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It's taken me a while to get caught up to the point where I could write this post. Let me preface it by apologizing in advance for anyone that I forget to acknowledge. There were so many awesome people and companies behind REBarcamp Houston, I'm bound to miss something. It's not intentional.

REBCH was a resounding success. The attendance was a little lighter than I had hoped but I will have more to say about that in another post that is designed to help the next cadre of brave souls that undertake an REBarcamp. The journey to Oct. 22 started last July when I pitched in a little bit to help Andy Kaufmann, Brad Coy, Todd Carpenter and others kick off the very first RE focused BarCamp in San Francisco. We had no idea what to expect. It turned out to be the talk of the Inman Connect event that took place immediately afterward. The folks at Inman were a part of making it a success and understand that the dynamic of this type of event actually dovetails with their conference, so much so that they were one of the first sponsors of REBCH.

If there's one thing I've learned in business, it's to press your bet when things are going well and remember you're only as good as your last effort. That's why I jumped in with both feet and volunteered to get the ball rolling almost immediately for the next event. For those unfamiliar with the concept of a BarCamp, I encourage you to read up on it at Barcamp.org. It's like a group of friends pitching in to pay a big bar tab. Sponsors are set at a strict limit amount that is no more or no less for each one. This keeps within the BarCamp spirit of sharing. The agenda and sessions are designed and owned by the attendees, not the sposnors or planners. When I asked for sponsors Not only all said yes... other sponsors came directly to me and said they wanted to help. What can I say about them, this event was a success because we collected almost to the penny what was needed to make it happen right. To be honest, a few didn't come through with the $ and some were in-kind donations, but it doesn't matter, they all we're part of the process in some shape or fashion. I don't want to give more exposure to one sponsor than another, but it should be said that a certain guy from Hawaii named Jeff Manson put in for multiple sponsorships because he could and wanted to see REBCH become a success.

Next I would like to thank the people that stepped up in a big way to help make sure the nuts and bolts fit together, starting with my lovely wife Laurie. She did so much more than any of you will ever know to help make things run smoothly. I said it once before in a tweet and it bears repeating. After 25 years of marriage she still has my back, what an awesome human being. Next up is Stephanie Edw ards M

ussa. She called me every day asking what she could be doing. Without her tireless efforts it would not have happened. Frances Flynn Thorsen of Trulia (another sponsor) showed up early just to throw in a hand, she jumped in and made sure that so many things like registration went smoothly. The folks at the Shenandoah Meeting Facility allowed us to use extra rooms without charging me for them and had the set up done just the way Stephanie told them to do it. The wireless connection stunk, but I think I jinx just about every internet connection at every event I have ever been a part of. (Must be my magnetic personality). Ca rson Coots, who I failed to mention in the keynote, (sorry I caught my mistake 3 minutes too late) designed and hosts the REBarcamp web site, designed the logo and helped us handle registration and other tasks. If you need kick ass design work, call Carson - He rocks hard! Same for our late sponsors SouthTxt.Com they asked - what can we do? We put em to work and they did it with such enthusiasm and selflessness, it made my heart glow.

I really want to drive this next observation home with as many people as possible. Rich Jacobson of Active Rain said it better than I ever could. Here's a link to the video of his wrap up, pay attention to what he has to say about the vendors and thought leaders that spend their time and money, the "supplier vendors" he speaks of and that I represent. These people are the best and brightest in the industry and they are transparently sharing knowledge without very little, if any, self promotion. Many sponsors and attendees flew in or drove long distances on their own T&E to be a part of this and they have my undying gratitude for doing so. Fran Thorsen from Trulia, Scott Sa mbucci from Altos Research, Rich Jacobson and Brad Andersohn from Active Rain, Drew Meyers from Zillow were sponsors that sent folks from far and wide. My good friend and a Web 2.0 favorite Jeff Turner flew out from LA and kept everyone engaged while doing live video sessions via Qik.com.

I picked up the phone and called Paul Chaney, author, social media luminary and president of the International Blogging and New Media Association. I asked him to help me with a new concept for a BarCamp, a Keynote. I think it's important to kick these type of events off with a way to set the tone for what's going to be a major impact on the way RE professionals do business now and in the future. He said yes with no reservation and drove all the way from Lafayette LA. He rocked the presentation in a way that HONESTLY exceeded my expectations.

Photo By Brad Andersohn
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The attendees grasped the concept of a Barcamp quickly and seemed to get a great deal from it. I have gathered a few links from across the web for your reading and viewing pleasure. If you know of a blog post, video or photos we should link to, please post them in the comments and I will get it done. Thanks everyone for a great event. Stay tuned for links to other REBarcamps as they get announced. Also if you use the tag REBC, #REBCH or REBarcamp Houston in searches you should be able to find a lot of content.