This year’s Elite Retreat in Bali was all about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how agents should embrace it and play with it. At the same time, one of the most meaningful sessions for the agent audience drilled down into team culture and gave a playbook for managing it and honing it over the year.

The beauty of the Elite Retreat Bali was that you could chat with the speakers in the days after their talks, according to our Trade Me Property team and the five NZ agents they hosted at the event. And this happened regularly during the retreat, known for its intimate numbers with a cap of 150 agents, from NZ, Australia, the US and the Philippines among others.

According to our group the most talked about speakers this year were:

Scott Bateman, Chief Executive, Kolmeo, property management software company
Jeff Turner, real estate tech entrepreneur and mentor from Second Century Ventures
Hannah Gill, Director of Property Management, The Property Collective
Mark McLeod, Ray White Group Chief Strategy Officer
Tim Duggan, author of Cult Status:How to Build a Business People Adore.

And the most popular topics were:

AI and how to use it (play with it, don’t fear it)
Using AI to rehumanise your time
Forget EQ (Emotional Quotient or Intelligence), now it’s about your Adaptability Quotient (AQ) in today’s world.Adaptability Quotient
Your team culture – have a Culture Playbook says The Property Collective.

The message from July’s Elite Retreat Bali speakers on how to use AI was to experiment and take what works to create efficiencies in your business. And those who are hoping it goes away, will be left behind.

Trade Me Property Sales Director Gavin Lloyd was on an AI panel at the retreat discussing the implications it had for the real estate industry. His message to the audience was: “When investing in tech make sure it truly shifts the dial, rather than just tweaking things at the margins.”

Talking after the retreat, Gav says: ”It’s also critical that, as a business when looking at AI, we ensure that we have our house in order first. That we don’t create or reinforce unfair bias, we protect our customers’ privacy and we manage our IP with care, as well as being mindful of new security considerations.”

In his take-away from the retreat, Gav was struck by the importance of mindset in this ever-changing world to succeed with new technologies.

“For example, the US Army is being very deliberate around recruiting for adaptability, favouring the concept of the “Adaptability Quotient” which ensures that people are able to adapt to change. When looking at your team, do you have this mindset to ensure your goals in three to five years?”

Trade Me Property Sales Manager, Tristan McCormick, says a highlight for him was a session with The Property Collective’s Hannah Gill. Hannah has created The Culture Playbook, a document which is always living but focuses on everyone holding each other to account within the business, right up and down the hierarchy.

“Career conversations are led by this, and the company recruits with the playbook front of mind,” explains Tristan. As the Trade Me Property sales team are brainstorming on culture at the moment so this was timed perfectly, he says.

What you missed at the Elite Retreat in Bali

The highlights for NZ agents at Elite Retreat Bali

Practical ways to play with AI

Using AI to be more productive and not burn out

Spending more time with clients and embracing transition

Integrating retreat lessons as soon as you’re back