3 Day Mega Conference opinion.

This was the first conference I have been to, and I've come away with some mixed feelings, though I was happier more then disappointed.  I consider myself a newbie when it comes to property investing, although I do have 2 properties, my first IP being a disaster.  I came down from Sydney, kept my expenses to a bare minimum just in case I found the conference wasn't worth it, as least I could say I didn't blow alot on the trip (I stayed in a doom room at a backpackers up the road, that was another experience  ).

The bad
I admit I was disappointed with the continual flogging of 'systems' & 'products' from the presenters, and them throwing in a pair of steak knives if we bought today.  It was Tim Shaw followed by Tim Shaw, followed by Tim Shaw (at least for the last 10 minutes of the presentations)…  For me it hit home early with Pat Mesiti.  For the first 60 minutes I was interested in what he was saying, but then when I realised the last 30 minutes subtly moved more to promoting, sorry flogging, his products, I started to think I had come to an Anthony Robbins event (who I know little about, only heard of).   I've never been to an 'Anthony Robbins' type conference before, so it was an eye opener for me.  The handing out of the presenters latest deal by the volunteers 10 minutes from the end was getting monotonous.  There was indeed high pressure, and I would have enjoyed it more had that been left out.  Steve however did on more then one occasion remind people that while these presenters were flogging their wares, there was no obligation to buy, and stressed people shouldn't buy just because, and especially if they couldn't really afford it.  Alot of presenters made money over the weekend, and alot of attendees left with heavier credit cards.  For the people that bought, I just hope they make the most of their purchases, otherwise it's a waste.  In the end, I saw past the hype and sat there waiting for each presenter to announce their 'package of the day' at the end of their presentation and left others to spend their hard earned. Was it just coincidence, or was it pure marketing that more then one presenter only had 37, or was it 41 of the special bonuses available, which resulted in the bolt for the stage to hand in the paperwork. I've seen this approach used by many people marketing their wares before. Some of the presentations were simply too scripted.

However after saying all that, I did tentatively take up the Results Mentoring package, which I believe I need in order to progress my property investing if I am to improve and continue with this investing.

On the workshops, choice was a little restricted, and the rooms were too small to cater for some of the workshops for all the interested people. It was a rush to get to the workshop rooms, the fastest people got the seats (and literally people were running sometimes). Only two workshops were repeated where all others ran just once.  I agree with what some have suggested, that more focus on workshops would be more beneficial to the attendees to customise their experience, rather then more keynotes which possibly were more beneficial for presenters?   I wish more of a summary was provided on the workshops prior as well, not just a one sentence outline.  The first one I went to was not what I expected and wished I'd gone to a different workshop.  Maybe twice as many workshop sessions to keynote sessions would be better, and ensure some are repeated at least once.  I don't know what the schedule was for the 2008 and 2009 conferences to compare.  I have tentatively signed up for the 2011 conference as well since it will be in Sydney.

The good
For me the conference has helped me reenergise towards property investing and given me a confidence boost.  As Steve had displayed in one of his slides, I fall into the category of a lazy investor which I have no problems admitting….waiting in hope for some capital gains with properties that were poorly investigated before buying. It was drummed home how far I will get with my current approach to property investing…and that's not far.
I was introduced to other strategies other then buy & hold,
introduced to a mortgage broker who seems to understand a property investor better then I have experienced to date,
introduced and talked to other like minded investors,
introduced to examples showing what results can be achieved.

Overall I rate the conference as good.  Yes it was emotive, yes it was a little more hyper then I had expected, but I did learn from attending and that was my desired outcome.

Steve's team put alot of effort into putting it together, and while everyone will never agree whether it was a good or bad experience, I thank them for putting the conference on.

Tim

Hey guys,

As someone who has only just discovered the world of real estate investing, I would say the experience was a mixed bag for me.
I absolutely felt that the 3 days were worth my time to learn some basics, understand what other strategies can be used and network with like-minded people across the continent. I did ; however, feel that there were a number of ‘infomercials’ that would not have been missed!

It’s understandable that more advanced investors may have found this conference to be a complete waste of time. I too felt a little insulted at the obvious sales pitches from the likes of Aussie Bob and his overly-simplified trading system. He spent more time trying to build rapport with the audience than providing educational material. He completely shrugged off the complexity and risk involved with share trading!

I had read negative feedback on people’s experience with Mark Rolton’s “university” on these forums prior to the conference, so had already made up my mind before Mark Rolton appeared. Apparently there have been a lot of people who have signed up to his program and never received the product and failed to receive any form of ongoing support. Mark was too smooth for my liking.

I found Peter K’s session to be very educational and really enjoyed Li’s aswell. My favourite infomercial was Dean Parker’s – as all their product seemed to be was a project mgmt methodology which could be applied to renovating.

While I did find most of the basic stuff beneficial (in my case), I hope that in the future Steve reviews the ‘mandatory educational content’ that each speaker provides.
I often found myself wondering why Steve had endorsed such blatent hard-sells???

Perhaps a survey of pre-booked attendees (for 2011) could be surveyed for their educational needs,? Perhaps the conference should be labelled as a ‘beginners conference’ ?

All in all, I definitely enjoyed the positive culture at the conference and will be attending next year’s event – even if it is only to hear what Steve has to say and network with other investors.

All the best.

That was because they were ring-ins. It gives the illusion that the system has merit.

This is my first time attending this type of conference and I thoroughly enjoyed it! ^___^

Not only has this event changed my context, but I feel more positive and confident about the future ahead of me. Seeing all the possibilities out there that I never knew existed and seeing how regular people like you and me succeed is simply INSPIRING and EMPOWERING – "I can do it! You can do it! We can all do it!" From this seminar I feel like I have found an inner sense of peace, and although the journey to financial freedom will be a tough one, I know I will succeed and that it is only a matter of 'When'

I would like to thank all the staff, guest speakers and volunteers for making this AMAZING event possible!

P.S. I am also thankful for having the privilege of having Mr Pat Mesiti and Mr Peter Daniels as mentors to guide me in all areas of life, from finances, to health, and relationships

Hey de ho folks!

DWolfe – looked, but didn't see you!

We have had Dean and Elise's system for about a month, and whilst we haven't implemented it yet, the systems and information in it are amazing! For a step by step program catering to an absolute novice, I haven't seen anything better…. we have decided, however, that a still hot Melbourne market is probably not a great place to start with little experience. I guess we are somewhat concerned about the bubble might just pop between when we buy and reno/sell.

Have been researching the tax liens for nearly two months and it looks fascinating… and pretty safe. We signed in to Tommy's workshop and are very much looking forward to it.

Now the embarrasing bit. We are, by the sounds of the above, lemmings!! Bought Aussie Robs system and are now freaking out a bit after reading the above…. we are also kinda scratching our heads at how easily we got carried away – we bought the steak knives dammit!! Our only bit of reassurance is that perhaps it seems to work for people who strictly apply his rules – and I am a stickler for the rules!! Our theory was that we have a fair bit invested in property and would like to diversify a little… and again, a little timid about investing for lump sum gains in Melbourne right this moment, and lack the time to look to invest regionally or interstate.

The one of most interest was the RESULTS program, which I intend to sign up for next year.

I really enjoyed it, even with the sales pitches. At the end of the day, it was an experience we wont quickly forget, even if it some of it is with a raised eyebrow… it also helped to clarify our goals, and we got to spend time together discussing our potential paths to get there – time we just don't normally get. And not only financial goals, but also health wise – hearing Peter Daniels and Li really made us look at ourselves… and gave us motivation to change where we are with that.

Bring on the next year – lets see how we go!

fanks D – feel a LITTLE better

as to the littlies – we took ours today to sort out our passports…. oh boy. what a mistake. after births, deaths and marriages, photos, etc etc we had a nearly five year old and a two and a half year old either screaming like banshees or belting around like lunatics….. I remember really well looking at other peoples kids BC and thinking "mine will never be like that" – ha, ha and double ha! The joke is so on me!

sorry, maybe I misread a comment…when someone referred to Dean's presentation as an infomercial.  I didn't think it was, or maybe as I said, I just misread that comment.