Schedule

Listening to your residents is critical for creating a positive living experience and optimizing retention. But in today’s world of information overload, what do you do with all that feedback to make a difference? Leverage your information to make data-driven decisions that affect the resident experience from leasing to move-out. Hear first-hand how three companies took action with their resident data to improve operations, strengthen resident loyalty and satisfaction and increase NOI.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Examine ways to leverage resident feedback to make data-driven decisions.
• Identify best practices to drive operational efficiency, resident satisfaction, retention and NOI.
• Understand the financial impact of positive service interactions and employee satisfaction.

Have you ever wondered why a resident pays late every month, wonder why they are not able to get caught up, or possibly view housing as not being one of their top priorities? What if you could better understand what drives the residents, have a clearer vision of what poverty really is and comprehend their hidden rules? See beyond the stereotypes and learn how to improve relationships, outcomes and customer care.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the difference between generational and situational poverty.
• Relate to the hidden rules of people in poverty.
• Understand that we cannot support stereotypes and prejudices of our affordable residents.

The rental housing industry is in the midst of an up-cycle. In that time, rents have risen significantly, occupancies have remained high and the development of new supply nationwide has reached nearly unprecedented levels. Learn the answers to questions like: How have primary, secondary and tertiary market performance compared to each other? What are the implications of those similarities and differences? What can we expect moving forward?

 

Learning Objectives:

• Describe and understand differences in recent rental housing performance by market size.
• Identify areas of potential opportunity for future investment.
• Evaluate recent portfolio performance within the context of similarly sized markets.

Short-term rental offerings are an apartment operations trend moving to the forefront in many markets. Operators are seeking solutions while weighing the potential downsides that can affect their residents and reputation. Learn best practices shared by experienced senior-level executives to determine if this potential revenue stream approach meets your needs.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the wide variety of options in working with short-term rentals, including successes and failures.
• Understand the marketing, sales and benefits of the different ways to work with short-term rentals.
• Understand the risks, concerns and legal considerations with each of the ways to work with short-term rentals.

Have you wanted to grow your IRO business, acquire larger properties and take things to the next level? Have you considered bringing in outside capital to expand your resources? Hear from NAA’s IRO of the Year award winners on how this can be successfully done. Learn the pros, cons and best practices in obtaining and dealing with outside investors.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the pros and cons of using outside capital for apartment acquisitions.
• Get an overview of what the capital raising process looks like, including a real deal.
• Learn tips or best practices for interacting with investors.

Now that you have leads, how are you ushering them through the rest of the buyer’s journey? Leading prospects toward a lease used to be a time-consuming, resource-draining process. This is especially true when catering to today’s apartment shoppers, who expect always-on customer experiences. Learn how to instantly engage prospective residents at every stage of their search with drip campaigns, automated schedulers and chatbots.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Identify opportunities for automation in your current workflow that can increase touch points and response time for apartment shoppers.
• Learn how apartment marketers are using real-time data and triggers to enhance their automation strategies.
• Leverage automation tools in new ways that will contribute to prospect follow-up and internal communication delivery.

Performance benchmarking is a hot-button topic for apartment owners and operators. However, benchmarking approaches shouldn’t reflect a one-size-fits-all perspective, as they vary from Class A product to Class B assets to Class C properties. Learn from a diverse group of community owners and operators as they discuss key metrics they track in their portfolios and strategy and operations adjustments they make based on the movement of those indicators.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Understand key metrics to track across your portfolio and actionable steps to take based on results.
• Learn how to derive the most from your data and stay ahead of your competition.
• Understand how certain categories of expenses vary by asset class, market and other factors.

Technology has always been met from the resident perspective. Our industry implements technologies with the intent of making residents’ lives easier and more accessible, but the target has shifted. What was once focused on the resident should now be anchored in leasing and maintenance teams. By investing in our teams, we empower our associates to provide a satisfying resident experience.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Learn the challenges with only investing in technologies that benefit residents.
• Discuss the technologies to implement for your teams and the impacts they have on leasing and maintenance associates.
• Gain a real understanding of how to determine the ROI of these technologies.

Is the need to reduce your risk and ensure your company and associates are protected from detrimental issues keeping you up at night? During this executive panel, identify the risks and bring awareness of workplace violence and sexual harassment in our industry. Explore ways to prevent any future risks by discussing the negative effects on companies, their reputations and team morale.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Identify and discuss the risks companies are exposed to, for both workplace violence and sexual harassment.
• Identify the steps to lower your risk factor, while providing a safer work environment for your teams.
• Learn the tools to create and implement an action plan for your company.

As an affordable community, you have half the funds and twice the paperwork. The affordable consumer and investor are changing and we must change, too. Discuss effective marketing strategies that meet the regulations that must be adhered to and discuss the ever-changing regulations and policies that can attract or deter consumers. Explore how to get staff site buy-in—if your site team is not sold, neither is your consumer.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Effective strategies to market to the many targeting affordable demographics.
• Explore the impact of regulations and policies on marketing; are they attracting or deterring?
• Understanding importance of onsite teams’ outlook and how to motivate team to maximize performance.

Demographics and psychographics go hand in hand. Demographics explain “who” the customer is and include information like gender, age, income and marital status. Psychographics explain “why” they buy and include information like the buyer's habits, activities, lifestyle, opinions, buying trends and values. The combination of both sets of data starts to form a customer profile. Learn how to use psychographics to enhance both the marketing and programming at their communities.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the seven stages of the consumer journey.
• Identify the four types of market segmentation.
• Understand how to gather actionable psychographic information.

As the Military Housing Privatization Program ages, we find the world we envisioned has become complicated. With growing expenses and revenue shrinking, military partners become more demanding and employee profiles are changing. Management of military housing operations continues to evolve but must remain committed to the basics. Ideas will be shared and discussed on how to reinvent MHPI basics.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Identify new ideas and best practices beyond the basics in MHPI operations.
• Create and implement plans for improved revenue generation, employee engagement, and expense control in MHPI.
• Interact in group discusses to continue collaboration and networking among attendees

A lively panel discussion with a unique mix of perspectives will discuss how today's supplier partners should understand and utilize relationship sales techniques for prospects. Walk away with an understanding of different types of networking for conferences, events and trade shows and the best etiquette for these situations.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the importance of relationship sales.
• Understand the importance of networking with key decision makers, influencers and other suppliers for sales opportunities.
• Understand the importance of the industry "code of conduct" for sales, networking and communication.

A community doesn’t operate well without an outstanding service team. Skill-building programs can offer solid bench strength, but the leader of the team must be a professional ready to delegate, coach and develop others; manage time and people; and understand the business to embrace conflict and change. Learn from the maintenance experts who are crafting the leadership module in the CAMT program and the most important skills and behaviors that predict excellence in maintenance.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Learn the critical skills necessary to lead a maintenance team.
• Understand how effective leadership can positively affect excellence in service.
• Apply the experiences of seasoned maintenance leaders to your own leadership journey.

Innovative rental housing marketers seek to customize and streamline their initiatives around how prospective residents search for their next home. Renters in the Information Age operate very differently than they did even three years ago as their behaviors continue to evolve. Critical new data will be shared from the latest renter research to help apartment operators drive more qualified leads and secure more leases in today’s highly complex and digitally-driven world.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Identify and understand all the undeclared research renters execute before contacting you.
• Gain insight into the top renter pain points that impact a prospect’s leasing decision.
• Identify what content you need to create and where you need to place it to reach the renter.

Work in small facilitated groups to learn from fellow Independent Rental Owners from across the country. Consulting the hive mind, tackle challenges by such as: 

• Best practices: Dealing with contractors for renovations and repairs 
• Succession planning 
• Unit turnover efficiencies: Time saving practices 
• Growing local IRO groups 
• How to attract and retain awesome employees 
• Social support for your community: Retaining residents who fall on hard times

 

Learning Objectives:

• Meet other like-minded individuals and gain valuable, industry contacts.
• Learn solutions that other IROs have used for common problems facing our industry.
• Take back to their local and state association tips for growing IRO groups.

During the next decade, Gen Z will grow from 8 million to over 55 million in the workplace and our apartments! This represents a huge opportunity and a challenge. From ad blocking to social media, this generation has experienced the internet since they were in diapers. Trust, equality and their own unique language make Gen Z communication essential to any leasing and marketing plan.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Be inspired and ready to welcome Gen Z to their apartment communities with proper messaging.
• Successfully navigate sales and marketing for this generation.
• Discover what Gen Z wants in their home, what they are willing to pay for and their approach to money and spending.

Anything is possible in rental housing, yet for years, the career paths accessible in our industry were limited and unsophisticated. Today, industry professionals at every level are finding unconventional ways to climb the ladder, while at the same time supervisors are becoming even more invested in growing team members into roles that add purpose, value and impact to their organization. Learn to create your own roadmap to success, discover how you can progress in your career without settling and inspire your teammates to pursue their passion and potential. BONUS: Attendees receive exclusive, ongoing monthly coaching sessions after Apartmentalize.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Identify how microlearning can move you closer to the careers you love.
• Learn the laws today’s successful leaders live by and how they leveraged them to move from leasing to leadership.
• Solve the top challenges that can stall rental housing careers and get focused on conquering opportunities that lead to ultimate success.

In multifamily housing, teams typically are set by the existing company hierarchy. How can these pre-structured teams become a dynamic force? Instead of focusing on the individual tasks of each, focus on conquering goals together with purpose. Learn the online tools, proven best practices and visual case studies that will assist with communicating clear directives, coaching employees and building a culture that inspires teams to go beyond expectations.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Consider the “why” of an overall goal to secure buy-in from leaders and employees when creating a high-powered team.
• Learn to identify those who are your cause champions, your taskmasters, your thought leaders and your quality checkers.
• Understand how partnerships may have better team results than traditional leader responsibilities.

Climate change, technologies and trends are shaping the future of multifamily housing, making it even more important to design effective energy strategies for your business. Understand climate resilience in the face of external stresses; learn how to assess climate-related risks in your portfolio and explore the latest trends in energy grid, storage, amenities and mobility. Industry experts will share their knowledge, tools and real case studies for evaluating and adopting the trends that work best for you.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Understand climate resilience in the face of external stresses and assess climate-related risks in your portfolio.
• Approach sustainability with effective energy strategies and tools that anyone can use.
• Recognize the latest trends in energy grid, storage, amenities and mobility affecting multifamily real estate.

Today’s best leaders are also great negotiators, whether they are discussing a multi-million-dollar deal or simply where to meet for dinner. Negotiation is merely the technical term for discussions and conversations to reach an agreement. Improving your negotiation skills will give you more confidence and better results. In this highly-charged, content-packed workshop, Eldonna will show you how to find more power, negotiate better deals and create win-win results.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the building blocks of contracts and negotiation: offer, acceptance, and counteroffer.
• Learn strategies to turn discussions and disagreements into more favorable results.
• Identify the most common mistakes in negotiation and how to avoid them.

The world of affordable rental housing is not only highly regulated by three federal agencies, but also highly dependent on the ability of Congress to pass timely and sufficient annual funding bills. Focus on key current federal legislative and regulatory issues facing providers of affordable rental housing participating in HUD, rural housing and Housing Credit programs.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the impact of federal budget appropriations, proposed renter credit and other legislation on affordable rental housing programs.
• Learn about the latest regulatory initiatives impacting the Housing Credit, HUD and rural housing programs.
• Understand real world impacts of federal legislation and regulations on communities, management companies and owners.

Today’s businesses are recognizing the importance of delivering exceptional customer experiences that differentiate them from their competition. Customer interaction has changed from the in-person experience to the digital age with platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. Managing your online reputation is essential for rental housing communities. Beyond traditional reputation management, we are seeing the rise of social media influencers as a part of online reputation strategies.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Define the three parts of the customer experience (CX) and why they are important.
• Create resident communication and reputation management strategies in the mediums preferred in the digital age.
• Implement strategies to use their resources and deliver an exceptional customer experience.

Maximizing your marketing spend can be tough, which makes building an optimized marketing budget and plan a daunting task. Learn how industry leaders have built in-demand brands and are generating smart, data-driven marketing spend decisions to drive qualified traffic. Become laser focused on tying leases to leads by ad source and looking at out-of-the-box ideas for campaigns, from onsite fashion shows to social media influencers.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Learn what Google is up to as well as how to follow the hospitality and airline industries by serving up search results with influence criteria.
• Explore the benefits of investing in an optimized marketing strategy.
• Discover how big players empower brand promotion, maximize reach and capture qualified leads at lower costs across multiple channels.

As the saying goes, rental housing professionals are often drowning in information yet starving for knowledge. Hear how forward-thinking trailblazers are leveraging unprecedented access to data from traditional and non-traditional sources to drive organizational decision-making.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Learn ways to predict outcomes and determine actions you can take today to drive revenue and increase efficiencies.
• Receive benchmarking tips and tools to identify opportunities for efficiency and gauge overall performance of an asset versus the market.
• Gain insights from differing perspectives on using big data to channel how you look at operations.

Explore best practices for operations managers and maintenance teams on new construction and renovation projects. Leave with a solid understanding of how to transition from construction and how the project management schedule will affect the leasing schedule and residents.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the differences between new construction and renovation.
• Understand the pitfalls and best practices of construction to operations management.
• Understand the survival skills for a new service manager on a new construction project.

The drop in the U.S. homeownership rate during the past decade accompanied by a robust economy has led to an unprecedented increase in renter households and apartment demand. While the rental housing industry has attempted to respond through aggressive levels of new construction, the U.S. remains under-housed. Learn the main causes of unaffordability, review relative conditions across every region in the U.S. and identify markets where income gains are not keeping up with asking rents.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the key factors driving declining affordability for residents.
• Identify those markets where owners and property managers can successfully push rents and those where affordability is continuing to deteriorate.
• Understand how asking rents, community locations and amenities are impacting lease-up and occupancy trends.

Using a unique concept in information-sharing and audience participation, discover 25 of the timeliest, most talked-about and hotly debated operational issues in apartment management. Learn best practices in areas such as marketing, technology, HR, energy efficiency, maintenance, hiring, onsite management and more.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Bring industry professionals up to date on the most pressing issues and solutions.
• Identify new approaches to common and chronic problems at the operational level.
• Understand where to find information on an issue or about a peer or supplier who could provide valuable input.

After the lease is signed and boxes are unpacked, life becomes normal for our residents. In turn, maintenance becomes the face of our brand. Their technical skills are essential, but their soft skills differentiate the brand more than you realize! Discover tips to lead your maintenance team members and sharpen their customer service skills so they can be the brand.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Leave with skills to coach your maintenance team members to represent the property’s brand in a way that retains residents.
• Include ready-to-use actions to your existing procedures that improve your brand in the customer’s eyes.
• Learn how to measure the impact of your maintenance brand on the customer.

Are your communities overrun with emotional support animals? Does it feel like a jungle out there? As nationwide demand for emotional support animals continues to grow, so does the confusion about which laws apply and what property management companies and owners can (and can’t) do to stem the tide. Understand the most current national trends relating to support animals. 

 

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the most current national trends relating to support animals.
• Develop strategies for handling the most common support animal issues.
• Learn HUD’s position on verification letters from online providers.

Revenue management and marketing convergence has been a hot topic at industry conferences for the past couple of years. Data and technologies have been making it possible for managers to diagnose future problems and decide which playbook they need to reach for. Focus on a specific set of scenarios and describe the tools and tactics that can be employed to know precisely which lever(s) to pull to solve problems faster and drive improved revenue performance.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Gain expert insight into how to evaluate future demand forecasts and become more proactive in managing demand.
• Understand the multiple marketing and sales tactics (besides price changes) that can be employed to address performance issues.
• Understand how to determine whether your dollars are better spent on marketing, sales tactics or price incentives.

Successful multifamily housing firms understand the vital importance of not only having the right people, but the right training and employee development in place. Learn the recipe for successful training as veteran employee development executives share their secret sauce and walk you step-by-step through cooking up the best training program from scratch.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how to weigh the costs and benefits of starting a new training program completely from scratch.
• Review emerging trends and best practices in crafting an innovative and impactful training and employee development.
• Learn how technology and the millennial workforce are requiring new strategies and tactics in employee training.

Building a strong culture within your organization is critical to the success of your business. A great culture is the key to retaining and recruiting top talent. Culture has an impact on your brand, your team and your residents. Learn how to establish a great culture from a property management recruitment professional, an industry-focused HR strategist/employment attorney and two top property management executives.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how you can use your culture to cultivate and develop great leaders.
• Learn how to develop a strong culture.
• Understand how culture influences your ability to recruit talent.

Congratulations! Your management company is staring tremendous growth in the face. What do you do next? How do you grow the company in the most effective, efficient way with the fewest number of mistakes? Hear from industry experts who have been where you are and want to save you from the heartburn they have experienced.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Gain an understanding of aspects that can impact the successful growth of your management company.
• Identify a plan for strategic growth of your management company.
• Learn pitfalls to avoid and successes to implement in the growth of your management company.

Are your policies and practices the best they can be? Learn how to develop and implement risk management strategies to avoid costly litigation; master your dispute resolution skills; learn what to do (and not to do) if you are served with a lawsuit; navigate the litigation process; and learn affirmative steps you can take to minimize the time and money spent in litigation.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Develop and implement risk management strategies to avoid costly litigation.
• Master dispute resolution skills.
• Learn affirmative steps you can take to minimize the time and money spent in litigation.

Keeping up with the fast pace of technology is sometimes impossible, but it has its benefits. One way to separate your community is by selecting the right technologies to help your portfolio thrive and gain a true competitive advantage over your closest competitors. Discover all things technology from the impact of artificial intelligence to smart-home living and predictive maintenance to ensure you have a repertoire of attractive product upgrades to entice today’s tech-crazed renters.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Hear future advancements in lifestyle technologies designed to streamline the apartment living experience.
• Learn best practices in future-proofing apartment living technologies.
• Understand the latest advancements in artificial intelligence and how they can be applied to rental housing.

What if you could travel the U.S. and learn successful techniques in leasing, marketing and resident retention from over 50 markets? Let the Apartment All-Stars take you on a cross-country tour of the "Best of the Best" in multifamily housing strategies. From voice search to experiential leasing, from content marketing to alternative search, learn effective methods you can implement immediately and are guaranteed to work.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Learn effective, key strategies from across the U.S. that can improve marketing, leasing and resident retention.
• Understand how to implement techniques that can immediately impact the bottom line in occupancy, closing and retained residents.
• Learn quick and easy ideas that can be immediately implemented.

“If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll always get the same results.” That famous statement assumes we need to change tired tactics to improve results. Often, our great and proven tactics generate less-than-desired results and we need to change strategies to keep getting what we’ve always received. Hear how three industry professionals turned their pain into gain through innovation and ideas: when a historically hot market turned cold; when the employment pool of maintenance technicians dried up; and when the company’s founder retired and the next generation reorganized.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Broaden your scope from “what has always been” to “what could be” by responding to change with change.
• Consider areas of your market and organization that no longer respond to proven strategies and prepare to shift or revise.
• Inspire your creativity and innovation to get in front of change so you don’t get left behind.

Does your current company tend to focus on your management and leasing staff while excluding maintenance from discussions? If you secretly answered “Yes,” you’re not alone. Maintenance and the teams that support your assets should not be an afterthought, but how do you make the changes necessary to effectively change the culture? Learn how other companies are creating positive change and how it can transform your company culture.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the key factors that impact property management culture as it relates to maintenance.
• Identify specific operational areas where maintenance inclusion affects the bottom line.
• Review the key elements to shift to a more maintenance centered environment.

With all the technological advances, the leasing process is still stuck at the starting line. Leasing agents sit behind stuffy desks like used car salespeople. Time-sensitive prospects trudge through formulaic tours. Critical prospect data is lost on notepads in the bottom of a desk drawer. How did leasing miss the mobile technology revolution? Discover how operators can elevate leasing into a mobile world and create engaging personal experiences.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss the drawbacks of today’s leasing process, which include an inability to create customized prospect experiences.
• Hear the negative impacts of outdated leasing processes and the missed opportunities they create.
• Learn how to improve the leasing process and the benefits of creating mobile leasing experiences.

Empathetic behavior enhances retention efforts, but there’s a problem: America is suffering from an empathy deficit. One-in-four Americans are grappling with a serious mental health issue they’re likely not talking about. Learn to identify your tendencies toward apathy and unconscious bias, how to counter them and handle common mental health scenarios with understanding.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the tendencies to apathy and unconscious bias and how to counter them.
• Practice specific techniques designed to increase empathy.
• Decipher potential red flags that could indicate a mental illness spiraling out of control and utilize resources to assist.

Is your marketing platform data-rich but action-poor? Thanks to digital technology, we have been able to collect a vast amount of data but putting this data to good use is still a challenge for many. Uncover the knowledge you need to leverage the power of marketing data effectively and supercharge your ROI with tips, tricks and solutions.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Identify simple and effective strategies to understand the most important KPIs and build procedures surrounding data-driven marketing.
• Pick up on red flags in your data that will lead you to draw more accurate conclusions from your reporting.
• Explore how data is shaping apartment marketing now and how it will transform it in the future.

Leveraging technology to provide access for residents, guests, vendors and property staff is an important and complex initiative; however, the connected world is offering an opportunity to solve access challenges while enhancing property awareness. Uncover the challenges in a world of high traffic rental housing communities while exploring the benefits of connected access control.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Break down the various challenges that come with issuing and authorizing access both traditionally and with first-gen IoT access products.
• List the different types of access needs (short term, unattended showing, etc.) and solutions that meet these demands.
• Define how this technology can enable seamless flow from exterior to interior of property while keeping property awareness in mind.

Balancing profitability and operational costs with resident satisfaction is not an easy task. Strategic purchasing frees up more time for operators to improve resident life. Learn best practices for strategic supply-chain management and identify how standardization is saving them time and money, reducing workload, and shaping a better residential experience.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how to add to the three-bid supplier process and reduce costs by combining local, aggregated and strategic purchasing practices.
• Identify operational best practices for standardizing procurement, including reducing workload and delivering a better net operating income.
• Examine existing scope of services, compare processes among peer groups, and emerge as a market leader and company frontrunner.

Whether a property is gearing up for pre-acquisition, pre-disposition, a new asset manager or a new client relationship, Regional Managers and Area Directors should have practical and proven techniques, aimed at performance success. Equip yourself with the tools, tips and tactics to communicate and deploy proven strategies with leasing personnel that effectively result in client (owner) satisfaction.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Better communicate and demonstrate value to various client (owner) types.
• Designing, communicating and executing a strategic plan for exceeding client (owner) goals.
• Construct a communication plan to focus, motivate and, evaluate team performance to reach and exceed their goals.