Get Connected Brainstorming is designed to get you connected in more ways than one! Just as our Brainstorming Sessions are divided into three component events—Main Event, Executive, and Principals’ Sessions—to connect you with others from coast to coast who share your level of responsibility and best understand the challenges you’re facing today; our Brainstorming Educational Sessions are designed to connect you with educational opportunities that are tailor-made to increase, expand, and enhance your professional expertise. Brainstorming is jam-packed with learning opportunities, so we’ve organized our Brainstorming Educational Sessions into Tracks to help you identify the sessions that will best suit your needs, and make a personal plan to get the absolute most out of the event. Topics are carefully selected to align with the very latest trends in marketing, training, management, and technology. ALL sessions are designed to deliver only the most timely information, proven strategies, relevant resources, and skills that you can begin using immediately, led by educators who are carefully chosen for their subject-matter expertise and ability to convey the information in a way you can really “wrap your brain around.” Most sessions are two hours in length with several being four hours so you “See It. Hear It. Do It.” for maximum retention.
Complete Educational Sessions will be posted here so please check back often!
Keynote: People are the Killer App. Presented By Geno Church “Generate buzz.” “Go viral.” “Tweets and fans.” These phrases are now common place within the marketing stratosphere. But even with all the new focus on social media tools, many organizations struggle with how to incorporate these tactics into a results-driven strategy that truly connects a community of brand ambassadors. Read More
Brainstorming Trends Lunch: Reality Check 2010 If you’ve looking for the Reality Check of the year, don’t miss this year’s optional Trends Luncheon ….Read More
More Real Strategies, Real Tools, and Real Results! There are as many tools and strategies out there as there are reality TV stars, these days! So how can you possibly know which ones really work and are right for you and your company and communities? Attend this session and…. Read More Click on the tracks below to learn more about the individual sessions associated with them: Management/Operations Marketing Training Technology
The Management/Operations Track is where you’ll find sessions on team leadership and motivation, efficiency improvements, increasing income and ROI, going green, revenue management and reporting, compensation and benefits, property improvement, and all other topics designed to improve management and operations. Choose appropriate sessions from the Management/Operations Track if you’re responsible for management functions at any organizational level from on-site through corporate. Attendees might include: Site Managers, Asset Managers, Multi-Site Managers, Regional Managers, Marketing Directors, Directors of Property Management, VPs of Property Management, Chief Operations Officers, Chief Executive Officers, Chief Financial Officers, etc.
Million Dollar Listing: Proven Strategies for Raising Rents Without Losing Renters
Presented by Amy Kosnikowski, President, Quintessential Marketing & Training, and Valerie Sargent, Senior Associate, Yvette Poole & Associates
- Date: Thursday, September 16,2010
- Time: 8:00 – 10:00 am
- Room: Dallas D1
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Management
- Topic:
When the time comes to raise rents, you’re faced with a delicate dilemma. Your community is valuable—increasingly so… but not without its residents…. Are you prepared to justify the higher rate in a way that they’ll accept? Are you positioned to quote the higher rate to prospective residents without….Read More
Celebrity Rehab: Top Trends in Design and Re-Design
Presented by Jason Hanna, Vice President, Operations, The Bascom Group and Sanford Steinberg, AIA, CGP, Principal, Steinberg Design Collaborative, LLP
- Date: Thursday, September 16,2010
- Time: 2:00 – 4:00 pm
- Room: Dallas D1
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Management
- Topic:
At long last, the pace of community rehab is beginning to increase in a big way, and new construction may not be far behind. It’s important to make the best choices when it comes to designing and re-designing your communities so they include the hottest features and benefits today’s savvy consumers are looking for….Read More
Flip This House: Giving Your Affordable Community the Conventional Treatment
Presented by Lia Nicole Smith, Director of Marketing and Training, SPM Property Management and Rick Ellis, CPM, President, ELLIS Consulting Group Inc.
- Date: Thursday, September 16,2010
- Time: 4:15 – 5:30 pm
- Room: Dallas A3
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Management
- Topic:
When it comes to optimizing the performance of your affordable housing communities, you really don’t have the time or resources to experiment. That’s why this session zeroes right in on only strategies that are proven to be successful, including real-world lessons learned, and techniques for…. Read More
Dancing With The Money: Revenue Management and Lease Optimization
Presented by Donald Davidoff, Group Vice President, Strategic Systems for Archstone
- Date: Thursday, September 16, 2010
- Time: 2:00 – 4:00 pm
- Room: Dallas B
- Level: Advanced
- Track: Management
- Topic:
Trial and error costs time and money; so it’s important to apply only the very best practices to managing our revenue. This session will show you the steps to improving your bottom line through more efficient and effective revenue management. You’ll hear Read More
The Resident Ref: Crisis Communication For Your Community
Presented by Duncan Alney, President, Firebelly Marketing
- Date: Thursday, September 16, 2010
- Time: 4:15 – 5:30 pm
- Room: Dallas D3
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Management
- Topic:
n the age of the social web, communications about your brand, company, communities, and competitors are taking place every day—very often without our knowledge or participation—and in a real-time environment where they can propagate and proliferate like wildfire, with as much potential to do damage. No longer are customers merely “consumers” of our product, but also of these conversations, making it imperative that we learn the art and science of diffusing conflict … before it erupts…. Read More
High Performance Thinking Gets Results!
Presented By Terri Norvell, President, Further Performance Group
- Date: Thursday, September 16,2010
- Time: 4:15 – 5:30 pm
- Room: Dallas C
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Management
- Topic:
What if you could immediately improve your: problem solving, decision making, productivity, efficiency, and leasing abilities by 37%? This innovative, proven program provides evolutionary training for the property management industry. It’s backed up by years of brain research and quantum science…. Read More
The G Factor
Presented By Beau Peelle, Ph.D. is Co-Founder & President of Clean Energy Experts
- Date: Thursday, September 16,2010
- Time: 8:00 – 10:00 am
- Room: Dallas C
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Management
- Topic:
Going green isn’t just great for the planet… it’s great for business, too! Today’s conscious consumer wants to associate with companies that implement green practices, because those alliances make them feel that much more earth-friendly by association. Green has unmistakable allure, and this session is designed to help you attain that eco-magnetic “G Factor” both practically and…. Read More
Under Cover Boss
Presented By Doug Chasick, CPM, CAPS, CAS, Adv. RAM, CLP, SLE, CDEI, Chief Learning Officer, Callsource
- Date: Thursday, September 16,2010
- Time: 10:15 am – 12:15 pm
- Room: Dallas A3
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Management
- Topic:
Wouldn’t you love to know every little thing that’s going on behind the scenes and how it’s either contributing to—or negatively impacting—your organization? Prepare to don your disguise and venture outside the corner office with Doug Chasick as he takes you on a behind-the-scenes tour of your own role in your company’s and communities’ overall success! This session will teach you….Read More
Deal or No Deal: Legal Sweepstakes, Contests & Similar Competitions
Presented By Nadeen Green, Chief Counsel, For Rent Media Solutions
- Date: Thursday, September 16,2010
- Time: 4:15 – 5:30 pm
- Room: Dallas D1
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Management
- Topic:
As important as it is to make social media an effective part of your marketing strategy, it’s also important to remember that the virtual world is subject to some of the same laws that govern the real one! This session reveals the fundamental advertising legalities that affect marketing with new media….Read More
OctoMe: Getting More Out of Your Eight-Hour Work Day
Presented By Steve Matre, Director of Education, Marketing, and Development for Banner Management and Patty Morgan-Seager, President, Seager Marketing
- Date: Friday, September 17,2010
- Time: 8:00 – 10:15 am
- Room: Dallas D1
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Management
- Topic:
Ever wish that you could magically clone yourself and get more done in a demanding day? This session is for you! We’ll show you all the tips and tricks needed to cross off about four extra hours’ worth….Read More
The Marketing Track is where you’ll find sessions on branding, advertising, retention, and all other topics relative to promoting your company and community as your residents’ and future residents’ best possible choice. Choose appropriate sessions from the Marketing Track if you’re responsible for any aspect of the marketing function including sales; resident relations, retention, re-marketing; marketing planning and management; creative; communications; public relations; marketing execution; marketing tracking/measurement; etc. Attendees might include: Marketing Managers, Creative Directors, Marketing Directors, VPs of Marketing, Chief Marketing Officers, etc.
Ultimate Merger: Partnership Marketing and Consumer Contests
Presented By Jamie Gorski, Sr. Vice President, Marketing, The Bozzuto Group; Eric Brown, President, Urbane Apartments; and Erica Campbell, Sr. Manager of New Media, For Rent Media Solutions
- Date: Thursday, September 16,2010
- Time: 2:00 – 4:00 pm
- Room: Dallas C
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Marketing
- Topic:
There’s nothing like partnership marketing to expand your efforts at little to no additional cost to you or your partner organization. If you get it just right, incorporating interactive elements that make people more likely to share your message with others, your marketing efforts won’t just double….Read More
The Numbers Speak Volumes: Analyzing the Cost Effectiveness of Your Marketing Strategy
Presented by John Helm, Founder and CEO, MyNewPlace; Donald Davidoff, Group Vice President, Strategic Systems, Archstone; and Sue Garcia, Vice President of Marketing, Fairfield Residential
Session Details
- Date: Friday, September 17,2010
- Time: 8:00 – 10:00 am
- Room: Dallas D2
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Management/Marketing
- Topic:
A fabulously creative advertising campaign may speak to the desires of your target market; but to be optimally effective, you have to listen intelligently to what the numbers are saying, as well! This session will ….Read More
House Rules: Proven Strategies for the Student Market
Presented By Kim Cory, Sales and Marketing Director, MGI Communities and Dan Oltersdorf , Vice President for Residence Life, Campus Advantage
- Date: Thursday, September 16,2010
- Time: 2:00 – 4:00 pm
- Room: Dallas A1
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Marketing
- Topic:
Persuading students—and often the family members who participate in their housing decisions—to make their home with you requires engaging them with a heightened level of authenticity, relevance, and timing that many conventional marketing campaigns can, frankly, succeed without. Thankfully, there are proven rules that can help you cut straight to the chase and build success into your strategies from the ground up….Read More
America’s Next Top Multifamily Marketer
Presented by Chantelle Flannery, Director of Client Engagement, Firebelly Marketing
- Date: Thursday, September 16,2010
- Time: 10:15 am – 12:15 pm
- Room: Dallas D2
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Marketing
- Topic
Do you have what it takes to be America’s Next Top Multifamily Marketer? Can you create the fierce marketing strategy that will make your company and communities stand head and shoulders above the competition, making you the clear choice for residents and future residents every time? This session will…Read More
Resident Retention in the Real World
Presented by Esther Bonardi, Senior Director-Marketing & Creative Services, Drucker & Falk / DF Creative and John Selindh, Vice President of Marketing, Camden
- Date: Thursday, September 16,2010
- Time: 10:15 am – 12:15 pm
- Room: Dallas C
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Marketing
- Topic
It’s a reality that the most valuable residents you’ll ever get are the ones you already have; but are you doing all that you can to close the back door? Attend this session and take a revealing look inside the lives of companies that are successfully raising retention with real-world results!…Read More
Millionaire Match Maker: Matching Million Dollar Ideas With The Right Asset
Presented By Lori Snider, President, The Lori Snider Company
- Date: Thursday, September 16,2010
- Time: 8:00 – 10:00 am
- Room: Dallas B
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Marketing
- Topic
You’ve got an idea…and it’s a big one. “Eureka!” you cry, “It’s brilliant!” and immediately implement at every asset you manage. While you’re waiting for kudos, most of your assets will be waiting for a response…that they likely won’t get. Trouble is, blanket marketing, (not to be confused with branding), seldom works… Read More
Build An Awesome Brand By Design
Presented By Jay Ehret, Chief Officer of Awesomeness, The Marketing Spot
- Date: Friday, September 17,2010
- Time: Part One 8:00 am – 10:00 am and Part Two 10:15 am-12:15 am
- Room: Dallas C
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Marketing
- Topic:
With so many options available today to present your brand online and so much competition, it’s not just important to have a cohesive identity, but also to have one that stands head and shoulders above the ever-growing crowd! This power-packed session will teach you how to build an extraordinary brand from….Read More
Creative and Successful Ways to Increase Resident Referrals
Presented by Mary Gwyn, Chief Innovator, Apartment Dynamics and Jackie Ramstedt, CAM, CAPS, CAS, Principal & CMO Chief Motivational Officer, Ramstedt Enterprises Inc.
- Date: Thursday, September 16,2010
- Time: 4:15 – 5:30 pm
- Room: Dallas D2
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Marketing
- Topic:
Today, more than ever, people talk … they Twitter, they Facebook, they chat on their phones and face to face, and more. If you’re not giving them great things to say about YOU, then you’re missing out on one of the….Read More
How to Promote and Lease Non-Smoking Apartments
Karen Kossow Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Kettler Management Inc. and Nicole Jones, Senior Sales & Marketing Manager, Kettler Management Inc.
- Date: Friday, September 17,2010
- Time: 8:00-10:00 am
- Room: Dallas D3
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Marketing
- Topic:
Trends toward healthier living have made non-smoking apartments a hot commodity; but like any great feature or benefit, you have to effectively let your prospective residents know the option is there! This session is designed to….Read More
The Training Track is where you’ll find sessions on professional development, curriculum planning, training delivery, increasing training participation and retention, tracking training results, employee recruiting and retention, skill analysis, performance evaluation and enhancement, and all other topics relative to managing the careers and professional performance of your team. Choose appropriate sessions from the Training track if you’re responsible for training or human resources functions at all organizational levels, from on-site through corporate. Attendees might include: On-Site Trainers, Regional Trainers, Directors of Training, VPs of Training, Chief Training Officers, Human Resources Directors, VPs of Human Resources, Directors of Personnel Development, etc.
Your Team’s Got Talent: Better Training Through Skill Gap Analysis
Presented By Kara Rice, Founding Officer, Grace Hill Inc. and Jana Muma, Director of Learning and Development, Grace Hill Inc.
- Date: Thursday, September 16,2010
- Time: 10:15 am – 12:15 pm
- Room: Dallas D1
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Training
- Topic:
Traditional training tends to take a one-size-fits-all approach; but the most effective new training plans take into account the talents and skills that a team member already possesses in order to capitalize on strengths and avoid reinventing the wheel. Skill Gap Analysis is the tool whereby we measure….Read More
America’s Next Top Multifamily Trainer: New Tools and Trends in Education
Presented by Michelle Betchner, Senior Vice President of Performance, Alliance Residential Company
- Date: Thursday, September 16,2010
- Time: Dallas D2
- Room: 8:00 – 10:00 am
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Training
- Topic:
If you’ve been waiting for the right time to incorporate multimedia and online learning into your training plan, this session is for you! There are so many emerging trends (and sub-trends) in training today and any one of them could help you totally ….Read More
Building A Solid Training Measurement Plan
Presented by Doug Chasick, CPM, CAPS, CAS, Adv. RAM, CLP, SLE, CDEI, Chief Learning Officer, Callsource and Susan Weston, CAM, CAPS, NAAEI Faculty/Vice President, Learning & Development, Pinnacle
- Date: Thursday, September 16,2010
- Time: 2:00 – 4:00 pm
- Room: Dallas D2
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Training
- Topic:
Today’s trainers are under increasing pressure to more accurately measure and demonstrate a solid return on the company’s education investment to senior management. Some of the benefits of improving measurement practices include the ability to….Read More
Fair Housing Factor
Presented By Anne Sadovsky, CSP
- Date: Thursday, September 16,2010
- Time: 10:15 am – 12:15 pm
- Room: Dallas D3
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Training/Management
- Topic
When it comes to Fair Housing, you might be surprised by what you DO know and even more at what you DON’T. We are often mistaken about the realities of Fair Housing law, and the simple mistakes we make as a result can cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars and bad publicity. This fun and fast-paced session will ….Read More
Life’s no TV Show! Surviving the Reality of a Natural or Man-Made Disaster
Presented By Donna Hickey, CAM, MBA; Success Speaker, Prosperity Coach and Personal Development Seminar Instructor, Donna Hickey Presents
Nobody expects an emergency or disaster to occur in their community. Yet the simple truth is that emergencies and disasters can strike anyone, anytime, anywhere. The best way to protect employees, residents and physical assets is to have an emergency management plan in place long before it may be needed… Read More
- Date: Thursday, September 16,2010
- Time: 4:15 – 5:30 pm
- Room: Dallas B
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Training
- Topic:
The Technology Track is where you’ll find sessions on technology-based platforms, applications, systems, strategies and innovations designed to help you better perform any aspect of property management including (but not limited to) online advertising; website design, development, and operations; social media marketing; yield management; search engine optimization; tech trends; online communications; etc. Choose appropriate sessions from the Technology track according to your specific needs. Attendees might include (but are not limited to) Technology / IT Directors, Chief Information Officers, Social Media Managers, and Multifamily Professionals of all disciplines.
The Amazing Race to Social Media: Create and Manage a Successful Online Presence
Presented by Toni Blake, Owner, TotallyToni.com
- Date: Thursday, September 16,2010
- Time: 8:00 -10:00 am
- Room: Dallas D3
- Level: Beginner
- Track: Technology
- Topic:
Tired of hearing all the buzz about Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, etc. and all the marvelous thing they can do for you … because you just don’t know where to begin? Not sure they’ll even work for your community? Read More
Managing and Transforming Your Virtual Brand
Presented by Marketing Crowson, Founder and President, Top Page Marketing Solutions; and Dave Turner, Director of Business Development, Top Page Marketing Solutions
Across the globe, organizations face the challenging task of protecting and growing their virtual brand. While leadership and decision makers are typically focused on operations, client needs, and employee development; the efforts required to protect and create an effective, long-term branding strategy often take a backseat. This session will teach you how to take charge of your current and future branding challenges!… Read More
Session Details
- Date: Thursday, September 16,2010
- Time: 8:00 – 10:00 am
- Room: Dallas A3
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Technology
- Topic:
Top Gear for Apartment Leasing and Marketing
Presented By Kate Good, Apartment Sales & Marketing Consultant, KateGood.com and Casey VanZandt, Vice President of Marketing, Campus Advantage
- Date: Thursday, September 16,2010
- Time: 10:15 am – 12:15 pm
- Room: Dallas B
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Technology
- Topic:
Hardly anyone goes anywhere these days without a smart phone, digital camera, netbook, or GPS device… including your future residents! So are you doing all that you can to capitalize on these great gadgets in the marketing and leasing process? This session is designed to….Read More
Social Marketing Strategies that Work
Presented By Charity Hisle, Community Sherpa Operations Manager, Network Communications
- Date: Thursday, September 16,2010
- Time: 2:00 – 4:00 pm
- Room: Dallas D3
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Technology/Marketing
- Topic
The proliferation of social media has opened whole new worlds of possibility in the realm of online marketing; and with so many possibilities, you also have whole new worlds of trial and error. This session is designed to deliver only strategies that are proven to be successful… Read More
Last Comment Standing: Dealing With Apartment Reviews Online
Presented by Mychelle Burns (And Additional Presenters To Be Announced)
- Date: Friday, September 17,2010
- Time: 10:15 am – 12:15 pm
- Room: Dallas D1
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Training
- Topic
One of the best things about the web is that it allows consumers to share their opinions and experiences. One of the worst things about the web is … that it allows consumers to share their opinions and experiences. While you can’t control the fact that …. Read More
Using Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter to Drive Word-of-Mouth Referrals
Presented by Craig Donato, CEO, Facebook Marketplace
ou may know that more than 100 million of your potential residents are spending more than two hours a day on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter—the most critical social media sites, where a single interaction has the potential to reach thousands of customers in a relevant way!… Read More
Workshop Details
- Date: Friday, September 17,2010
- Time: 10:15 am – 12:15 pm
- Room: Dallas D2
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Track: Technology
- Topic
Options: Add Optimization Summits Workshops to Your Brainstorming Registration! If you’d like to intensify your Brainstorming educational experience, you may consider adding registration to our Social Media Optimization Summits Workshops (#OptSum) which will be running concurrently with the Brainstorming Educational Sessions on Thursday and Friday, September 16-17, 2010! Optimization Summits Workshops are in-depth, 2-4 hour, hands-on sessions led by the top national experts in social media.
Our “See It. Hear It. Do It.” approach allows you to bring your laptop into the classroom, follow along step-by-step, and actually implement the new social media strategies you’ll learn, in real time! Adding the Optimization Summits Workshops to your Brainstorming registration is only $115 if you add the option before June 7, 2010 ($215 after June 7); and if you’re looking for ways to put social media strategies to work in your company and communities with real results, it’ll be the best $115 you’ll spend in 2010!
Visit www.OptimizationSummits.com to view the complete event agenda; then elect Optimization Summits as an option on your Brainstorming Registration form today! Note: Adding #OptSum to your Brainstorming Agenda will not preclude your selecting from Brainstorming Educational Sessions on Thursday/Friday as the schedule allows. As a registrant of BOTH events, you’ll be free to choose from sessions on either event’s agenda. The Brainstorming Trends Lunch and Optimization Summits Trends In New Media Lunch are both optional programs ($55 each), and must be elected in addition to base registration for both events in order to receive a ticket to either of these optional programs only.
Important: To receive the discounted Brainstorming and #OptSum rate, Optimization Summits must be added as an option to a new or existing Brainstorming registration only. Registering for #OptSum independently via www.OptimizationSummits.com (even if you’re already registered for Brainstorming) will not allow you to take advantage of the discount.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What track is best for me? To focus your Brainstorming learning experience on your personal career development needs, we recommend choosing the track that best suits your primary area of responsibility. (if you are, for example, a Director of Marketing, then the Marketing Track is where you’re probably going to find sessions that are best suited to your needs).
Can I attend sessions on more than one track? Absolutely! With the exception of the optional Trends Luncheon, all Brainstorming Educational sessions are included in your single base registration fee, so you can attend any session you wish; and since there’s no need to pre-register for specific sessions, you can even change your mind about which sessions you’d like to attend, anytime. If you have shared or secondary responsibilities (if you are, for example, a Director of Marketing & Training who’s interested in using Technology to better perform your job and also want to become a better team leader) , you are free to choose sessions from the agenda, by topic, that best suit any or all of your needs!
