Artist and motivational speaker Erik Wahl brought many attendees to tears—and all to their feet—during his inspirational and unique keynote luncheon presentation at the NAA 2011 Student Housing Conference & Exposition.
Conference attendees watched in awe during the 90-minute session, called “The Art of Vision,” as Wahl turned three empty canvases into stunning paintings in a matter of minutes, engaged audience members in special challenges and spoke about the importance of redefining the role of a leader as an artist. The energizing presentation also touched on the ways in which companies can utilize unconventional wisdom, become more innovative and build a vision for their future.
Hundreds of industry professionals gathered at the fourth annual NAA Student Housing Conference & Exposition in February in Las Vegas. The two-day event also included breakout sessions as well as opportunities for networking with peers and meeting with supplier partners at the exposition.
“I was totally in my element being surrounded by others who focus on student housing,” said Kim Cory, Sales and Marketing Director, University Village. “Attendance was great and everyone seemed to really enjoy all of the speakers.”
The breakout session lineup included topics such as marketing to parents, developing a relationship with university officials, safety and security in urban settings, successful turnovers, social media best practices and bed bugs.
A panel discussion featuring four of the student housing industry’s most progressive executives opened the conference. Moderated by Mike Peter, President and CEO, Campus Advantage, the “Young Turks” panel featured executives David Adelman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Campus Apartments; Donna Preiss, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, The Preiss Company; Ted Rollins, Co-Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Campus Crest Communities; and Maximus Yaney, President, Campus Habitat; who addressed everything from challenging the status quo to cutting-edge bandwidth offerings. A summary of the executives’ thoughts appeared on page 38 of the February issue of units.
Always a conference highlight, the student panel general session featured six students from off-campus rental housing who shared their honest thoughts on off-
campus living. The session, moderated by Jessica Nix, National Director of Marketing for Place Properties, addressed helicopter parents, Internet expectations and the amenities students really look for. The student panelists were later available to answer additional questions at a booth on the trade show floor. Details about the Student Panel session appear on p. 69.
“It was so exciting to meet students from across the country and to hear their
perspective on how they think, shop and make decisions,” Cory said. “Students are the biggest part to my success and hearing from them directly had such value.”
More than 100 exhibiting companies and eight sponsors filled the trade show floor, including one Doctorate-level sponsor: Student Housing Business; five Masters-level sponsors: Campus Advantage, Capture the Market, Grand Campus Living, RealPage Inc. and University Furnishings; and two at the Bachelors level: Greystar Student
Living and IRIO Mobile Marketing.
“Turnout on the trade show floor was great,” said Jayton Jadlot, Mohawk. “The attendees had a lot of great questions and it’s just been a great fit for exhibitors in the student housing industry. I’ve even had the chance to attend some of the breakout sessions, which were intriguing. I’ve learned a lot.”
New this year, conference attendees participated in the NAA Exhibitor Passport Program. Participating exhibitors each had a square on the passport—which each attendee received—with their company’s name and booth number.
Attendees who received stamps for visiting all participating exhibitor booths were entered in a drawing for the chance to win nine prizes, ranging from $200 worth of poker chips to a 64 GB Apple iPad. Heather Bush, Campus Acquisitions, was the big winner of the conference, taking home the iPad. Irish Owners Gain Perspective at NAA Event There was no question as to who traveled the farthest for 2011’s Student Housing Conference & Exposition. Irishmen Dee Bowman, Philip Marley and Julia Ind made the journey all the way from the Emerald Isle to Las Vegas in February to gain an American perspective on the student housing industry. The overarching lesson of the trip: “Students are students the world over,” said Marley, CEO of Dublin-based student housing company Ely Property Group. “They all want to live together and have fun.”
Ind, Director of Student Housing Accomodation Services, said she found the sessions on marketing to be some of the most valuable and relevant of the conference. “The use of social media is highly evolved in the United States and it’s just up-and-coming in Ireland,” she said. “The conference has shown us how to improve our website, keep our blogs active and up-to-date and really polish our product.”
The three attendees say they were impressed with the sophistication of the U.S. student housing industry. “You have this sub-industry that’s so vibrant and is getting a lot of support and commercialization,” Marley said. “In Ireland, we lack that focus on student housing. You still get into the industry by default.”
Another difference that struck Bowman was the diversity in American markets. “Due to the sheer size of the United States, each state’s student housing industry is very heterogeneous and follows very different laws,” said Bowman, who works in Acquisitions and Development for Ely. “Ireland’s industry is much more generic.” By the end of the trip, Bowman said, Ely made many new contacts, learned a great deal from the breakout sessions, and would even consider returning for another conference. —NAA’s Lauren Boston