We Met Some Amazing People At Guild Conference 2026

Introduction

A Record Day In Westminster

Some industry events feel like a trade show with a lanyard attached. The Guild conference is not one of them. It is the one day of the year when hundreds of independent agents, the strongest operators in their patches, end up in the same building - and this year it was the biggest one yet.

CRE Group is a recommended partner to the Guild of Property Professionals, so this was one we were never going to miss. Calvin, Ryan, Alfie and Freddie made the trip to the QEII Centre, opposite Westminster Abbey, for a full day of talks, conversations and an awards ceremony that closed out the night.

The Day

"Ignite", In Every Sense

This year's theme was Ignite, and the programme lived up to it. Guild CEO Iain McKenzie opened the day by setting out how the network supports its members - compliance guidance, training and practical help for independent agents who do not have a head office to lean on.

From there the speakers took it in turns, covering leadership, communication, innovation and performance. The common thread was resilience - how an independent agency keeps growing when the market does not do it any favours.

The Talk

Calvin Takes The Stage

It was great to see our very own Calvin step up in front of a packed room of more than 400 agents.

He covered the importance of an integrated phone system in today’s fast-moving estate agency world - what integration actually covers and how it helps save agents one hour per day, per agent.

Talking to a room that size is a very different thing to a conversation across a desk, but the message is the same one we have built the business on. Estate agents do not need another generalist telecoms provider. They need someone who understands their CRM, their workflow and the calls that win or lose an instruction. Judging by the number of agents who came to find us afterwards, it landed.

400 agents in one room, and every one of them with a phone system they would rather not think about.

The Game

The Batak Wall Brought Out Everyone's Competitive Side

Then there was the Batak. If you have not met one, it is a wall of buttons that light up at random, and you have a set time to hit as many as you can. It is simple, it is addictive, and it turns a room full of grown professionals into something closer to a school sports day.

The leaderboard did exactly what leaderboards do to estate agents. People who swore they were "just having a go" came back three times. Our team took it every bit as seriously, which is to say far more seriously than any of us would admit.

It also turned out to be one of the best icebreakers we have found. It is hard to stay formal with someone who has just watched you flail at a flashing light.

The Awards

Congratulations To This Year's Winners

The day closed with the Guild Awards, hosted by ITV News presenter Charlotte Hawkins, with 45 awards handed out across the network's regions and overall categories.

Huge congratulations to Webbers, who took the overall Gold as well as the Social Media Award, to Turpie & Co on the overall Silver, and to Taylor & Co on the overall Bronze. Congratulations too to Lawrence Rand, named Referrals Champion, and to every regional winner across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The full list is on the Guild's website.

The People

The Best Bit Was The Agents

We went for the talks and stayed for the people. Independent agents are some of the most straight-talking, generous and genuinely good-humoured people in the industry, and spending a full day in their company is a reminder of why we chose to build CRE around them.

A big thank you to Iain and the whole Guild team for organising a record-breaking day, and to the Guild's Account Managers, who we work alongside across the country all year round. And to every agent who stopped for a chat, a coffee or a go on the Batak - it was a pleasure.

If we did not get to you on the day, we would still like to. Book a telecoms review, or follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram to see where we are heading next.