Game Changers 2019: Here’s What Happened

Erin Gargan King on the Game Changers stage.
Erin Gargan King speaking at the Digital Persuasion: Ignite Your Social Influence Game Changer Session.

Game Changers was a new educational segment added to the NAHB International Builders’ Show® (IBS) lineup for 2019. These twice-daily keynotes featured thought leaders who are transforming their companies and the way we think about and address issues critical to the housing industry.

At IBS 2019, attendees came in droves to hear leading visionaries share their experience of tackling some of today’s most pressing issues, such as digital marketing, leadership and the customer experience. Take a look at what happened at a few of our Game Changers sessions.

Digital Persuasion: Ignite your Social Influence
Erin Gargan King kicked off her session by painting a humorous, yet accurate picture of the different types of connections we often find on social media: Brag-asaurus Bob, Always on Vacation Vicki, Just Went to the Gym Jim and Pitching Patty.

A key point Erin called attention to is that what once worked doesn’t anymore, and if you are using social media and other digital platforms, like email, to market and sell your business effectively, it requires a different approach. It’s not enough to tell a great story on social media anymore; it requires a strategy. This Game Changers session revealed ways to be digitally different with content—on even the loudest platforms.

“Loved it! Made it simple and easy to understand. Feel like I can implement the info into my social/digital strategy.”

“Easy concepts to apply. Excellent presentation for this format. I was engaged the whole time.”

Lessons in Leadership: Excellence Is Built Through People
In this Game Changers session, Timothy Sullivan moderated an armchair discussion with Larry Webb, a 30-year veteran in the industry. Larry has a history of guiding his companies, both large and small, through a journey of tremendous growth and success. He described himself in this fashion: “I’m immensely passionate about home building, love the people I work with, and I am a pretty positive person about life.”

During this hour-long candid discussion, Larry shared many personal aspects of his life, including who influenced his leadership style, creating a company culture and some of his best practices.

“Larry is always authentic and entertaining!”

“Informative, relatable and hilarious!”

From First Visit to Last Service Call: Builder Best Practices for Managing the Customer Experience
Mark Hodges presented a topic that he’s passionate about and one that is, in his opinion, among the most pressing issues builders face today: managing the customer experience. In fact, customer satisfaction throughout the home buying experience is on a decline. Two factors contribute to this, he said, especially how the consumer experience has changed. First, consumers are more demanding than they were 5 to 10 years ago because now, thanks to Amazon, Southwest, Apple and others, customers expect instant results. Yet second, the home building industry hasn’t caught up to matching those demands.

In this Game Changers session, Mark addressed the biggest pain points and shared strategies builders have successfully used to create the “wow” moments and end-to-end experiences buyers want.

“Best session I’ve attended so far (and I’ve attended plenty).”

“Better than expected session. Probably the best one at this year’s show.”

Attendees with full registration to IBS 2019 received a one-year complimentary subscription to IBS Education On Demand, where they can login to access these and other recorded sessions.

You can purchase a subscription if online access wasn’t included with your IBS registration. Purchase IBS Education On Demand for access to 139 IBS 2019 education sessions covering 7 building industry topic tracks for only $199 (members) or $299 (non-members)!

Game Changers will be back at IBS 2020. Mark your calendar for January 21-23, 2020 when the show returns to Las Vegas!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *