What The Sooke? » conference

[Pics] Prestige Hotel And Convention Centre Sooke Nears Completion

Tim Ayres — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 13:51:00 +0000

The pillars look even larger than from the road

I was invited to take a hard hat tour of the brand new Prestige Oceanfront Resort and Convention Centre on the waterfront in Sooke. Their first Vancouver Island property, Prestige has pulled out all the stops and has created something incredible on our shores.

Everything is going to be top-notch and elegant. The hotel is much closer to the harbour than I had anticipated – the views are simply stunning and most rooms will enjoy a great view of the harbour, basin, East Sooke, Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic Mountains.

The bar at the oceanfront Sal's Prime Steakhouse in Sooke at the Prestige Resort

A worker puts the finishing touches on the wine racks at Sal's Prime in Sooke

In addition to the main restaurant – Sal’s Prime Steakhouse and Bar – there will be a sushi bar, and The Mix by Ric’s cocktail bar. Sal’s Prime features a huge waterfront patio which will feature gas fireplaces to keep warm on windy Sooke evenings.

The Public Boat Launch continues construction beside the Prestige Sooke Resort

I also had a tour of the rooms – most are just about complete, right down to the wall finishes, carpets, and luxury bathrooms. Some of the deluxe rooms feature hardwood floors and jetted tubs. Many have private balconies which could only be described as massive – perfect for enjoying the view and the sunset with friends and family.

Massive private balcony for one of the rooms at the Prestige Hotel Sooke

The resort will also feature an ocean-view pool with doors on to a terrace to allow guests to take in the sun and the sea breezes. The health club will also have memberships available for local residents.

A worker works on the pool at the Prestige Sooke Oceanfront Resort

There is a buzz going around town and everyone is excited about this new addition to our community. While it looks like there is still a lot of work to complete before their early April opening (there is a convention booked), the hotel will be ready, shining and bright , to welcome guests to the New Sooke.

-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

Tim Ayres at NAR 2009 Conference San Diego Day 3 [Video]

Tim Ayres — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:46:13 +0000

I had a busy day at the convention today. I caught the last part of a session on social media, but I’m glad I missed most of it. It wasn’t a really good session – the presenters were unprepared, and didn’t really seem to understand social media. For example, when talking about blogging, they didn’t even mention platforms like WordPress or Blogger. There were much better social media sessions at the conference than this one. I also spent some more time on the trade show floor and attended Tara Hunt’s presentation on Whuffie for Real Estate. Tara has some interesting ideas about social capital and how you can use it to grow your business. David Knox’s session on overcoming pricing objections was very entertaining and informative. I also met with the people from Obeo, a virtual tour and listing marketing company. They have an innovative and interesting product and you should check it out.

Check out the video below:

-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

Your comments are welcomed and encouraged!
Just use the form or link below this post.

You can bookmark this post using the button below,
or subscribe to this blog for free updates using the big buttons on the sidebar!

Tim Ayres at NAR Conference 2009 San Diego – Day 1 – Social Media and Gender Differences [Video]

Tim Ayres — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:54:55 +0000

Day 1 of the NAR Convention in San Diego was very productive – I saw two sessions today and unfortunately was shut out of a third due to it being full. The Introduction to Social Media session was great. As a REALTOR® who puts himself out there online using social media like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc, I was very pleased with the session. It was facilitated by three practicing agents, just like me, and they nailed it. Ginger Wilcox, Kelley Koehler, and Mariana Wagner were excellent – it was refreshing seeing a social media presentation by three working real estate professionals who actually, as they put it, do this to feed their kids.

Check out my video update from Day 1:

-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

Your comments are welcomed and encouraged!
Just use the form or link below this post.

You can bookmark this post using the button below,
or subscribe to this blog for free updates using the big buttons on the sidebar!

Tim Ayres at NAR 2009 Conference in San Diego with VREB [Video]

Tim Ayres — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:59:43 +0000

We arrived today in San Diego for the NAR (National Association of REALTORS®) Conference 2009. There will be approximately 20,000 delegates from all over the world at the convention, which is bound to be exciting, fun, and informative.

I am here as part of the delegation from the Victoria Real Estate Board. I am a director on the board, and we are here to represent our board and to attend conference sessions and the trade show on behalf of the membership. When we return, we will be reporting on the sessions we attended and posting them to REALTORlink, and using what we’ve learned to plan the future direction of our board. Here is a quick video I shot this afternoon. I hope to shoot several videos each day and post the content nightly to the blog.

-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

Your comments are welcomed and encouraged!
Just use the form or link below this post.

You can bookmark this post using the button below,
or subscribe to this blog for free updates using the big buttons on the sidebar!