Xplode, Ziemelis and Fagioli, : Educating and Connecting Real Estate Professionals
Hey, welcome to my review site of real estate guys, gals, heroes and zeroes. . . .
I’m glad you dropped in. I’ve got a good Xplode conference review for ya today. I think you’ll get some good stuff out of it.
Before we jump in, though, can we just take a sec to talk about you?
Like, about what brought you here. Other than the obvious, I mean. I know you came for the review.
Did you drop in just to check out Xplode, Fagioli and Ziemelis? Are you only on a search for the surface details . . . the 4-1-1 on the facts . . . the skinny on the scene?
Or are you on a deeper quest? A break out of jail . . . a ticket to a fresh life . . . a sign-up to a new show?
Maybe you’re here, because of that quest, to explore real estate investing. It might be the break, the ticket, the sign-up, you think. After all, you’ve seen every TV real estate guru and watched all the boot camp infomercials.
Buy a junker house! Fix it up with $20! Sell it in a week at staggering profits! I did it and so can you!
You’re thinking, yep, I can do it. I’ll just get a little info under my belt first. I want to be prepared and knowledgeable.
If that’s you, let me tell you, I get it. I signed up for the new show and I did my homework. Armed with my smarts and my info, I did the real estate investment gig, the buying and selling, the buying and holding, the flipping, the dipping.
I did rock it for a while. Yes, I did! And then, partly courtesy of the Crash, I rocked it all the way to the bottom.
And found myself on my ass with nothing. May I repeat: nothing.
(To the review in one more sec, I promise.)
A guy with some mad internet skills peered over the edge of the very deep hole I had dug and saw my tiny white face looking up at him from the depths.
Yo, Paul, he says. I’ve got a gig for you that really works. Forget real estate investing for now. Check out digital property management. I’ll teach you how.
And then he dropped down one of those wiggly rope ladders (figuratively speaking). With his new gig and his help, I climb my way topside, rung by rung.
Which loops me back to you. If you are pursuing traditional real estate investing, more power to you. I’m not dissing it. It’s a legitimate way to pull down some cash.
I’m just saying, be open to other possibilities.
Now here’s the thing. Even after I got started with the Digital property management gig, I found myself NOT having the success that I really wanted. Do you know what’s in my way? One word.
>>me<<
Here’s the deal. Every party I go to I bring myself, and my ego was too big to actually recognize that I might need a little bit of help figuring out what personality flaws and character flaws that I brought to the table that absolutely stood in the way of my having the success that I wanted.
It really wasn’t until I started doing some work on myself that I noticed real breakthrough. Don’t get me wrong. I had listened to all the motivational courses you can imagine, read enough positive notion books to hold my own lecture and spent thousands on seminars that left me feeling like a million bucks. But, for some reason things weren’t changing the way I hoped.
Now look, I’ve got a suggestion for you. Get committed to developing yourself personally and figure out what your weaknesses are so you don’t hold yourself back in your REI career (or entrepreneurial endeavors).
-Seriously it was the difference between being profitable and not profitable.
Have you ever considered that you might be chasing the wrong goals? I’d suggest that if you’re even on this blog you are at a crossroads in your life. Why not have a conversation that can help you determine what goals are right for you. It may be real estate investing, an MLM, a local storefront, or digital property management like it was for me.
But how precious is your time?
Ok! Now for the review, I promised you.
Ziemelis, Fagioli, and Xplode: Educating and Connecting Real Estate Professionals
If you do a speed-scroll through Julie Ziemelis’s Facebook timeline, you’ll see in 7.2 seconds that this chick powers through life with energy, smarts, depth, and commitment. And 23 years of real estate industry know-how.
No wonder Matt Fagioli, founder of Xplode Conference, tapped her as the new Director of Industry Relations.
About the appointment, he said: “We’re driving hard to help as many realtors and brokers as we possibly can in 2017, and Ms. Ziemelis has the experience to help us do that very thing.”
About the appointment, she said: “I . . . will create excitement, connect people, discover new places, work with educational events, and help realtors!”
It seems a perfect pairing: a woman with drive and experience leading a conference that educates deeply and connects powerfully.
Julie Ziemelis Background and Bio
But wait. Who are Ziemelis and Fagioli, and what’s Xplode?
Ladies first.
Ice Skates and Chocolate
Ziemelis lives in Hawaii. Ok, I shouldn’t have started with that because now we all hate her.
She’s used to that. Her bio on her website (www.julieziemelis.com) takes it on in the first paragraph. The first thing you need to know about me is that I live in Hawaii. Let’s just get that out of the way. . . .
Ziemelis grew up in central California and got a degree in public relations and marketing from San Jose State in 1988. Since then she has spent most of her professional life in real estate-related jobs and pursuits.
She likes doing things that promote the well-being and success of other people. She likes to give back and help people help themselves.
She also likes to put on public events. Actually, that’s an understatement. She really likes it.
Her passion came out of the first public event that she planned: the opening of the newly built San Jose Arena. For this event, she helped put roller blades and ice skates onto the feet of over 1,000 people so that they could try out the rink first hand and emotionally adopt it as their own.
That experience kick-started her zeal for planning public events.
Since she moved to Hawaii in 2010, Ziemelis has put her public relations and event-planning passions to use for entities and events such as TechConKona, the Kona Chocolate Festival, the Big Island Chocolate Festival, the Kona Chamber of Commerce, and the West Hawaii Association of Realtors.
Her business, Ziemelis Communications, specializes in public relations, digital marketing, and event planning. (No surprise that she’s such a great fit for Xplode Conferences.)
She provides individual consultations, group training, and presentations tailored to the groups she addresses.
Some of her engagements in the past include:
- Presentation of website tools and tips to realtors at broker meetings for the Santa Clara County Association of Realtors
- Monthly training sessions to the Kona, HI, real estate community for the past two years
- Collaborative creation of an Entrepreneur’s Workshop in Hilo, HI, plus the leading of two workshops: Branding 101 and The Good, Bad and Ugly of Big Island Businesses Using Social Media
- Conducting training for the West Hawaii Workforce Development Division on using social media to get a job and be found on the internet
- Provision of a 6-week in-depth social media/internet marketing training for Hawaii Life Real Estate
It’s pretty obvious what Fagioli saw in Ziemelis and it’s also pretty obvious that she’s going to kick ass in her new position for Xplode.
Xplode Tech Conference Overview
Come to the Tech Buffet, Bring Your Plate
What’s Xplode?
It’s a series of conferences. For realtors. And agents. And brokers. And, really, anyone connected with the real estate industry.
The focus of each conference is to bring the latest technology and marketing information to people in the real estate industry and to help foster symbiotic relationships between real estate professionals, realtor associations, and MLS’s for the purpose of driving real estate sales.
Matt Fagioli founded the Xplode Conference series as all-inclusive events that wrap together technology education, bs-free advice from industry leaders, and space for all-important networking.
Matt Fagioli Background
OK, I can see you chasing a squirrel: Who is Matt Fagioli?
We’ll chase it and then get back to Xplode.
Matt Fagioli owns and operates a small brokerage—Diamond Dwellings—in Atlanta, GA. He’s a speaker in his own right and spends a lot of time teaching others about video marketing, lead generation, and digital marketing.
He’s a guy that isn’t afraid to rattle cages and make bold requests to get stuff done. His mantra is, “Live an inspired life with character. Challenge and break the status quo. Question (if not break) any rule.”
You see this on the business front (Exhibit A: the Xplode conferences) and you see it on the personal front as well: he has founded a non-profit corporation (1,000 Dwellings) to help low-income families move out of poverty and into permanent homes.
He’s an approachable, big bear guy who approaches life with humility, kindness and spiritual reverence, but (reference his mantra above) he’s got initiative, tenacity, and the kind of backbone that kicks ass and gets shit done.
Back to Xplode. . . .
The conferences are one-day events that take place in cities around the United States. They are financially accessible (my pc way of saying they’re cheap). Earlybird rates are around $29. Not-so-early-bird passes go for $49. Day-of passes cost $69.
If you’ve looked into other real estate education events, you know: these prices are a deal. At these rates, you can take your whole team plus the husband or wife plus the kid down the street that mows your lawn.
Xplode Conference 2016 speakers include:
· Genny Williams, CEO, Get a Real Estate Life
· Mark Thomas, VP, Professional Software, Realtor.com
· Hoss Pratt, National Real Estate Speaker and Coach
· Eric Stegemann, Director of Strategy, TRIBUS
· Tracy Wier, Managing Partner, Eight11 & August Partners
· Joe Sesso, National Speaker, Homes.com
· Bryson Womack, Director of Sales, IDX LLC
Matt Fagioli, Founder, Xplode Conference
Amber Esparza, CEO and Co-founder, Addictive Leadership Training Company
Andrew Dorn, Speaker and VP, Events, Move, Inc.
Annette Anthony, VP of Technology Engagement, Exit Realty
Bill Fowler, Director of Industry Relations, dotloop
Brian Lopresto, Co-Founder & CMO, Onjax
Curtis Lewsey, Chief Appreciation Officer, Listing Power Tools
Ines Hegedus-Garcia, RelatedISG International Realty
Jason Esparza, CoFounder/Director of Technology, Addictive Leadership
Topics covered in the Xplode real estate technology conference 2016 sessions include:
· Strategic Marketing—latest video techniques, split A/B testing, drip campaigns, Periscope, and more
· Prospect Conversion—turning prospects into clients
· Productivity Techniques—Cut out wasted time; focus on the important; time-block; stay motivated
· Website Straight Talk—is yours good enough? Need a new one?
Real Estate Technology Conference 2016 Discussion
Is the Xplode Conference a Scam?
Nah, I don’t think so. The majority of reviews and comments I could dig up show that the conference is salt shaker solid. Keep reading for more details.
-Water Cooler Chatter
What are people saying about Xplode Conferences?
ActiveRain.com, a real estate product and service review site, has several Xplode Conference reviews.
A San Antonio agent wrote: I’ve been to Xplode several years and each time come away with new information, systems, and technology to help me be more efficient and productive in my business. 02/06/2015
A Daytona Beach real estate professional wrote: Xplode offers a variety of successful real estate agents, top trainers, and techie geeks that share their ideas with you. Every conference I attended I enjoyed immensely and so appreciated the . . . free-flowing information. 1/04/2014
A Los Altos (CA) broker/owner said: This is what a technology conference should be—packed full of practical information on implementing technology to make real estate services better. Look at their videos on YouTube and you’ll get an idea of how good these events are. 7/27/2013
And there’s one negative. . . .
From a Stuart (FL) broker/owner: I have attended previous Xplode conferences in past years and was very disappointed in this year’s event. The conference has turned more into a sales pitch than a tech seminar. Each presenter had a turn at selling their wares and it was more hype than substance.
Homevalueleads.com had this mention: A while back I was fortunate enough to attend Xplode Conference in Dallas. One of the biggest takeaways from that conference (and there were many) was Happy Grasshopper. Happy Grasshopper is a form of email marketing that is unlike any other. . . .
Ok, my friend, that wraps up what I have for you today on Ziemelis, Fagioli, and Xplode Conferences. I hope it helps!
Xplode’s website is www.xplodethis.com. Check it out for more info and pics of the speakers, etc. Ziemelis’s website is www.julieziemelis.com.
See you in the next review!
Paul
