The COVID-19 pandemic meant RE/MAX Malta had to celebrate its team’s achievements throughout 2019 in a different way this year. RE/MAX Malta co-founder Jeffrey Buttigieg shares how this leading real estate brand brought its trademark innovation to its AGM during this landmark year.
The RE/MAX Malta annual general meeting (AGM) is renowned for hosting hundreds of attendees to celebrate their successes and those of the real estate brand. This year, however, the limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic have not just transformed the way local real estate market operates, but they also made the traditional RE/MAX Malta AGM impossible. Nevertheless – adapting is part of the RE/MAX Malta ethos.
“RE/MAX were the first real estate company to make changes in the face of the pandemic, utilising technologies such as Zoom and Virtual Tours that assured the safety of customers,” RE/MAX Malta co-founder Jeffrey Buttigieg explains.
Ann Marie Darmanin, RE/MAX Blue Harbour, was named ‘Top Selling Associate’.“We were first to introduce protocols on viewings and inspections ensuring that all stakeholders would be working in a safe environment, as well as remote access for those working from home. Our new mobile app also gives agents the tools to operate on the go, with access to more than 40,000 properties in their database, as well as their clients.”
This talent for innovation was also applied to the ever-popular RE/MAX AGM, working within COVID-19 protocols to celebrate the achievements of local RE/MAX associates.
“While we might normally invite more than 300-plus RE/MAX team members to join us for the AGM, due to COVID-19 restrictions at the time of the event we could only host a maximum of 75 people, including the hotel staff,” Buttigieg continues.
“Instead, we invited 60 people to join us at a smaller AGM at the Hilton Malta, and visited each RE/MAX office for a socially-distanced yet intimate lunch to update on our performance, celebrate each office’s success separately and thank all the staff for their resilience and for their continued service throughout the pandemic.”
During each event, Buttigieg gave a presentation on productivity and an update on the company’s brand, and technological and other recent innovations. General manager Joseph P. Theuma also presented sales statistics, CEO of letting Edward Agius shared the company’s rentals performance in 2019, while chairman of the board, Kevin Buttigieg, delivered a speech. Each event closed with the presentation of performance certificates.
We visited each RE/MAX office for a socially-distanced yet intimate lunch to update on our performance, celebrate each office’s success separately
Meanwhile, the AGM held at the Hilton Malta on September 25 served as an awards event whereby the top producers were presented with awards for 2019.
In sales, the ‘Top Selling Associate – Service Fees Generated’ award was won by Anne Marie Darmanin from RE/MAX Blue Harbour, with Olga Leskevica from RE/MAX Affiliates Specialists Portomaso and Peter J. Sullivan from RE/MAX Affiliates Crown Towers named second and third runners-up.
Dylan Callus from RE/MAX Affiliates Professionals Marsascala was the named ‘Sales Associate – Top Konvenji Signed’, while Nathan Charlesworth from RE/MAX Blue Harbour was ‘Sales Associate – Own Listings Sold’ and Kyanne Spiteri from RE/MAX Affiliates Property Centre Gozo was named as ‘Sales Associate − Highest Exclusive Listings Sold’.
Special awards in sales and lettings focused on ‘Rookie of the Year’, with Pablo Andres Madrigal from RE/MAX Lettings The Strand taking the accolade for ‘Highest Number of Transactions – Letting’, Gilbert Deguara from RE/MAX Lettings Msida for ‘Highest Service Fees Generated – Letting’, Leslie Gareth Schembri from RE/MAX Affiliates Professionals Marsascala for ‘Highest Number of Transactions – Sales’ and Kyle Azzopardi from RE/MAX Affiliates Excellence, Balluta, for ‘Highest Service Fees Generated – Sales’.
The winner of the ‘Top Producing Office − Service Fees Per Capita Per Day’ award was Kevin Deguara’s office, RE/MAX Blue Harbour, with the runners-up going to Mauro Sammut from RE/MAX Affiliates Specialists, The Point, and Edith Camilleri from RE/MAX Affiliates Property Centre, Gozo.
Kevin Deguara’s Office RE/MAX Blue Harbour also won the award for ‘Top Producing Office – Service Fees Generated’, closely followed by Carmen Valletta’s office, RE/MAX Affiliates Crown Towers, and Joe Caruana Curran’s office RE/MAX Affiliates Executives in this category.
Within the Lettings team, Trevor Gauci Maistre from RE/MAX Lettings SQL won ‘Top Letting Associate − Service Fees Generated (Residential and Commercial Combined)’, with runners-up Jolene Bugeja from RE/MAX Lettings Property Centre, Gozo and Michaela Tabone from RE/MAX Lettings BDV.
Jolene Bugeja from RE/MAX Lettings Property Centre, Gozo, was also named ‘Top Letting Associate − Service Fees Generated (Residential Only)’ and ‘Top Letting Associate − Number of Transactions (Residential and Commercial Combined)’, with runners-up in the latter, Sue Camilleri from RE/MAX Lettings Professionals, St Paul’s Bay, and Barbara Elekes from RE/MAX Lettings Specialists, Portomaso.
Simon Hansford from RE/MAX Lettings, The Strand, won both ‘Top Producing Office − Highest Number of Transactions’ and ‘Top Producing Office − Service Fees Generated (Residential and Commercial combined)’, with runners-up in the latter being Joseph Sullivan’s office RE/MAX Lettings SQL and Daniela Naudi from RE/MAX Lettings Specialists, Portomaso.
These three high achievers were also the winner and runners-up in ‘Top Producing Office − Service Fees Per Capita Per Day’, with Sullivan taking the top spot closely followed by Hansford and Naudi.
For more information on RE/MAX Malta and assistance in buying, selling or letting property in Malta and Gozo, visit www.remax-malta.com.