22-05-2025
Inside Kamala Harris' wild card Aussie gig
Former US presidential candidate Kamala Harris is headed to the Glitter Strip as the wild card headline speaker for a property conference, prompting heightened security measures for the 4000 real estate agents attending the annual event.
Harris, the Democrat's 2024 candidate who lost to Republication president Donald Trump in November, will take the stage at the two-day Australasian Real Estate Conference (AREC) in her first speaking engagement in Australia.
While organisers have hailed the engagement a coup, Harris will be accompanied by a full security detail, with every guest to be screened and scanned by either US Secret Service or venue staff.
Harris, who served as the 49th Vice President of the United States and is considered a potential contender for California's next governor, was described as a 'trailblazer' in AREC's promotional material.
But her announcement as keynote for the Aussie property fest at the Gold Coast Events Convention and Exhibition Centre on Sunday has drawn mixed reactions.
Some commenters have referenced Harris' 'word salad' style of indirect answers during the presidential campaign and at international speaking engagements since then.
Delegate numbers are also down by about one-fifth from last year's sellout crowd of 5000.
AREC organisers would not disclose Harris' fee for participating in a moderated conversation, while delegates will pay between $995 to $1,695 for a two-pass including access to the main arena where she will appear.
Harris will be one of 32 speakers, including Buying in Beverly Hills star Mauricio Umansky, entrepreneur Steven Bartlett, sports coach and mentor Tim Grover and Aussie swim sensations Emma McKeon and Ariarne Titmus.
The swimming golden girls will address the audience on mental toughness and overcoming setbacks, the role of teamwork and support systems and how to turn competition into motivation.
'We have always had a reputation for delivering the highest quality and sought after speakers, making it the standout event in the southern hemisphere for our industry. This year's line-up has surpassed our expectations,' founder John McGrath said.
Mr Umansky, who founded The Agency and starred on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, will be the keynote speaker on day two of the conference and will share his secrets around topics such as personal branding, building and maintaining client relations, negotiating skills and selling luxury real estate.
'Mauricio will bring a wealth of knowledge in managing high performing teams as he has built an iconic personal brand across the competitive markets of Los Angeles, Miami and New York,' Mr McGrath said.
