Inman News Gears Up for 12th Annual Real Estate Connect Conference

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - June 16, 2008) - As the real estate market continues to feel the effects of 20-year record-low home sales, Inman News is gearing up for this year's 12th annual Real Estate Connect conference, to be held July 23-25 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. Real Estate Connect is the premiere real estate conference, with this year's speakers, panels and sessions aimed at creating a bright spot for industry professionals operating in today's choppy real estate waters.

A host of industry leaders in real estate, finance and technology, including Sherry A. Chris, President and CEO of Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate, an international real estate brand, Deanna Brown, president of Scripps Network Interactive and Craig Newmark, founder and customer service representative of Craigslist.org, will be providing fresh ideas to an industry crowd of more than 1,700 at this year's gathering.

Real Estate Connect's program is centered on promoting change and innovation within the industry. Areas of focus include technology, including best practices and examples around search-engine optimization, online video, social media strategies and blogging. In addition, all sides of the current real estate spectrum will be explored, including foreclosures, which have put an additional 2 million homes on the market in the past year, and international investment and investor strategies.

"Inman News is putting together a program that will challenge Connect attendees to think outside of traditional real estate models," said Simon Baker, Real Estate Connect speaker and CEO of the REA Group, the only global real estate advertising company. "REA Group has built its business around confidence in the industry as a worldwide whole, and I'm excited to share our insights and hear others' thoughts at this critical turning point."

Other event highlights include pre-conference workshops for bloggers, brokers looking to ramp up their online presence and professionals interested in gaining foreclosure business while helping homeowners in need. Merlin Mann, creator of 43Folders, a Technorati Top 100 blog covering personal productivity that attracts more than 8,000,000 page views per year, will provide the keynote address, rounding out the focus on relevant technological information the Connect is known for.

"After 12 years of building Inman News' Real Estate Connect and establishing it as the premiere industry event, I believe this year's program and ideas are more prescient than ever," said Brad Inman, founder of Inman News and Real Estate Connect. "As real estate professionals navigate a tumultuous market, Connect gives them the technological tools and innovative reserve needed to thrive amidst constant change."

About Inman News

Inman News is the leading source of independent real estate news, information, advice, research, opinion and commentary for industry professionals and consumers alike. Each month more than half a million readers visit Inman.com to keep up to date on changes in the real estate market. The site features breaking news and analysis, video interviews with leading industry personalities, a network of the Web's top real estate blogs, a powerful online community and social networking platform and much more. The company's content is syndicated on more than 150,000 Web sites and in more than 200 newspapers, including The Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Yahoo!, The Wall Street Journal Online, and many more.

Contact Information: For More Information Lindsey Zouein or Megan McCarthy LaunchSquad Phone: 415-625-8555 Email: inman (at) launchsquad.com