REIs what to expect

[Tiffany Smith]

I live in St. Joseph MO, an hour north of Kansas City.  St. Joseph is a relatively small town with no real estate investor groups that I am aware of.  I am considering attending the next MAREI meeting.  MAREI is an investors group in Kansas City.  I am looking forward to speaking with people involved in real estate investing and networking, but I am not sure what to expect.  Is this going to be some sort of sales pitch or are REIs truly beneficial to someone like myself who has a couple of rentals but is looking  to do more and possibly other types of real estate investing?  Any feedback will be greatly appreciated!