It’s that time of year again when property agents up and down the country gather for the annual Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers (IPAV) conference. This year’s event will see committed members make their way to Donegal to the Sandhouse Hotel in Rossnowlagh on Saturday, May 10th.

It’s fitting that the venue is emblematic of the new selling market that emerged in the wake of the property collapse. The Sandhouse Hotel featured in an Allsop Space auction back in 2012, and became a good news story when the 55-bedroom hotel which had been in liquidation since 2009 was bought by the hotel manager, John Diver, for just €650,000. Since then the hotel has gone from strength to strength.

The guest speaker at this year's conference is broadcaster and entrepreneur Ivan Yates who will deliver the after-dinner speech. Given his recent experiences working through bankruptcy in the UK, it should make for interesting material.

The Donegal venue is home turf for IPAV’s incoming president Keith Anderson who will be taking over from outgoing president, Ronal Duff.

Other guest speakers will present on the impact of the internet and social media on the property sector and how it can be harnessed effectively. It’s an interesting line up and reflects ongoing positive innovations at IPAV under chief executive Pat Davitt who will be celebrating his first year in the job. ipav.ie