I’m in Los Angeles, attending the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (www.sabew.org, SABEW) annual conference. Since we’re staying at the Disneyland Hotel, in Anaheim, Walt Disney Company President Bob Iger came to speak to us this morning about where Disney is headed and how he sees the world of the Internet.
Some highlights:
*Disney isn’t planning on expanding into any other cities in California,although they are looking at other locations around the US to expandconcepts like Disney Vacation Clubs and Resorts. They’re also in the process of building 2 more Disney Cruise ships in Germany (blueprints are nearlydone, Iger says). Iger says timeshares are profitable and they’re looking forward to expanding the concept.
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He’s not interested in buying the Wall Street Journal but has been following Rupert’s bid. He notes that top-quality brands with high-quality content are hugely valuable. It’s easy to see how this translates into real estate. Top quality brands like Coldwell Banker, Century 21, ReMAX and local brands like Baird & Warner, provide comfort to buyers and sellers, especially in rocky times.
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Disney believes in the globalization of its brand, but at the same time,they’re focused on localizing everything they do, whether it’s in Hong Kong (Disney is disappointed with the return, but they are fixing it and believethat the long-term viability of Hong Kong Walt Disney world. Real estate is all about local, local, local. If an agent can’t make an impact locally with a property, it probably doesn’t matter than someone halfway across the country likes how the website looks (unless that person is going to make an offer).
May 21, 2007.
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