Protect and Serve: More than 600 real estate owners, managers, and builders converged on the Bellagio in Las Vegas this week for the 2009 Multifamily Executive Conference, co-located for the second year with the 2009 Developer Conference.
Kick Off: Multifamily Executive Editorial Director John McManus introduced the opening keynote of the 2009 Developer Conference.
Demographics is Destiny: USC professor Dowell Myers offered an optimistic look at the demand for apartment living between 2010 and 2030.
Learning Curve: More than two dozen educational breakout sessions offered the attendees the opportunity for quality peer-to-peer education.
On the Floor: More than 30 exhibitors and dozens of sponsors showcased their products and services to a crowd that was surprisingly optimistic, despite the current state of the economy.
Meet and Greet: Through interactive receptions, coffee breaks, and cocktail hours, attendees were able to network and meet other owners and property managers from across the country.
Looking Ahead: During the 2009 Developer Conference breakout sessions, builders and development experts offered strategies to help get the ravaged land development industry back on its feet by 2020.
Cutting Costs: Eric Bolton, CEO of Memphis, Tenn.-based REIT Mid-America Apartment Communities, led a panel on managing operational expenses.
Little Things: Ed Wolff, chief administrative officer for Pinnacle, an American Management Services Co., and Paolo Pedrazzoli, head of Sirius Property Management, offered a number of small, yet proven ways to manage budgets and find extra savings.
A Big Deal: An extremely engaged audience spent a good portion of its time discussing renter’s insurance as a requirement for new leases, as well as how such a requirement might help reduce property insurance costs.
Finding Debt: Despite the difficulty of finding debt and equity partners in the industry, Tony Washington, managing director of Oak Grove Capital, says there are ways to get deals happening and offered insight into the nuts and bolts of what lenders are looking for when analyzing opportunities.