The Top 5 Most Valuable Sessions To Attend
April is here, which means the Texas Apartment Association (TAA) ONE Conference and Expo is right around the corner! The TAA ONE Conference is a “must attend” education event for multifamily professionals, and just like Texas, it is BIG!
The event schedule is packed full of impactful learning sessions. The only problem: You can’t attend multiple sessions all at the same time! We know — the struggle is real!
But have no fear — we’re here to help! We’ve done the heavy lifting and sifted through the sessions to bring you the top five most valuable sessions at this year’s TAA ONE Conference and Expo.
Here are the top 5 sessions you’ll definitely want to attend.
1. Mastering Renewals: Unlocking Unconventional Strategies for Long-Term Success
Moderator: Elizabeth Francisco, Chief Experience Officer at Inhabit
Panelists: Lori Krull, CAPS, Executive Vice President at Weller Management and Mary Gwyn, CPM, Chief Innovator at Apartment Dynamics.
Session Value: This session is NOT just another presentation on renewals. Renewal strategies play a critical role, for sure, but here, Lori and Mary will go beyond conventional property management renewal strategies and discuss innovative tactics and fresh insights for managing vacation short-term rentals.
💡 Come ready to participate and share renewal ideas. Ideas will be solicited in advance, and the outstanding submission will be rewarded!
The Takeaway: Here’s what you’ll leave with:
- An understanding of the parallels between apartment and vacation rentals.
- A holistic 12-month negotiation strategy.
- The ability to strike the perfect balance between rent optimization and resident satisfaction.
- A comprehensive resource of innovative renewal strategies.
Why You Should Attend: Maximizing the resident experience is a key component of renewals, but if you’re using the same strategies, offering the same standard amenities, and sticking with the status quo, how do you expect to stand out from the competition?
Offering premium service amenities enhances the resident experience, which increases resident satisfaction and the opportunity for renewals.
2. How Deep Is Your WELL?
Presenter: Debbie R. Phillips, PhD, CPM at The Quadrillion
Session Value: No, it’s not about water! This conference session focuses on the connection between wellness and employee engagement. Debbie will highlight the impact of low-grade anxiety, burnout, and disengagement on today’s workers and present research showing the correlation between employee well-being and bottom-line performance.
The Takeaway: After this session, you will be able to
- Identify the six dimensions of wellness, including occupational job fit and emotional well-being.
- Recognize the key drivers of employee engagement.
- Understand hidden distractions.
- Reset your mental maps through micro habits and mindfulness.
- Build capacity through systems and processes that lead to small wins.
Why You Should Attend: The mental well-being of your workforce should be a priority. According to a study by NAA, when employee wellness is prioritized, you increase the odds of retention among onsite team members. Companies that do this create a culture that encourages balance between work and personal life, supportive executive leadership, and resources to help support mental health.
Increased stress, decreased engagement, and burnout are all workplace realities that are on the rise. The truth is that e-commerce affects mental health, and as we all know, e-commerce is not slowing down! Among onsite property teams, the growing burden of onsite package deliveries significantly contributes to employees’ increased stress, and as package volumes continue to rise, team members become vulnerable to burnout.
Off-site package management is a straightforward way to support your employees’ mental health, alleviate stress, and save teams hundreds of “task hours” each year.
3. Market Relevance: The Unicorn Everyone Is Chasing
Presenter: Carla J. Alicea, Director at SatisFacts Research
Session Value: “Chasing unicorns” is a phrase to describe the pursuit of something exceptional and extraordinary, and if attained, has the potential for significant rewards.
Market relevance is our industry’s unicorn, but we’re not alone; 88% of executives believe that customers and employees are changing faster than they can change their businesses. To stay top-of-mind, companies must see their customers as they see themselves — imperfections and all — and align their marketing messages accordingly.
The Takeaway: By looking at how three companies across the nation managed to capture the market share of relevance against the competition, you’ll learn what your organization can do to elevate your communities, as well. You will:
- Explore the state of the industry, understanding how economic, social, and cultural trends create relevancy gaps between companies and renters.
- Learn what successful companies have done to address relevancy challenges by finding new solutions to solve old problems.
- Understand the value of customer journey visioning related to strategic planning and securing long-term renters.
Why You Should Attend:
Feeling lost in a sea of sameness? Struggling to connect with renters in a rapidly evolving market? Having a roadmap to success that includes a clear understanding of customer journey visioning and its role in securing long-term renters is a game changer.
Learning to bridge the “relevancy gap” separates good companies from great ones, with the potential to elevate your communities to the top of the renter consideration list. The service amenities you offer can be a crucial piece of the puzzle in remaining relevant to renters, enhancing residents’ experiences while providing solutions to modern dilemmas.
4. That Adds Up: The Financial Impact of Strong Resident Retention
Moderator: Darcey Forbes, Head of Real Estate Operations at Renew
Panelists: Holli Beckman, CAM, Chief Marketing Officer at WC Smith and Tony Sousa, Vice President, Marketing Relations, at RPM Living
Session Value: Resident retention often takes a back seat to new leases. But with the apartment market cooling, more operators are focusing on retention. Because of the financial benefits a well-organized retention effort can create, it should be a focus in both strong and soft markets.
Holli and Tony will show how strong retention rates result in reduced marketing and turn costs. Plus, they’ll outline how they’ve been able to drive faster renewal decisions, leading to less vacancy loss, improved occupancy forecasting, and better real-time pricing decisions.
The Takeaway: Following this session, you’ll be able to describe the:
- Components of a deftly organized renewal program and strategy.
- Financial benefits of high resident retention rates and faster renewal decisions.
Why You Should Attend: To boost your bottom line, your onsite teams need to be focused on doing the jobs you hired them to do. They need to be focused and well-trained on leasing tactics that result in satisfied residents, increased retention, and quicker renewals.
And this does not include managing the rising tide of residents’ package deliveries! Service amenities like Fetch are just one way to completely remove the task of managing resident packages, allowing your teams to focus on your business’s strategy and success.
Fetch helps our clients increase renewal rates, and we handle the heavy lifting so your teams don’t have to!
5. Centralization: The Missing Key to Expense Control and the Best Renter Experience
Moderator: Tyler Christiansen, CEO at Funnel
Panelists: Alison Hall, CPM, CAPS, Vice President, Contact Center Operations, at Camden Property Trust and Christi Weinstein, Chief Operating Officer at BH Management
Session Value: Rent growth is slowing in many markets, and many non-controllables, including insurance, taxes, and interest expenses, are rising fast. Wages and staffing shortages are also driving concerns. These mounting pressures are driving operators to focus on the fundamentals of business efficiency and retaining current residents through renewals.
Centralization solves the eminent challenges facing the multifamily industry, including expense control, delighting residents and renters, driving renewal rates, and engaging teams to increase their career opportunities and job satisfaction.
The Takeaway: Future-proof your business through proven centralization best practices. After this session, you’ll be able to describe:
- How and why centralization solves many of the challenges facing the multifamily industry.
- Tactics used by property management companies in centralization and the new operating model.
- The steps needed to begin the new operating model.
Why You Should Attend: Learning ways to mitigate risk helps stabilize your operations. Centralization is a hot topic in multifamily, and it’s essential to understand the positive impact it can have on your business.
With the rise in e-commerce, storing resident packages onsite is one area that has brought increased liability to multifamily property owners and managers. Package management is a key player in centralization, and off-site solutions provide a streamlined and efficient remedy to reduce risk.
We are getting excited about TAA and hope you are, too! The session lineup is fantastic, so get ready to learn and connect!
Connect with us at the TAA ONE Conference at Booth #232!
