(KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. ) – May 15, 2007 – Fortune International Realty, an established and expanding luxury real estate firm, sponsored key portions of a high-profile conference in its home town of Key Biscayne from April 22 to 24. More than 200 luxury real estate experts from North and Central America, Europe and the Middle East attended the conference, which was called the 5th Annual Luxury Real Estate Spring Retreat.Fortune International Realty was founded in 1983 by the Defortuna Family. Since then the company has expanded to include brokerage activities, property management, financing and new development sales. They have also acquired Fortune International proprietary developments such as Jade Residences at Brickell Bay, Le Meridien Resort, The Bridgewater, Jade Beach, Jade Ocean, Ritz-Carlton and Artech among others. Fortune International currently has 17 offices with more than 950 associates.“Representatives from Fortune International attended the Spring Retreat, and their contributions to this event were greatly appreciated,” said John Brian Losh, CEO and publisher of LuxuryRealEstate.com, and broker, chairman and CEO of Ewing and Clark, Inc. in Seattle. “This is a very well-established company, and we were honored to have them sponsor important parts of the conference.”Fortune International Realty sponsored the opening-night reception through a development they represent: The Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences, South Beach. They also sponsored a key discussion led by Kevin Roth, the director of marketing for The Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences, South Beach. Roth discussed creating the right incentives for brokers to succeed.An important benefit of attending the Spring Retreat was the opportunity to listen to the event’s keynote speaker, Milton Pedraza, the CEO of Luxury Institute, LLC. The Luxury Institute, one of most trusted names in the industry, is a New York City-based research firm, which publishes “The Wealth Report.” The institute consults senior management of high-profile companies like MasterCard, Ritz-Carlton, Flight Options and Abercrombie & Kent Destination Clubs. Pedraza offered exclusive information on shifts and trends in high-end consumers’ Internet habits that was only available to those who attended the Spring Retreat.Many other experts in the real estate industry addressed important topics at the conference. These included how to cost-effectively market properties to the right audience; using technology to increase business; branding products to gain an edge over competitors; the importance of networking in a global market; and the state of the market, in general, and in specific regions around the world.