First stop was Kollosche Real Estate on the Gold Coast, an incredible business that in just four short years has achieved dominance in the local prestige market.

Day two was a visit to a suburban Brisbane agency led by the dynamic Sonya Treloar, who similarly leads her local market with more than 60% market share in her core area.

Crossing the Tasman, day three saw the team in the well-known Megan Jaffe’s office in Auckland, number one internationally for several years under a leading brand.

Barry Plant CEO Lisa Pennell said the tour was carefully curated and executed with precision, taking the group on a learning experience designed to challenge the status quo and inspire creative thinking, sharing both ways.

“Having had the genuine pleasure of working with Michael, Sonya, and Megan closely in prior roles, it was natural for me to want to introduce such exceptional and like-minded leaders to our directors and share ideas,” Ms Pennell said

“I knew it would be great but I had no idea of just how much we would all get out of it - we all walked away with an incredible experience”

“In an industry where building trust with consumers needs to be a priority for us all, sharing ideas and breaking bread with those in our tribe, regardless of brand, only makes each business better.”

“It’s a myth that competitors can’t collaborate - as the saying goes, when the tide rises, all the boats rise.”

Megan Jaffe said her team also got a lot out of the visit.

“What an absolute pleasure for Thomas Farmer and I hosting Barry Plant CEO, Lisa Pennell and her fabulous Principals. World class people, with world-class collaboration between our teams. A valuable day for us all,” Ms Jaffe said.

In addition to the many learnings provided by the trip, the few days of travel also allowed for opportunities for Barry Plant leaders to further strengthen the friendships and connections that the Barry Plant network is so well known for.

Monique Fitzgerald from Barry Plant Boronia shared, “The event was not only a great lineup of industry leaders to learn from outside of the Barry Plant Group, for me a key takeaway was learning, ideas and conversations with other Barry Plant business owners for implementations within my own business.”

Bill Karp from Barry Plant Essendon shared similar sentiments, “It was great to catch up, learn, laugh, share and most importantly get to know each other just that little bit more. Be proud of this wonderful group and keep navigating ourselves and our teams and customers safely home.”