REMAX Malta at REUCON26: What We Learned, What Inspired Us and What Comes Next
REUCON26, the 15th REMAX Europe biennial conference, brought together agents, brokers, franchise owners and industry leaders from across the continent for two days of honest conversations and bold ideas. REUCON26 was more than a conference. It was a clear signal of where the real estate industry is heading and how the best networks are preparing for it.
Representing REMAX Malta were Sam Zammit, CEO of REMAX Malta, Kevin Buttigieg, Chairman of REMAX Malta, alongside a strong group of our agents including Jason Aquilina, Jessica Borg, Manuel Borg, Claudio Caruana, Philip Incorvaja, Wendy Jane Sanger, Carmen Valletta, Peter J. Sullivan, Paul Sullivan, Sean Ellul Sullivan and Shaun Vassallo. Here is what stood out.
Day One: The Opening and the Big Picture
Setting the Tone
Day one opened with addresses from Michael Polzler, CEO of REMAX Europe and Christopher Alexander, Strategic Advisor, REMAX Europe, two of the most recognisable names in the REMAX Europe network. Together, they set the tone for a conference that was less about celebrating the present and more about preparing for what comes next.
Michael Polzler’s message was direct. In real estate, speed remains a defining quality of a great agent. Markets shift, opportunities appear and disappear, and the agents who move quickly and decisively are the ones who consistently outperform. That has not changed, and it will not.
Christopher Alexander, offered a leadership perspective that resonated throughout the room.
“Leadership is what you are doing when no one is watching. Having the guts to make the right call, even if people do not agree with you is what drives growth toward the vision.”
It reminded me that a network’s culture is built in the quiet moments, not just the visible ones.
REMAX Europe and Real: Where Technology Meets the Agent
One of the conference’s most significant announcements was the transaction between REMAX Europe and Real, bringing together two powerful forces under a shared vision: the best agents meet the best technology.
Real is set to launch an app built around three core elements. The first is a referral centre, connecting agents across the network for cross-border and cross-market collaboration. The second is a community platform, described as a professional social network for agents, designed to share knowledge, listings and market insight in a space built specifically for the real estate world. The third is artificial intelligence, in the form of Leo, an AI system that understands how real estate transactions work, how agents use social media, and the kinds of questions that brokers ask day to day.
Leo is not a generic AI tool. It is built specifically for real estate, trained on the language, processes and challenges of the industry. For agents, this means having an intelligent assistant that understands the context of the work rather than simply generating generic responses.
The partnership signals something important. REMAX is not waiting to see how technology reshapes the industry. It is actively shaping it.
Growth in Any Market
A recurring theme of day one was growth, and specifically the idea that growth is a mindset rather than a market condition. The CEO of Real put it simply: a state of mind pays well on the growth journey. Whether the market is rising or falling, the agents who treat their business as a growth opportunity consistently outperform those who wait for conditions to improve.
This isn’t a new idea, but we delivered it with renewed force at REUCON26. The agents who thrive in a changing market are not necessarily the ones with the most experience or the best listings. They are the ones who decide, regardless of external conditions, that growth is the direction of travel.
Chris Barton, Co-Founder of Shazam, on Creative Persistence
Another standout moment from day one came from Chris Barton, Co-Founder of Shazam, who shared the story behind one of the most downloaded apps in history. Shazam took eight years to succeed, built under conditions that most would consider impossible: no smartphones, no app stores and a consensus from leading academics that the problem could not be solved. The company survived years of near-bankruptcy before the App Store arrived and changed everything.
For Barton, the lesson is not simply about tenacity. It is about creative persistence, knowing when to keep going, when to change direction and how to challenge every assumption about the obstacles in front of you rather than accepting them at face value. His Start From Zero framework strips ideas back to first principles, removing the preconceived assumptions that stop most people from ever getting started.
The relevance to real estate was clear. A great idea, or a great career, gets you nowhere without the willingness to push through the moments when the answer seems to be no. That mindset, applied consistently, is what separates those who scale from those who plateau.
The Human Advantage in an AI World
Christopher Alexander, delivered one of the conference’s most thought-provoking sessions on the shifting nature of consumer behaviour. He drew a direct line between the rise of Amazon and Netflix, and the expectation of instant gratification that now shapes how consumers interact with every industry, including real estate.
Consumers today are constantly on the hunt for information. They want it instantly, accurately and in a format that suits them. The data reflects this shift clearly: 72% of consumers are now turning to AI first when searching for information, rather than traditional search engines like Google. For agents and agencies, this has a direct implication. Having the right information and data in the right systems is no longer optional. If an AI model cannot find you, your data or your listings, you are invisible to a significant and growing share of potential buyers.
However, Christopher Alexander also made a point that cut through the technology conversation entirely. Information is everywhere. Data is everywhere. What is increasingly rare is the human connection that helps a buyer or seller make sense of it all. Emotional relationship and genuine human connection remain our greatest advantage. More and more people, precisely because they are surrounded by information, want to work with another human being when making one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives.
A buying decision is an emotional transaction. An agent, therefore, is not just a property professional. In some ways, they are also a guide, a listener and, as one speaker put it, something of a therapist.
Being the Brand
Several speakers returned to what it means to represent REMAX at every level. One observation stood out in its simplicity: not wearing your REMAX pin is a disservice to yourself. It is a small thing, but it reflects a bigger truth about how agents carry the brand.
The message was clear. We do not work for REMAX. We are REMAX. The answer, for every agent at every level, is to be the brand.
Dario Castiglia, President, CEO and Co-Founder at REMAX Italy, added an important dimension. The market is changing radically, and radical change always creates a divide. Some will resist it, and others will embrace it. Agents who embrace change, adapt quickly, and lean into the new tools and frameworks available to them will find themselves at a significant advantage. Those agents, he said, are REMAX agents.
Listening as a Skill
Walter Schneider, President and Co-Founder, REMAX Europe, brought the conversation back to its most human element. One thing that has not changed, and will not change, is human contact. That is the base of the business.
An agent must listen. Not just to the words a client uses, but to everything that surrounds them. People will tell you things that they are not consciously telling you. Body language, hesitation, the questions they do not ask. The play will unfold in front of you, and the skill of a great agent is to read it as it unfolds rather than following a predetermined script.
Walter Schneider cited the founder of Shazam as an example of creative persistence: the willingness to keep going, keep observing, and keep adapting until the solution reveals itself. This approach translates directly to real estate.
Canva and AI: Productivity for the Modern Agent
The conference also confirmed a partnership between REMAX and Canva Enterprise, giving agents across the network access to one of the most powerful and intuitive design platforms available. Combined with AI tools, this lets every agent produce professional, on-brand marketing materials faster and more easily than ever.
The message was not that technology replaces the agent. It is that technology removes the friction that gets in the way of the work that actually matters: the conversations, the relationships and the moments where a skilled agent makes the real difference.
Day Two: Frameworks for Growth
The M x 3 Elevate Framework – David Greenspan
Day two opened with David Greenspan‘s presentation on what he calls the M x 3 Elevate Framework, a structured approach to professional growth built around three principles.
The first is Mapping: defining your goals with clarity and precision. Without a clear map, activity becomes noise rather than progress. The second is Mindshare: becoming the agent that people think of first when they think of real estate. Mindshare is built through consistency, visibility and genuine value. The third is Mindset: the foundation everything else is built on. A growth mindset does not just help in good markets. It is what separates consistent performers from occasional ones in every market condition.
Together, the three elements of the framework provide a practical structure for agents at any stage of their career, from those just starting out to those looking to scale.
David also spoke about the habit framework that drives consistent results, built around three steps. The trigger is the cue or prompt that initiates a behaviour. The action is the habit or activity that follows. The reward is the outcome that reinforces the behaviour and makes it worth repeating.
Applied to real estate, this framework cuts through the complexity of building a sustainable business. Revenue-generating activity happens when an agent is having a genuine one-to-one conversation with a potential client. Everything else supports that moment. The habit of creating those conversations consistently and deliberately is what separates agents who scale from those who plateau.
What We Are Taking Back to Malta
For the REMAX Malta team at REUCON26, the two days were more than a conference. Being part of the 15th edition of this event, surrounded by some of the most driven professionals in the REMAX Europe network, made it all the more meaningful.
The conversations about AI, technology and consumer behaviour were important. However, what resonated most deeply was the consistent reminder that human connection remains the irreplaceable core of this business. Technology is the tool. The agent is the advantage.
We return to Malta energised, informed and ready for what comes next.
The REMAX Takeaway
REUCON26 made one thing clear above all else. The real estate industry is changing faster than at any point in recent memory. However, the fundamentals that make a great agent haven’t changed. Listen well. Move quickly. Be the brand. And never underestimate the power of a genuine human connection.
Your journey begins with REMAX Malta. Whether you are a buyer, a seller or someone considering a career in real estate, our team is ready to guide you through every step.