"As soon as I heard it, it all just fell into place." said Warrick Hobart after attending the MCR programme presented July 27 through 30th in Coolum, Australia. 25 delegates including Hobart, who is the Australia and New Zealand Regional Chair, participated in the seminar, which fulfills one of the five requirements for MCR certification. Incorporated in the Coolum Global Summit, this was the official kickoff of the MCR program for the Australia and New Zealand Region.

"Being smart is easy, being clever is much harder," Michael Joroff said with a smile as he began his dynamic presentation at the first MCR session. Joroff, who is the Director of Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, co-presented the program with Rodney Timm, Leader of the Real Estate Advisory Services for Ernst & Young. Both have been deeply involved in the creation and implementation of the MCR, teaching the seminars in all corners of the world, adjusting the programme as they go.

Featuring five periods encompassing the theme, "Aligning Real Estate and Business Strategy," the delegates participated in animated lectures and discussions in a one-on-one classroom feel. Katherine Langan, Account Director at Jones Lang LaSalle, walked out of the second session and said, "I can actually take something from the session to work tomorrow and implement it. That's an incredible thought."

Already members have turned their heads towards Asia and hope to initiate the MCR program there as well. Danny Wee traveled from Singapore to Coolum because of the MCR opportunity. "The programme is very relevant to what I am doing today and I am very interested in bringing it to Asia in the near future."

With a passing grade of 70% on the final assessment, the delegates will be one step closer to their MCR designation. Enlightened by their esteemed instructors, these delegates are now eagerly awaiting their next course. Positive feedback ensures that the kickoff was no doubt a success. When asked what he thought of the seminar, Jeff Hayhurst, Chair of the Sydney Chapter, simply said, "It's the part of the puzzle I've been looking for."