Keen to partner with the best in the business, Rightmove Overseas, the UK’s leading overseas property portal displaying over 100,000 properties in over 65 countries, was successfully selected as a sponsor of OPPLive 2013.

In this exclusive interview we hear from Shameem Golamy, Head of Overseas at Rightmove Plc and well-known character in the international property arena on what sponsorship of OPPLive means to him:

When I joined Rightmove back in the autumn of 2007, the OPPLive took place on my second day in the job. I remember thinking it was a great place to do business and I’ve been a great supporter of OPP and OPPLive ever since.

When I heard OPPLive was coming back as a stand-alone exhibition I was very excited. The Gala Dinner in 2012 was a massive success and the OPP team has proved themselves time after time as being the leaders in putting on a great trade event.

The overseas property market is growing and evolving at a phenomenal rate with lots of new agents and developers coming to market. Whilst Rightmove.co.uk is the 7th most visited website in the UK and a household name here, Rightmove Overseas is practically unknown in most other parts of the world. With that in mind we have to work just as hard as any other company trying to establish themselves with the trade as a market leader in the industry and due to its global delegate attendance, it’s essential that we are at OPPLive.

It’s often hard for agents and developers to take the time out and really think about the high level marketing activity such as branding and lead generation. Being highly visible at OPPLive with a working area is going to be useful for us to sit with our existing advertisers and offer them a full account review.

Enquiry levels to agents have nearly doubled year-on-year so we’ll be talking to our advertisers to ensure that they are getting their fair share of leads. We’ll also enjoy the opportunity to meet with people in the industry we don’t directly work with today to share with them market insight from our perspective and hopefully form some new business relationships.

Absolutely, I have no doubt in my mind we are strongest when we work together.  There are so many companies out there to talk to it is important to use as many opportunities to build your network as possible. Sponsorships of events such as OPPLive are a great way to put the team in front of people face to face which is the fastest way to build trust and strong relationships.

We are going to lend our support in any way we can. We are on the judging panel for the OPP Awards of Excellence – it’s always exciting to see overseas property professionals putting their best foot forward – and I’ll be presenting a “how to go mobile” seminar which hopefully will provide an insight into the importance of mobile communications now and in the future.

The most important thing we’ll be doing is having our “working area” at the exhibition. We will have a number of PC stations set up and we want to go into depth with our customers or anyone who is interested to share insights into the marketplace, our website and demonstrate just how easy it is to access a huge pool of buyers through a portal like Rightmove Overseas.

The industry is going through massive change and it is a case of evolve or die. OPPLive through its seminar program has picked up on the hot topics right now and will be useful to anyone trying to grow or establish their overseas property business.

Sure, we are seasoned professionals at the exhibition game now! Experience has taught us to come armed with energy drinks and painkillers as well as an extra box of business cards. The ladies in the office have told me that they always stash an emergency pair of flat shoes, high heels always seem like a good idea on day 1 (apparently)!

Delegate passes are now available to purchases online here http://www.opp-live.com/buy-delegatepasses/ with a special Early Bird Rate of £195 for one ticket or two tickets for £295 available until Friday 6th September 2013.

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