Thousands of rental housing professionals gathered in Philadelphia this past June at the industry’s largest, most important annual event.
“Feel the Love”
The underlying theme of Apartmentalize in Philadelphia from June 19–21, 2024, was interwoven throughout speaker presentations, educational offerings and in the halls of the Pennsylvania Convention Center. More than 11,000 attendees gathered in The City of Brotherly Love to learn, inform, network and grow as rental housing industry professionals.
Housing owners and operators are providing more than four walls and a roof for residents. There’s an experience residents come to expect at their communities and in the communication coming from the leasing office. The same is to be said of Apartmentalize attendees: They expect that experience of learning, networking and, overall, having a specific atmosphere not felt in the office or wherever they may work.
“A lot of people have high expectations for the education,” says Robin Flagler, former President of AION Management. “I’m coming, I’m paying for the conference, and I’m going to all these education sessions. The important thing to recognize is that if you take one new piece of information away from each session, it’s a win.”
There were 277 industry speakers at Apartmentalize who presented 110 unique educational opportunities on topics ranging from operations, marketing and budgeting to maintenance and leadership, among other fields and tracks. Also available to attendees was one of the largest NAA Exposition halls ever with more than 630 exhibitors, and nearly a quarter of them at Apartmentalize for the first time.
Attendees may be from different personal and professional backgrounds, searching for unique options at Apartmentalize, but the fundamental ideas of education, learning and camaraderie do not differ. They are excited to have the opportunity to escape the office, catch up with colleagues spread out across the country or former employees, and share new ideas and product offerings.
“It just makes sense to bring our team here and to let our on-the-ground project team members meet their peers,” says Douglas Jones, Chief Operating Officer, WinnResidential - Military Housing Services. “What we’re going to find is that there’s not a problem out there that someone hasn’t already encountered or isn’t going to encounter tomorrow—and just that level of engagement and connectivity is what you get out of Apartmentalize.”
Get Together
There were multiple chances to “Feel the Love” in Philadelphia for attendees, starting from day one and continuing through the Closing General Session. Of the 11,000-plus attendees, 39% were at Apartmentalize for the first time.
Apartmentalize allows staff and new attendees to learn through courses with peers. The event also allows the industry to visit different areas of the country to witness urban growth while education and networking happen inside the convention center. Apartmentalize affords attendees the opportunity to not only meet current and former colleagues in fun, new locations but also the supplier partners they use daily.
“It’s a great networking event,” says Flagler. “There’s so much new tech; it’s great to have that opportunity to view many different products instead of individual meetings.” This gives team members the ability to listen to new ideas and product demos while gathering information before heading back to the office to decompress and review findings rather than tying up peoples’ time in the NAA Exposition.
“We’re in the middle of conversations with multiple vendors; it’s great to get facetime with them and put your eyes on new products,” says Noah Echols, Vice President, Customer Experience, The RMR Group. “Having them all in one place makes that a lot easier. You can do a lot in a few days where it could take months of scheduling meetings to find times on peoples’ calendars.”
Despite attendees coming from all walks of life in their personal and professional careers, they travel to Apartmentalize to experience the heart of the industry.
“The engagement and the networking is critical,” says Jones. Privatized military housing (PMH) is roughly about 200,000 units, so a relatively small share of the entire rental housing industry. Jones says Apartmentalize gives those in PMH the chance to learn about common interests and objectives, even though most PMH firms don’t operate within the same markets. “Our goal, our single objective we have, that the government has, that all stakeholders have, is the quality of life for service members and their families.” So, while Jones and others will send staff to specific educational sessions, there is overlap between the different multifamily housing sectors.
“Our teams here are attending the same courses,” says Starla Miller, Senior Vice President, Military Operations, Balfour Beatty Communities. “We have talent and recruiting issues, we have issues with leasing or move-ins. We’re getting the same information, just a different forum.”
Education
Formal educational opportunities are not the only places to learn at Apartmentalize. Some attendees have rigid schedules and set a plan in place to gain as much information as possible from subject matter experts and session speakers. Other attendees are searching for answers from colleagues and peers working on the same or similar issues.
“I love to connect with others in the industry and talk through some of the challenges that we’re seeing in new development as it pertains to lease-ups,” says Jourdan Vartabedian, Director, New Development, Article Student Housing. “I’m hoping to learn from colleagues in the field and understand better what they’re doing to overcome these challenges.”
Like Jones, Flagler has specific sessions she designates for staff. “Certain people I want to go to leadership, others go to technology to break up people by position,” she says.
Attendees could map out their show in advance of Apartmentalize, and many took advantage of the Apartmentalize app or the old-fashioned way of pen and paper to track their schedules. “For me it’s always the sessions,” says Pattie Woods, VP Training and Development, Fogelman Properties. “There’s so many and so little time to get to them. I’m excited; I marked quite a few.”
Even rental housing professionals with decades of experience and years of presenting on their resume attend Apartmentalize to learn from peers on stage, in the crowd and walking back to the hotel.
“There’s always an area of the business we can get sharper in,” says Nick Hill, Chief Operating Officer, Property Management, UP Campus Student Living.
For Echols, there are numerous benefits of attending Apartmentalize. “We’re constantly innovating and thinking about new ways of doing things; a lot of that is driven by processes but also technology,” he says. “I’m learning a lot of great insights from people from all over the industry who are approaching similar problems in a different way. This is super helpful and not something I can do sitting back in Atlanta responding
to emails.”
What’s New?
Technology and artificial intelligence (AI) are the talk of the town in multifamily housing. AI is integrating into all aspects of the rental housing industry from leasing and touring to maintenance and resident-facing applications.
“I don’t think some people realize how much that affects everyday existence,” says Woods, referencing the use of AI in the world. It comes down to the right balance of tech or AI to staffing and employees.
“That convergence between tech and the human touch that we’re all looking for and how to better deliver on that,” says Lori Snider, Head, Learning and Development, RedPeak.
Attendees are also looking for the best way to make their jobs more efficient and effective while staying within budget. “Anybody that can deliver on simplification right now is on my short list,” says Snider.
“Anything that’s going to make our jobs more efficient and our teams’ jobs more efficient, so what’s the latest and greatest,” says Gail Miller, Chief Operating Officer, Liberty Military Housing, in reference to technology in the NAA Exposition. “It all comes down to building on our external and internal customer service.”
The “wow fridge” is used to welcome residents and convert prospects into residents—attendees are searching for that same feeling.
“I’m looking for something I’ve never thought of and never seen—something to wow me and draw me in and get my interest to see how we can apply that to our military industry,” says Sharon Shores, Senior Vice President, Asset Management & Property Operations, Mayroad.
In the past, it was easy for technology to capture data, but the hurdle now is what to do with all the data that’s piling up. “What we’re looking to do now is to be able to interpret or draw conclusions from that data that we can exercise and observe,” says Aaron Maas, Executive Vice President, The Life Properties. “...How do we evaluate it and normalize it and take action so we can start reviewing what we think to be true. The software tweaking is over. It’s now, ‘What do we do with the data?’”
Among the uses for data: Resident retention. “Studying someone who moves around the corner should be given as much effort as someone renewing for a third year,” says Maas. “And is it a true relocation or would they have made the drive if we matched the value.... What could we do differently so that it’s not that they moved to an apartment across the street, but to attract residents to want to stay there longer?”
Wednesday General Session
The first major gathering of attendees was during Wednesday’s General Session, which featured Grammy and Tony Award winner Leslie Odom Jr. He spoke of his upbringing in the Philadelphia area, his early start in theater and the Juneteeth holiday. He closed by singing Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” and “Dear Theodosia” from “Hamilton.” Attendees were also honored by a visit from Aren Platt, Philadelphia’s Chief Deputy Mayor of Planning and Strategic Initiatives. He commemorated the Juneteeth holiday and discussed the city’s future for new and affordable housing, including 30,000 units coming soon.
Thursday General Session
Mike Holmes, 2020 Board of Directors Chair, is the 24th member of the National Apartment Association Hall of Fame. He was inducted during Thursday’s General Session to a video of his peers and loved ones. For more on Holmes and his accomplishments, turn to page 17. Ten years and one day after receiving the Medal of Honor, Kyle Carpenter was on stage at Apartmentalize recollecting his experiences in the hot desert of Afghanistan and the struggles following his reconstructive surgeries. He joked about the worst situation of his life, realizing there was only one path for him: Forward
Friday General Session
Apartmentalize closed with a first. Bay Area Apartment Association member Harry Ruiz from RangeWater Real Estate was named the inaugural Maintenance Legends grand prize winner, taking home a brand-new truck and cash. Learn more about Ruiz on page 60. More than $27,000 was contributed during the NAAPAC sweepstakes as well. The NSC Sweepstakes winner was former NSC Chair and longtime NAAPAC Platinum Donor Kirk Downey, who has chosen a five-day/four-night stay at the stunning all-inclusive Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Congratulations Kirk and Angi Pusateri-Downey!
Apartmentalize ended with actor and philanthropist Mark Wahlberg. Success, hard work and failure were among the themes Wahlberg touched on while celebrating the NBA Championship of his hometown Boston Celtics.
Michael Miller is NAA’s Managing Editor. There is no known familial relationship of the three Millers.