Toronto, Ontario, Canada — Branding was the conference theme that drew business principalsand owners from the Christie’s Great Estates network to Toronto this week. Affiliates, such as the affiliate for the Bahamas John Christie of HG Christie Ltd., previewed the network’s global expansion strategy, viewed the company’s new Web site to be rolled out publically by year’s end, and learned how to better utilize the resources of the parent company, Christie’s, to build business through art and real estate introductions.
“The network is poised to catapult to the next level,” says Neil Palmer, Chief Executive Officer. “While fully supporting the current affiliate business model and emboldened by unparalleled support from our parent company, Christie’s International, Christie’s Great Estates will be expanding into new markets, offering the high-value programs and services that distinguish us from our competitors.”
Representing 28 countries—including New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Brazil, Uruguay, The Bahamas and the Caribbean—the program’s highlights included a keynote from Isadore Sharp, Founder and Chairman, Four Seasons. Addressing the audience at his flagship hotel in Toronto, Sharp told his story of how he nurtured his modest local brand into an esteemed international imprimatur.
Sharp told the audience, “A brand carries with it a promise that you will deliver on very high expectations and adhere to a strong set of core values that you never compromise,” echoing HG Christie’s own company beliefs. “Values such as ethics and excellence and expertise that demonstrate the depth of your culture. This is how you benefit with your association with the prestigious Christie’s brand.”
Sharp’s comments artfully set the course for the following day’s business meetings, further highlighted by a presentation from Christie’s department of Estates, Appraisals, and Valuation. Head of European Estates based in London, Nick Orchard, and Tash Perrin, Senior Vice President from New York, both of Christie’s, explained the scope of opportunities for art and real estate to work in concert to best serve “synergistic client overlay”—an expression coined by Christie’s Great Estates Chairman, Nick Deeming, in his opening night welcoming remarks.
The agenda also featured the first ever Affiliate-of-the-Year Awards ceremony. The overall winner was Brown Harris Stevens in New York City with President Hall Willkie accepting the gavel-inspired trophy. The top honor was determined from the pool of winners from the three contest categories—large, medium, and small markets. Brown Harris Steven took top honors in the large category, while Ken Jacobs of Australia won in the medium-market judging, and Lila Delman Real Estate of Newport, Rhode Island, was the small-market winner.
ABOUT CHRISTIE’S GREAT ESTATES
Christie’s Great Estates is the largest international network of real estate companies dedicated to the sale and marketing of luxury homes and is a subsidiary of Christie’s, the world’s leading art business. Christie’s clients who buy and sell works of art often request real estate services. To satisfy this demand, Great Estates, founded by Kay Coughlin in 1987, was acquired by Christie’s in 1995. Today, the Christie’s Great Estates global network spans more than 40 countries with 1,000 offices and approximately 34,000 brokers.
Admittance to the Christie’s Great Estates network is offered by invitation only to those real estate companies with proven records of success in high-value home sales and who exemplify Christie’s traditional value of service. Once awarded Affiliate status, brokers may then display the coveted Christie’s brand and use the proprietary marketing services of Christie’s Great Estates, which has successfully marketed high-value real estate around the globe for more than 20 years. Exceptionally skilled local real estate specialists, a client-focused approach, and strategic global marketing to a qualified audience of proven luxury consumers are the hallmarks of Christie’s Great Estates.
For additional information about Christie’s Great Estates, please contact Lisa Bessone, Director of Communications, at +1 505 983 8733 or visit the Christie’s Great Estates Web site: www.christiesgreatestates.com.
ABOUT H.G. CHRISTIE LTD.
H.G. Christie Ltd. is a full service real estate company in the Bahamas offering sales, rentals, appraisals, and property management. Founded in 1922 by the legendary Sir Harold George Christie, the company is the exclusive Bahamas affiliate of the prestigious Christie’s Great Estates Network, and has an incomparable selection of property listings throughout the country, including luxury homes and condos, vacation, beachfront and development properties, and private islands. With seven offices strategically located throughout the Bahamas in Nassau, Freeport, Eleuthera, Exuma, Marsh Harbour, Hope Town, and Guana Cay, Abaco, the H.G. Christie team of professional agents is well established in the marketplace and ready to support their clients’ needs.
For additional information, please contact H.G. Christie Ltd., (242) 322-1041 or visit www.HGChristie.com, the Bahamas’ Largest Property Showcase.
