Two Georgia real estate professionals, Dan Easton, Realtor and owner of Three Springs Realty in Blairsville, Ga., and Hugh Gilliam, a top-producing Realtor and team leader of The Gilliam Group with Atlanta Communities Real Estate Brokerage in Marietta, Ga., flew to Panama City, Panama in late May to be two of the nearly 300 real estate industry leaders from 65 countries to attend the 67th World Real Estate Congress-FIABCI Panama. This is the first time this respected industry event has taken place in a Latin American country.
 
Gilliam and Easton were the only two representatives from Georgia and two of only a handful of real estate professionals in the southeast U.S. to take part. The World Congress offers a global network event environment, theme forums and presentations from national and international exhibitors, executives and political leaders from the host country.
 
The year’s conference theme, “Connecting Development for a Better World,” served as the basis for the program, which included world-class speakers, international networking and marketing sessions as well as unique recreation and study tours highlighting the host region, where participants could experience all that Panama has to offer. Special guests included the President of the Republic of Panama, Juan Carlos Varela, and Panama’s Ministry of Housing, Mario Etchelecu.
 
The CEO of the Panama Canal, Jorge Quijano, was a keynote speaker about what to expect from the new expansion of the Panama Canal and its logistic connectivity.
 
Gilliam and Easton have attended other FIABCI events in the past, located around the world, and find the World Congress events to be invaluable for international real estate connections and to gain an in-depth knowledge of the host country.
 
“Thousands of people consider Panama an ideal place to live and do business, because of the important first class infrastructure and its relevant tourist attractions that provide the city a cosmopolitan destination,” explains Hugh Gilliam. “Generally, I will have at least one referral a month through my magazine, Doorways International, for properties in Panama. Panama’s expanding real estate market and strong economic potential makes it very enticing for U.S. investors.”
 
In addition to connecting, networking and marketing with agents from all over the world, Dan Easton said, “We also make contact with developers and investors. The event, thanks to FIABCI connections with the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, also gives us an insider’s perspective of international concerns and issues affecting countries and economies around the world.”
 
The FIABCI World Congress program includes global networking events, social activities to strengthen links between participants and organizations, theme forums, vital presentations from national and international exhibitors, as well as a social program filled with a series of sightseeing tours. The agenda was designed to combine robust international business with tourism.