It was the largest invasion, including foreigners since the French troops arrived in 1815 for the Battle of New Orleans. A big difference, this group was here to “help rebuild New Orleans.”

The Conference set attendance records with over 25,000 Realtors® attending. This resulted from a year long campaign by NAR. Fifty countries were represented at the event. The reason was to help rebuild New Orleans. NAR’s Board had major concerns about holding its gathering in New Orleans post-Katrina, but after a December visit with local hospitality, political and health officials to receive assurances there were enough rooms in the city… the group decided the show would go on as planned.

Over 3,000 arrived a week early to work on rebuilding projects. In addition, NAR through Habitat for Humanity is building some 54 homes in the Gulf Coast area. Early in the week of the Conference more than 350 Realtors® converged on the ninth Ward to hand over the keys for a Habitat for Humanity house for Tyisha Jackson and her two children. Combined NAR® is donating 75,000 dollarsfor each of the 54 homes to be built along the Gulf Coast.

AMPI, The Association of Mexican Professionals, had a booth in the International Networking Center, sharing a time slot at the networking tables with France, Brazil. Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. International AMPI memberships were being promoted at the booth. Mitch Creekmore of Stewart Guaranty Title made a presentation in the Global Theatre. “Make the Global Market Your Market!” and it was an excellent outline on Title Insurance around the world.

Courses for technical skills, marketing skills and in other special areas of activity, including International real estate, were offered. The course, “Doing Business in Mexico,” was presented for the first time last month at the AMPI Congreso, and was a sell out. Adrian Arriaga from Texas and Linda Neil of Linda Neil Properties, from La Paz, Baja California, two of the class authors, were the class instructors. The feed back on the class was very positive.

The International Reception and International Night out were two popular social events. Saturday evening, thousands of Realtors® paraded on Bourbon Street wearing special t-shirts in Mardi Gras colors. These had been included in the Conference registration kits.

Another international feature was the signing of the AMPI/NAR Joint Venture agreement by NAR President elect Pat Vredevoogd and AMPI President Gallo Blanco. (This was a reenactment of the formal signing that took place earlier at the AMPI Conference.)

It was truly “win, win” for the international real estate community and the citizens of New Orleans. As one delegate commented, “we have sent a very clear comment to the world that New Orleans is open for business.”

“Serving others as REALTORS® have done in helping to rebuild New Orleans is more important than partisan politics,” 41st U.S. President George H.W. Bush Sr. told a sea of applauding REALTORS® at their Annual Conference in New Orleans. Bush and his “partner”, 42nd U.S. President William J. Clinton came to New Orleans to brief REALTORS® on the efforts of the Bush-Clinton Katrina fund and to praise all Americans –big cities and little towns, rich and poor – for their commitment to rebuild the Gulf Coast communities. “If millions of you care about the same thing at the same time, you’ll have more power than Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, anyone. You can change the world,” Clinton told the crowd.

First brought together to represent U.S. support to victims of the 2004 Tsunami in Southeast Asia, the two former chief executives found a mutual goal of assisting disasters worldwide. They founded the Bush-Clinton Katrina fund to assist Americans affected by the Gulf Coast disaster of 2005. To date, the fund has received 129 million dollars in donations from more than 60,000 donors. “After the skies opened up, so did the hearts of the people.” said Bush. The fund sent monies directly to state governments as well as to local colleges and universities and places of worship.

The Bush-Clinton fund has helped shrimpers in Alabama get their boats back in the water and repaired the sewage system in Waveland, Miss. It’s also sponsored two new green schools in New Orleans, an initiative Clinton is now focusing on world-wide. New Orleans provides an opportunity to integrate green technology that saves energy without increasing costs, the presidents believe.