Brampton's Pearson Convention Centre will play host
The Canadian Alternative Mortgage Lenders Association (CAMLA) is hosting its second annual Ontario expo on May 23, with Brampton’s Pearson Convention Centre set to welcome 100s of mortgage professionals for the group’s symposium and trade show.
The association has assembled a strong list of speakers and presenters for the all-day event, with Axiom Innovations chief executive officer Dong Lee set to host, Edge Realty Analytics founder Ben Rabidoux pencilled in for an economic update, and Cross-Town Appraisal principal owner Claudio Polito to comment on the appraisal outlook.
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) will update attendees on its latest areas of focus through leading executive Antoinette Leung, with brokers Graeme Moss and Samantha Power set to present on submitting an alternative file.
Reaza Ali (pictured top, of Fisgard Asset Management Corporation) and Loren Hawkins (Threepoint Capital) will take attendees through an alternative lender presentation focused on the dos and don’ts of dealing in the sector.
Meanwhile, an afternoon trade show will offer brokers the opportunity to rub shoulders with lenders, forge new connections and gain the type of invaluable face-to-face communication that’s not possible over a phone or Zoom call.
Mortgage Brokers & Agents: Have you registered for the second annual CAMLA Toronto Conference & Trade Show May 23rd at Pearson Convention Centre: https://t.co/KOW58IidAV?
— Canadian Alternative Mortgage Lenders Association (@camla_ca) May 6, 2024
This is a must-attend event! Tickets sold out last year!#tradeshow #events #Toronto #CAMLA pic.twitter.com/95mK42uzbq
Event returns for second year after well-received inaugural conference
Ali told Canadian Mortgage Professional that the event, returning after a successful debut in 2023, aimed to provide those in attendance with as comprehensive an insight as possible into the alternative sector.
“The idea behind it is just to help continue the education piece to the broker community about this space – the lenders that make up the MIC [mortgage investment corporation] and MIE [mortgage investment entity] spaces, and the differences between how we operate versus the individual investor,” he said, “and displaying all the options that are available to them now.”
Speaking on behalf of the board of directors and CAMLA members, chair of the board Dean Koeller said the association was “excited” to be hosting its second annual trade show for Ontario brokers.
“This year, we will bring together over 37 different alternative lenders to assist mortgage brokers in getting access to the best non-bank mortgage solutions in Canada,” he said. “Our association is committed to education and knowledge-sharing with our most valuable channel partner, the mortgage broker.”
The event offers three MPC continuing education credits (CEUs) for participation – one CEU in the compulsory category and two CEUs in the professional development category – and is scheduled to run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the day.
Educational component, broker-lender interactions to feature prominently
Ali said the event is focusing strongly on its educational component and opportunity for brokers to gain exposure to lenders through the tradeshow, with FSRA’s update also set to provide an important recap of what they should be focusing on from a compliance and regulatory standpoint.
“When we were putting this together, one of the main purposes here was to make sure that not just agents but principal brokers were aware of what’s coming down the pipeline for the upcoming year, with the regulatory specifically,” he said.
“Another part to mention is the lineup of speakers with the economists – understanding what’s going on currently with our market, especially with the alternative lending space and what that market looks like.”
Cross-Town’s Polito, meanwhile, will provide a perspective and understanding to brokers on what goes into assessing properties and what’s changed over the last couple of years as the alternative lending market has grown.
Ultimately, Ali said the agenda had been created with the intention of giving brokers the tools needed to hit the ground running and elevate their business looking ahead.
“The purpose of putting this lineup together was so that when the attendees leave – whether it’s that evening or the very next day – they’re going to be able to take something away from any one of the speakers and be able to actually implement it into their business to help grow it,” he said.
“That was a big component of how we were putting all this together.”
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