How to leverage off an Investor Education event

We explore how to turn free education into a growth engine. Lauren Thumwood shares a practical blueprint for investor nights, why granny flats matter now, and how livestreaming multiplies reach while fueling months of content and stronger client ties.

• roots in a family real estate business and service mindset
• creative content workflow using Canva and simple tools
• why granny flats unlock second income on non-subdivisible blocks
• in-person plus livestream to balance connection and scale
• recording and clipping for evergreen social and email funnels
• overcoming event fears on turnout, cost, and logistics
• targeted database calls to match topics to owners’ needs
• team roles across PM, sales, and marketing for quality delivery
• future topics including sustainability, health checks, SMSFs
• free education as a core value and brand promise

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Chapters

• 1:04 Meet Lauren: Roots in Real Estate
• 4:12 Falling Into the Family Business
• 6:55 Creativity Meets Content: Going Online
• 8:05 Why Investor Education Nights
• 8:53 Granny Flats as Second Income
• 11:55 In-Person vs Livestream Strategy
• 14:24 Turning Events Into Evergreen Content
• 17:17 Overcoming Event Fears and Costs
• 18:39 Tactics: Small Room, Big Outreach
• 20:22 Events as a Full Funnel Strategy
• 22:14 Free Education as Value Engine
• 23:51 Roles, Team Effort, and Delivery
• 25:16 What’s Next: Trends and Timing
• 26:28 Future Topics and Formats
• 28:38 Takeaways and Closing Thanks

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:33

All right, today we have Lauren Thumwood joining us. Um, now Lauren is based in Perth. She is head of department, and we have got her in to talk about some things that she's been doing inside her business that I thought would be incredibly helpful for others in the industry. So welcome, Lauren. Thank you. Thank you for having me. We're doing this nice and early because we've all got things to do at school holidays. And so I do appreciate you joining me early. Sometimes it's good doing it, you know, first thing, and then you can get the day going. Can you just give a brief, a brief history, a little bit about you, where you sort of like where you are now, like what you were doing before, and just your you know brief career history if you can, so people get to know who you are.

SPEAKER_00: 1:15

Yes, I guess I've been in real estate over 15 years now, but my mum's actually a small boutique licensee as well. So, you know, I've been filing in real estate agency since I was in primary school. Yeah, back in the old day when it was like the little cards and everything, put them in the drawers. Um, so I'd go to the office with mum all the time. And then, so yeah, being in real estate, but before that, I was actually a croupier at Crown Casino, and I did that for about 10 years and traveled and went overseas and did it in Canada. So always been hospitality focused, very customer, like client focused, and then real estate, and I think they just go hand in hand, really, don't they?

SPEAKER_01: 1:56

Yeah, can you see your mum still in real estate?

SPEAKER_00: 1:59

She is, but she's definitely ready to retire. She's probably got a small portfolio of about maybe 60 now, but she still does it, and she, yeah, she's she's ready to she's ready to retire, but she's got her small, you know, favorite clients who just you know feed her. And I think like she would be so bored without it. Like, what would you do without it? Because it keeps your mind so active, and that's probably why she's so healthy, like mentally now, if she didn't have that still going. So I think it's really good that she's still in it, but yeah, she's definitely starting to get over it, I think.

SPEAKER_01: 2:30

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Or I guess if you've been in the industry for a while, um, yeah, the different cycles that you go through, and I can imagine now it would be so hard, like and so much more complicated. Just I always loved asking this question just because I've got the teenage children. So, did your mum when you were a kid want you to go into real estate and like help her and like as in like as an adult?

SPEAKER_00: 2:53

No, she hates that I'm in real estate. She's like, why? Why? She really yeah, she no, she thinks no, it sucks all the energy. But when you're so passionate about it, and now she was obviously very passionate about it herself, and that's why she started her own business. She obviously loved it, and that's what I'm addicted to now. Like, so it's really funny, but now because she's probably you know ready to retire, now she's like, no, just get out of it because she's past it, so it's quite funny, but yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 3:24

I I find I find that yeah, interesting because like what what there was something that you must have seen as a kid that drew you to it, and maybe it was just being around it or I don't know.

SPEAKER_00: 3:38

I maybe the familiarity, I think. So what what actually happened was when I came back from my travels in Canada, I'd finished my like casino career, I was kind of over it, and then so what happened was she had her business and her business partner, they weren't quite working out. So she just booked a six-week holiday to England, and then her business partner had just left, and there was no one to run the business. So I kind of fell into it that way. I was basically hitting the ground running, running the whole business while she was she was guiding me, you know, over the phone in England, and I was working through all the stuff, and I guess from there it's like you either sink or swim, don't you? So I kind of fell into it that way, and I guess, yeah, I spent nine months with mum and it was it was hectic, okay? Like I'm talking about the stuff you see in movies when people have arguments, like you know, through like swiping stuff off desks because it's just just it's just comical because there's you know, family, some families shouldn't work together, and I would never ever ever get that same um level of learning and knowledge from anywhere else. Like the what I learned and what I have still learned today is definitely all from my mum. And if I didn't have that, I wouldn't be here. So it's quite it's quite funny how it's progressed. But I was like I was only with her for nine months and then went on to my next role. And yeah, she like even today, we still talk about it every day, all the issues, all the problems. She's always got a different outlook like from it as a business owner as well, and being in it for so long. So she's a wealth of knowledge, and it's just it's just funny how it started and ended. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 5:14

Yeah, I love that. It's when um I had Millie, who's 16, come into my room not that long ago, a couple of months ago, and she hadn't she was going through like what her subjects were going to be the following year, and she's in year 10, and she was sort of she was just having a bit of an emotional moment, and she was like, I'm not, you know, I'm not smart enough to do this and do that. And then I said, and and I can't remember how it came up, and she goes, I'm not even smart to be a real estate agent. And I turned around to her and I went, It's okay, you're gonna get it by default because I've got a business. So and I don't know whether I can't remember if that made her laugh or cry more, but it was, yeah, it was one of those things where I do always wonder, I think that she will follow her own path, but I do always have that at the back of my head that she's just literally grown up in real estate for so long. Is she just going to default to it like I see other mother daughters? So yeah, that's why I'm just fascinated by that. So thank you. Thank you for sharing. Um, only time will tell. One day I might be doing this podcast with my daughter. We'll see. Um now, um, you have been doing some great stuff online. I don't know whether you have always been doing great stuff online or if I'm only just noticing it now, but I have seen a shift like with your stuff, which I think is really great. Is that have you always been online or is it something recent? Am I reading it right?

SPEAKER_00: 6:39

Yeah, no, definitely new. I guess like I've always wanted to, and I really love the creative side. Like, I'm I think I'm quite a creative person, and that's what I'm I'm really enjoying that side of it. Everyone's like, how do you have so much time to make all that stuff? But I love that. Like, I used to love being into arts and crafts and dancing and things like that. So, like, I just I'm really enjoying that part of it and having that, you know, playing around with Canva. I really I'm really enjoying that. And then the content is obviously the passion, and so it just works really. I don't know. I just I need to get a lot better with it, of course.

SPEAKER_01: 7:10

But I think you do look fantastic. Yay! Thank you. It's actually, yeah, it's very true. The creative outlet, I think a lot of property managers have that creative outlet, and that's how I do the same thing. I get told, oh, you do so much on social media, but I just love pottering around on my phone and creating different reels and and just doing stuff. So I totally, totally understand that. One of the posts that I had drawn, I was drawn to was your education night. So education nights, there was one that you were promoting that you were doing in person. Now, was that your first investor education night, or have you done them before?

SPEAKER_00: 7:49

I think Porter Matthews, who I work for, did one many, many, many years ago. This is the first one, I guess, I've helped run and coordinate and whatnot, and like with the content. So definitely a big first for me with my previous company. Um, they did a lot quite often, and they would have like investor seminars and just every week have a catch-up, bring in educated people. So they were very heavy on education as well. And so, this is the first one that I've like really driven myself, so that was really exciting, and yeah, it was it it turned out really well. It was about granny flat developments and basically building a second income stream for investors because you know, so many people are negatively geared and they're not making any money from it, it kind of caps their next step in their investment journey. So we're just like, well, what can we do? And I think the areas that we look after primarily like we're pretty heavy in those areas that are you know non-subdivisible, but then have opportunities still for another ancillary and uh excuse me, ancillary dwelling, so it just made a lot of sense, especially for our clients. And yeah, I learnt a lot because I've got a block as well up in the hills, in the eastern hills, and it's on an acre, and I can't subdivide, so I'm like, it's secretly a little bit selfish as well, because I'm learning potentially so I can do it myself, but then I think that's a really good driver as well, because then I'm so invested in the outcome that I can then deliver it and really like know everything about it, so I think that's important.

SPEAKER_01: 9:22

Yeah, you and I are like little twins because I am you know, you I know that you've gone into sort of you know researching in that granny flat, but I've gone into researching that livability of homes and sustainability, and I have on my own home started doing like a battery and solar and all of that, so that I know the process and how it works, so that then I can give that advice to other clients when they get to that point of wanting to upgrade their home for that. So, yeah, same, same. I think that's the best way we when you have the opportunity to definitely practice what you preach, I think it's really great. So, can you just talk us through like really just the basics? I think there's a lot of people out there that talk about doing the investor education nights, and I think people do have always have it on their to-do list, but never actually get it done. And it's probably because in my mind, and you can correct me if I've got this wrong, but because I've held a couple of them, but I think sometimes people might think that they're harder than what they are. That's probably like one thing. The second thing would be getting a little bit nervous if no one comes. It's a it's a very common, you know, common thing that we all experience in in events that we that we do. And I I mean, I don't know if there's a third thing. I mean, I yeah, maybe cost, I guess we'll just throw in a third one with with cost and maybe not wanting to invest in that. So can we um and I also want to talk about the reasons for doing them in person versus online. So if we can start maybe with that question, yeah. When you were saying thinking to yourself, yep, I want to do an owner and um an investor education night, what drove you to do it in person and not online?

SPEAKER_00: 11:25

So funny, we actually did both. So we actually hired a videographer as well, and it was a live stream event. So for us, it it wasn't just the in-person, yes, the in-person for the local connection, the awareness, but then also online because everything is so heavily online, so it was a live stream, and now we've got that video as well with all of our content and resources to be able to share afterwards. So I think like we wanted to hit both elements, but if we did it well, then we could be using it forever, and it would be really relevant for so many people who couldn't make it physically on the night. And look, honestly, our online was definitely more successful than the in-person. And I think again, because we do have so many investors who are interstate, especially in again in those areas, yeah, it was it was more successful online than in person. But even now, like people who weren't able to make it, they're like, Yep, send it all through to me. I'm still really interested, but just couldn't make it. And it's just being available sometimes, you know, locking them into one physical time at night. People have busy lives and families and commitments, so I think having both options is definitely what made it so successful. I love that, yes, and I think I think, yeah, I think having the in-person was really nice, and it made us a bit more all accountable and to show up to make sure it went smoothly. And then we had a lot of that networking on the night as well, which was really nice, and to have all of our team there supporting it and being available and watching it, being part of it too. I think that was really nice, yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 13:02

And and also for your team as well to be educated, like your sales team if they were there, and your property managers to be educated should that question come up with future clients. I love that. What a great idea! So, yes, it might be that little bit of extra investment to do it, but you have got, yeah, you've got your in-person, you've got your online or your live streaming. You then I I think you mentioned this just cutting up some of it for content, maybe just for your socials. I mean, all of that, that's that's fantastic. That's a really, really great way of doing it. The and when you live stream, did you live stream for Facebook?

SPEAKER_00: 13:39

So they did look, I didn't organise the live stream part. It was one of our team members, but they we we hired the company, it was Perth Vid Perth Video, I think. They were incredible, really affordable. I did a five-star Google review yesterday just because like the finished product looked incredible. They were cutting in and out, close-ups, farther away, the quality, the audio, and then with the slides that we had like built through Canva, all side by side. So it was really well done. The company who did it, Perth video, I think, and really affordable to I can't remember the cost, but I can find it for you later. Highly recommend the company. And I forgot where I was at.

SPEAKER_01: 14:21

Yes, um, so you yeah, so you so you had that, and then um, and then have did they do social clips or you'll just create those social clips out of that?

SPEAKER_00: 14:28

Yes, I think I'll try and create something, probably screen record, you know, screen record and then share little snippets from it. I don't know if we can uh maybe I can even ask them if they can do a few shorts for me from it.

SPEAKER_01: 14:40

But then I'm pretty sure have you used Opus Clip before? No, no, write down Opus Clip, O P U S clip. Yep. Um, and what you'll be able to do is you'll be able to put the video into Opus Clip and that'll pull out all your social tiles and it'll it'll pull out your little 30 seconds or your 60 seconds, whatever you want. Snippets out of that. Ah, amazing. You know what, you're gonna be addicted to that as soon as you see what you can do in it, you're gonna be like, oh my god, where's this been all my life?

SPEAKER_00: 15:08

Yeah, so all right, yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 15:09

So write that one down, you'll be able to use that. Yeah, you'll be able to easily get those social clips out of that without any sort of cost as such. The and oh, and if oh sorry, I know we're recording, but if if it costs you to do it, just let me know and I'll give you my login because I've got like thousands and thousands of hours, and uh you can just jump into my login and stick it in if you want to, so it's up to you. Um okay, so I love that. And then the so the in-person obviously attracts the the local people. You've got the online, which is for the interstate. I would imagine that the live stream would potentially be for Facebook, which would be easier, and then you've got the full recording that you can send as your replay to anyone as they need it. And this is just a recommendation for like just for those that are listening, that sometimes these things are actually really good to create as as um include as part of any of your campaigns that you do out for new business. So, like if you've got like I I currently use IRE BDM. And so sometimes when I've got certain campaigns, what I do is instead of just doing that normal, you know, hey, just checking in to see if you still need a property manager type email, it would be uh yeah, if you've been interested in doing granny flats, here's a great um seminar that we did. And I find that that information is good for current clients, but it's also good for clients that aren't your clients and then with other agencies if they're in your in your in your list in your CRM. So so many opportunities out of that, which is really wonderful. The was it a concern for you that no one would show up? Because that that's a real sort of worry that people had. Did that go through your mind? Yes, 100%.

SPEAKER_00: 16:47

That's why we tried to fill it up with team members as a backup, just in case I love that. Just in case. So we only we made it quite small and intimate, regardless. Um, so with only 30 seats. So I think we sold 20 physical seat tickets, so which was still quite good. And like when we were marketing and trying to get people there, I was very much on the on the phone with anyone who was local. If they weren't local, let me sign you up for the live stream. But I was calling and speaking. I think that was probably where the success came from. And like when you speak to people, you know whether or not it's going to suit them. And if not, then it's a it's an opportunity for connection. So I like it, it was hard though. It was it was a lot of time, like targeting like our whole database. I did email things as well. We did like a like through our CRM, through Vault, we did like a newsletter update saying it was online and happening. But I think, yeah, the best, the best outcome was definitely from calling and just targeting people specifically, knowing okay, this would be really good for your property, and then like hitting it that way. But yeah, a lot of calling, to be honest. And I think I still think that that's probably the most important way to connect.

SPEAKER_01: 18:01

Yeah, 2020 is really, really good. I mean, I I'm just seeing so many more layers to this than just that investor education night. Like, uh, you know, after I'm so glad we're talking about this topic because the layers of the layers of the, you know, from a BDM's point of view, like if you had this as your strategy for the year and you said, okay, next year, I'm just going to do investor education nights. And you put your marketing allowance towards that. And yeah, like you said, you've got your content opportunities, you've just you've got uh content to email out for your database campaigns. But the fact that you just said that you were calling people and touching base with them with some really cool info that might not only be helpful for them, helpful for their clients, uh sorry, for their friends and family, like it's just uh it's just ticking so many boxes. And and beforehand, I was just thinking just invest education. But yeah, those extra layers, I just think that that's literally could be a full-time marketing strategy if you wanted to do this as something like every month, every two months, every three months, you could potentially have that as your strategy.

SPEAKER_00: 19:12

Free education, and I think that's literally what I want as well, like myself. I want to be able to give free education, just educate people. It's it's what we do for a living, that's our value add. Like just to be able to, and like I guess, of course, we benefit like as the business in the in the long run, because if we can build more investment opportunities, we'll obviously see that return back into our business. But again, you're just educating people. I love sharing knowledge, like I love the training aspect of my role. That's like what I'm really passionate about and sharing, building people up. And if I can make that successful for my clients as well, yeah, yeah, it's yeah, really exciting.

SPEAKER_01: 19:50

And so, did you you said free education? So that means that you didn't put any cost onto the ticket?

SPEAKER_00: 19:57

No, no, so completely free. The business covered all of the expenses. We did put some beer and wine and food and drinks on and stuff as well, just to make it nice when people were there. But again, I think it was the staff that ate most of the food, to be honest.

SPEAKER_01: 20:11

Yeah. Well, I'm just thinking of the lay you could add it on as the you know, our staff education training, our you know, our staff training event as well. So yeah, another box ticked. Um, okay, amazing. So I think I think all of that is I think that was more sort of like all the thoughts that I think people would have. Like, yeah, if people don't show, well then yes, you fill it up with people that you've you have uh got in your team already. Um and and you could even extend that out to yeah, friends or family. There's always ways to fill it in if you need to. Do you do you think or would you charge like a small fee next time to to cover any costs or to make people accountable to turning up? Or is that not something that worries you?

SPEAKER_00: 20:55

Probably not. Again, it's like I guess there's two ways to look at it. If you create, you make it look like it's a valuable purchase, you know, maybe that would entice people, they see more value in it because it comes at a cost. And you're holding people accountable. Yeah, see where you're coming from. I I think for me, it's probably more about free education, like from like our service is our service, but we want a value add. So I think, yeah, from my perspective, it will always be free. And it's again to create better connection, to boost income streams, to help the clients earn more, to make again out, like you always say, make our industry relevant.

SPEAKER_01: 21:35

Yeah. Um, and so your position as head of department, can you tell me as well? Do you uh are you the BDM as well as head of department, or do you have a BDM on your team?

SPEAKER_00: 21:48

Yes, we have a BDM. So my my role is to purely look after the property or the process, basically, for operations team and yeah, the BDM that we have as well. Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 21:59

Okay, so and I guess it's more for people to relate to your setup where you yes, you're the head of department, you've got the BDM, you've got the property management team. And so for people to maybe just reflect on their own team, like sometimes people I mean, anyone can organize this, but you know, some people fall this into a BDM role. But I love how as a head of department you've done it and taken that responsibility in your role, which I don't know whether I know of many head of departments that do, but it makes sense that look, and I will say it it definitely wasn't just me.

SPEAKER_00: 22:35

This was our whole, like we have three sales directors, we had our office manager, our marketing and listing administrator. It was a full team effort. It definitely wasn't just me. I probably just drove the social media part of it and the case studies with our clients and that kind of part of the content. So it was definitely team effort, it wasn't just me. I was due to speak at the event and then I was really unwell. So Melanie, our BDM, she did then do the speak about, you know, what the property management side of a development granny flat would look like and the return and things like that. So yeah, definitely a team effort. It definitely was our directors as well, again, because they're it's their clients as well, that right, their sales department feeds our PM department. And so, yeah, definitely team effort, all of us included, but all different aspects, you know. We've got office manager who did the planning, then the marketing with all the content and the graphics, and then not the sales directors as well, pulling all the relationships together, and then I'm pulling the client actual case study strategy together, you know. So, yeah, definitely a team effort there. I couldn't have done it all on my own.

SPEAKER_01: 23:47

Okay, I and I'm glad you mentioned that because yeah, it reminds me of yeah, that you were like the dad at the barbecue where the mum's done all the planning, the salads, the shopping, the whole lot, and you're at the barbecue with the marketing. So turning those sausages, and that's all I see.

SPEAKER_00: 24:02

Exactly. No, definitely not. There was a full team behind it, and I don't again, I don't think it would have been successful if everyone didn't play such like a beautiful part. Like, yeah, it would have been it would have been a lot. And we also pulled together quite a lot. It wasn't just that one person speaking, it was like a panel of six people, you know, but like coordinating everyone, making sure their content was in it a lot of a lot of organization and yeah, coordination for sure. I couldn't have done it on my own.

SPEAKER_01: 24:31

Okay, amazing. Um, and then last question: your plans moving forward. Um, was this one that you were like, yep, I'm ready to start organizing the next? Do you have a plan to do multiple of them or just as they come up ad hoc?

SPEAKER_00: 24:49

I think we would like this. I think we wanted to see how this went. And I think this is just such a booming industry now with granny flats. Like eastern states are already all over it, but Perth is still very new into it. So I think the timing that we've done this is really like perfect. And so I don't know what it what could be next, you know. Yeah, it's you've got to find that thing that's you know what everyone needs right now and then go that direction. And like you say, maybe it's a sustainability thing because we definitely need to be focusing on that more. And I know Eastern States, their legislation is changing that you do have to be more environmentally friendly and sustainable and like solar energy efficient. So maybe it's that we look into that, but like you say, if you know if you're doing it on your own home and you have you've done you've gone through the process of what to do is what not to do's, that's what's I think just like more valuable than anything that you can read, you know?

SPEAKER_01: 25:43

Yeah, yeah. Okay, though, so so more ad hoc as trends appear. Um, and so for those that do want to do something more more like have a plan for you know next year to do three or four, I'm I'm just like literally off the top of my head, just trying to brainstorm at the moment to give some people some ideas. So I think the granny flats is an amazing one to do. The second one, like you said, the the livability, sustainability, I think would be good because I think people could also, clients could also be educated for their own home as well as an investment. So it's sort of like ticks a lot of boxes, just like Granny Flats does it actually as well with their own home if they were. And then the third one, which would be probably more the investor and not um relevant for your own home. But I was just sort of just thinking like a little bit like we have a health check where you might have someone from a depreciation company, someone from a landlord insurer, someone from you know, an electrician for compliance, or something like that, where you've got a few contractors who make up a health check that clients could come and sort of hear and see from, like something like that. You'd probably, I think I've done it before with a couple of tradies, but any more than that makes it a little bit too long because you don't want it to be too long. And I'm just trying to so that would that's like three ideas. And then I'm just trying to think of a like a fourth or a fifth idea, but maybe chat GPT. If you so those that are listening, if you put in those three ideas into chat GPT and then say, Can I have three more ideas? I think it'll come up with some, you know, different ones. It could even be like self-managed super funds or how to invest with self-managed super or you know, that's I think that would be a really good one.

SPEAKER_00: 27:30

Yeah, and like the more of the finance structure. I I don't know, I look at myself as that early in the investment game. And what I don't know, like what I don't know, I feel like other people don't know. So if you connect on that level, then I'm also learning. And so then they can learn as well. So I feel like, yeah, the SMSF stuff and any kind of financial, like tax kind of stuff, I think it's really good to understand and know as well. Yeah, to help people on that journey.

SPEAKER_01: 27:57

Yeah, no, wonderful. Well, hopefully we have left those listeners with some ideas and peace of mind of the the inner, the behind the scenes, I guess, of those investor education, just to so you can understand a little bit more. And also just, I think for me the biggest takeaway was just all those layers of content and opportunity and connection that they actually bring. It's far more valuable as well. And you know, I guess look at the whole big picture, like that's that's really awesome. So yeah, you've done a great job with doing it and showcasing it and um and hopefully more property managers around Australia follow suit. Uh thank you for your time. I appreciate that's early. You can you still got an hour before you got to start work, probably. So it was done well.

SPEAKER_00: 28:43

I know, nailed it with the timing. Perfect.

SPEAKER_01: 28:46

Amazing. All right, well, I appreciate your time and we'll chat to you soon. Thank you, Arch, bye.