3rd meeting of the Engel & Völkers' Council of Experts from Spain, Portugal and Andorra

Last Wednesday, November 21st, the latest edition of the Engel & Völkers' Council of Experts from Spain, Portugal and Andorra took place. The meeting was held at the Engel & Völkers' premises in Barcelona. Once again, the attendees were able to share their thoughts on the evolution of the real estate sector as well as the strategy to be followed by the real estate industry in the coming months. 

On the meeting's agenda there were activities, such as lively talks, presentations by the attendees and several breaks in between to continue discussions in an informal way. Among those invited were Juan-Galo Macià, CEO of Engel & Völkers in Spain, Portugal and Andorra and Constanza Maya, Head of Expansion & Support, who were also hosts, as well as Ricardo Arends, CFO of Engel & Völkers in Barcelona. 

The meeting was also attended by Regional Managers, Isabel Sala, Isabel Hernandez, Marta Castro, Marian García and Vanessa Moreira, and the representative group of the Engel & Völkers' franchisees from Sant Just, Vitoria, La Coruña, Alicante, Cerdanya, Andorra, La Moraleja/Mirasierra, Mallorca South West, Santanyi and Albufeira.

The meeting was formally started by Juan-Galo Macià, who emphasised on the importance of building solid teams with human value to achieve all the goals in the real estate. He also thanked those responsible for their contribution to the great results that Engel & Völkers has achieved in all its Iberian subsidiaries in recent years. A recognition that can not be taken for granted given the demanding quality standards that characterise the company and its brand. 

After the welcome speech, the experts addressed a long list of issues that can, in one way or another, affect the real estate business. One of the topics that attracted the most interest, and took up more time, was the situation of the new-build properties in Spain, Portugal and Andorra. The latest data on this relevant subject in the commercial strategy of the brand is positive but the macroeconomic projections force the company to be cautious. 

In fact, the other topics that were discussed more profusely were the forecasts for the coming quarters and how to manage the international referrals. We discussed ways to take advantage of the international presence of our company to refer customers to our other offices in different countries. During this meeting, each regional manager presented his own projections, which allowed the attendees to find the most interesting but notable similarities and differences between the different franchises. The presentations were enriched by the contributions of the franchisees, thus fulfilling one of the main purposes of this type of meeting. 

There is no denying the fact that Engel & Völkers will need to recruit more estate agents on a regular basis in the future, which is why events are organised specifically for this purpose. During the Council of Experts, the Onboarding programme, through which Engel & Völkers trains new agents, was analysed. This was one of the most amusing topics because the audience commented on their own experiences using plenty of anecdotes as well as offering suggestions for improvement. 

The relationships between the franchisees were also discussed, taking advantage of such remarkable representation of the Iberian franchise network of Engel & Völkers. The real estate company emphasised on the benefits for the franchisees to maintain a regular and constructive communication with their counterpart in another city or region.

The Council of Experts aims to facilitate the exchange of ideas and information among all those that make Engel & Völkers a success. This is not, of course, a meeting that's just about the presentation of results or conferences for the rapporteur. The interaction is continuous, with questions, contributions, and clarifications by the attendees. After all, everyone has something to contribute to this forum. 

Judging by the assessments of the attendees and the wealth of topics that were addressed throughout the day, we must conclude that the Engel & Völkers' 3rd Council of Experts from Spain, Portugal and Andorra was a total success. Since all those invited had an opportunity to express their points of view or to raise their concerns, it is to be hoped that contributions will be made in their respective areas of responsibility. These are very positive feelings that add to the exciting future projection of the brand. 

Engel & Völkers is growing in different parts of the world, while its business is well-established in all the areas it has been operating for years. Mature markets are always the most demanding, since only companies that know how to adapt to new situations are able to survive or even improve their results. Engel & Völkers takes on the challenge and, with the collaboration of experts like those who have just gathered in Barcelona, it does so with solid guarantees.