Reflections on the 2019 BiggerPockets Conference

Well the first ever (or more accurately, first in like seven years) BiggerPockets conference has come and gone. It was a lot of fun and had a lot of good information. And unlike the majority of real estate conferences you will come across, it had no sales pitches. (Unless, you count pitching a $20 book, or a free book that the final keynote speaker, David Osborn, the founder of Gobundance, was giving away as long as you paid the rapacious $7 for shipping and handling.)

The conference was held at the absurd, never-ending hotel with a glass ceiling and jungle setting known as The Gaylord. Apparently, unbeknownst to me, there are several of these things in the United States.

The conference itself was packed! 1200 people total. Yet, the facility was so large it never felt overly-crowded.

The speakers were very good, particularly Brandon Turner's opening address and David Osborne's closing one. But the highlight was Josh Dorkin, the founder of BiggerPocket's, presentation on the recovery of his daughter from a terrifying ailment and how this experience has given him a new perspective on life. (You can hear about this more on this podcast with him.)  Thankfully, his daughter has fully recovered.

Of course, the best part with these conferences is the networking and there was plenty of it here. Some real estate seminars are mostly full of newbies and wannabies as well as the salesmen trying to sell them those $3000 three-ring binders. But all of BiggerPockets presenters are successful investors and I met a wide range of others; from newbies to those who had done a few deals to a guy with 350 rentals in Iowa and another 50 in Kansas to a partnership who bought hotels throughout the country.

Overall, it was a great conference and I would highly recommend those interested in real estate investment to attend the 2020 conference.