2021 REALTORS® Legislative Meetings Go Virtual: Video Transcript
Hello, I'm Charlie Oppler, President of the National Association of REALTORS® in 2021.
One of our core values here at NAR is “Members First”.
With that in mind, I would like to share with you all our decision regarding this year's REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo and the reasons for this decision.
It was a difficult decision. But in the end the choice was clear.
With the health and safety of our members a top priority, legislative sessions this spring will be virtual.
Many factors went into this decision.
The COVID-19 restrictions on meetings and events in Washington would make a personal event nearly impossible.
Cases are increasing in the region and the rest of the country.
The district has banned indoor gatherings of more than 10 people.
Restaurants do not serve indoor customers.
That would leave us Nowhere to Meet and Nowhere to Eat!
And we don't know when or if these restrictions will be lifted.
More importantly, due to the pandemic, the Capitol will be closed to visitors so members cannot meet with their elected officials.
Our DC advocacy team has heard that they may not reopen to the public until Memorial Day – after the legislative sessions are over.
There is also the added uncertainty about what our providers might be doing. We just don't know what's going to happen to the airlines, hotels, and other companies we work with.
And even if we did meet, attendance would have to be severely restricted to follow social distancing guidelines.
Our management team and employees did not make this decision lightly. It was my hope that we could meet.
However, I am confident that more members will be better served if this year's legislative sessions are held virtually.
Last year's virtual legislative sessions were a great success.
We have tripled our registration numbers. We have heard from many of you first time attending governance meetings and appreciated the convenience of the format.
And now that we've hosted several successful virtual events, we can bring you even better engaged speakers, informative sessions, productive committee meetings, and a virtual exhibition.
Registration begins on February 24th and meetings will take place May 3rd through 14th. We will announce more details shortly. So stay tuned.
I am confident that it will be a successful event. And this success will belong to all of us.
In the meantime, please know that we are working as hard as possible so that we can someday soon will meet again.
We will Shake hands and hug our friends again.
And we will gather as one together once again.
I'm looking forward to this day. And I look forward to seeing you all for our virtual legislative meetings this spring.
Many Thanks!
