Booth and a great crowd. Everybody was there. Many thanks to Victor and Marilyn and all the sponsors! If you see any videos of me on the dance floor delete them immediately.
Wrapping up I think the elephant in the room is, what happens next? With Denée’s departure and rumors of a merger with RESO the future is a bit muggy as well. Time will tell, but I’ll keep my dancing shoes ready.
See you in Houston.
