Premium estate agency brand Fine & Country held its Annual Conference and Awards at the QEII Centre in Westminster, London, on 11th March 2022. This was the business’s first in-person conference since 2020, hosting over 300 attendees, many of whom were from various international destinations around the globe.
Global CEO of Fine & Country, Simon Leadbetter, said: “The conference was a memorable day for everyone at Fine & Country as we celebrated a historical milestone for the brand with friends and colleagues from around the world. This year’s conference, which was titled ‘New Horizon’, enabled us to not only celebrate past successes and our 21st birthday but also to look forward confidently to the next few decades of an exceptional brand and all its talented people.”
He adds that the last twenty years have seen an extraordinary amount of disruption in the property market. “21 years ago, Rightmove was just one year old. Zoopla and Onthemarket didn’t exist. Online and hybrid estate agencies were still years away. No one had even heard of social media; there was no Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn. Also, there was no Fine & Country. It was still just an idea. In just 21 years, Fine & Country has gone from nowhere to become an international luxury property brand challenging established business, with many that are well over a century older,” comments Leadbetter. “This year’s conference was about securing Fine & Country pre-eminence across the whole of the UK’s upper quartile property market, accelerating our international growth and establishing Fine & Country’s position as a thought leader in the real estate industry.”
According to Leadbetter, as the digital PropTech wave continues to roll through the property industry, Fine & Country are now at the dawn of the subsequent wave of significant innovation. The New Horizon conference was about those two waves: the digital and sustainability waves.
“At the conference, we previewed our new website, which will give the brand a world-class digital platform to showcase the thousands of beautiful properties our people work on and the exceptional service they deliver worldwide. We also launched our lead management system in association with LeadPro and signposted our new digital Global Referral System which is currently in development in conjunction with BriefYourMarket,” he adds. “The second wave that is upon us is sustainability. While there is much noise about sustainability, its central message is simple: businesses perform better by doing more good and less harm: balancing people’s needs, the planet, and profit. This wave of innovation is not virtue signalling but a real competitive advantage and commercial opportunity for the businesses that embrace it. Fine & Country intend to do so.”
Leadbetter adds that the conference was also a fantastic opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the outstanding achievements of the network throughout 2021. “The property market saw unprecedented levels of activity during 2021, and many of our Licensees and Associates achieved phenomenal results over the past 12 months, and we happily recognised their efforts,” he says.
Celebrating excellence and the network’s hard work throughout the past year, several offices walked away winners of Awards which The Telegraph sponsored. The full list of winners announced at the conference:
Marketing & Exposure: | Fine & Country Costa Blanca North |
Property Presentation: | Fine & Country Richmond |
Customer Service: | Fine & Country Diss |
Best Referring Agent: | Fine & Country Colchester |
Best Newcomer: | Fine & Country Kensington, Notting Hill and Chelsea |
PR: | Fine & Country Leamington Spa |
Social Media: | Fine & Country Rugby |
Fine & Country Foundation: | Fine & Country Diss |
CEO Award for Outstanding Contribution to Fine & Country: | Ben Madden, Fine & Country Turnham Green Terrace |
Park Lane Associate Award: | Daniel White, Fine & Country Associate |
Regional Awards
Wales: | Fine & Country West Wales |
South West: | Fine & Country West Cornwall |
Midlands: | Fine & Country Rugby |
North East: | Fine & Country Bawtry |
North West: | Fine & Country North Cumbria |
East Anglia: | Fine & Country Colchester |
South East: | Fine & Country Isle of Wight |
London: | Fine & Country Turnham Green Terrace |
Europe: | Fine & Country French Riviera |
Worldwide: | Fine & Country Spain |
Best UK Operator: | Fine & Country Colchester |
Best Overall Operator: | Fine & Country French Riviera |
“A huge congratulations to those who won awards this year. Throughout 2021 the brand performed exceptionally well, and we are delighted to acknowledge the efforts of our Licensees and Associates,” Leadbetter concludes.
Editors Notes:
Fine & Country specialises in the sale and rental of prime residential properties. The company has offices in 300 locations worldwide, including Hong Kong, South Africa, and Australia. Fine & Country has won Best Estate Agency Marketing and Best International Estate Agency Marketing seven times in the past ten years at the International Property Awards.