YASC Top 10 List

Hit the highlights Oct. 17-19

By Leah Etling on Oct 16, 2012 in News

Whether you are a first time Yardi Advanced Solutions Conference (YASC) attendee or have been to the event many times over, there’s much to learn and gain from the next few days.  You’re surely arriving in Santa Barbara with your own business and training needs in mind, and Yardi’s foremost priority over the next few days is to send you home more knowledgeable then you were when you arrived. (We want you to have a good time, too.) But after you’ve gotten your questions answered, there’s still so much more to learn.

Here are our best bets for the time you’ll spend with us at the Fess Parker Doubletree Resort. Find the full schedule of conference events here. Have a specific question about what classes you should take? Just ask at the registration desk.

No. 1: Company overview and update: general session with Anant Yardi (Wednesday morning). The Yardi Systems Founder and CEO delivers a comprehensive outlook on the real estate software industry, what’s trending right now, and Yardi’s responsive product offerings. Every seat in the room will be filled for this insight.

No. 2: Leasing Pad demo: You won’t want to miss this look at the new, now fully available Leasing Pad, which YASC attendees in Washington D.C. got a sneak peek at earlier this year. Users will be able to access Voyager functionality for guest cards and availability through Leasing Pad, giving you pertinent data at your fingertips while working with prospects anytime, anywhere. Yardi PopCard is also integrated, allowing for easy lead tracking. Leasing Pad and Yardi’s other exciting mobile offerings will be front and center at the conference this week, so stay tuned for more mobile news and insight over the next several days.

No. 3: Orion for Sharepoint: This all-encompassing business solution platform is being heralded as the ideal way to handle everything from everyday document sharing to high-level investment reporting for shareholders and investors. And the business intelligence dashboards in Orion have now been expanded from baseline data to include ancillary services.

No. 4: Yardi PopCard, now integrated with Yardi Call Center and RentCafe. This lead tracking solution, new to the Yardi product suite in 2012, now connects data collected from the RentCafe Internet Listing Service and Yardi Call Center so your leasing offices will never miss another opportunity to follow-up with a valuable prospect.

No. 5: Updates to RentCafe: RentCafe is now offering online leasing, both for new applicants and lease renewals. This service uses Yardi’s credit screening services, lease generation and electronic signatures, streamlining the process for property managers. Additionally, through their Resident Portal, renters can opt in to a full array of rental service charges and be billed through Voyager for cable, cleaning and utilities. Selection is not tied to lease or lease renewal. Resident Shield renters’ insurance has also been fully integrated into online leasing and lease renewal, another convenient offering.

No. 6: Accounting Best Practices class: Optimize your Voyager accounting system with the tips and insight gleaned from this invaluable course in the Accounting Track. You’ll also be heading home with a helpful document focusing on account settings and options for ledgers, charge codes and more that will be your roadmap for improving accounting efficiency back at the office.

No. 7: Social media campaigns and incentives: Using RentCafe Portal, property managers can incentivize their tenants to recommend your community to their friends, relatives or coworkers. You can choose how you wish to reward residents and use the power of a personal recommendation and viral social media to get the word out about your properties.

No. 8: Thursday Pre-Dinner Meet and Greets: There are two great gatherings planned on Thursday evening (from 5-6 p.m.) before the gala dinner. The Cloud Services Meet and Greet (in the Rotunda) is a great chance to speak with members of Yardi’s uber-competent, highly experienced IT staff, and ask any questions you might have about Yardi cloud services.  Happening at the same time in Rodney’s Steakhouse is the Smart Marketing Conference, part of the first ever Santa Barbara YASC marketing track. Talk one-on-one with Yardi marketing experts and exchange ideas with marketing professionals from around the industry.

No. 9: Lunchtime table topic discussions: Topics will include Commercial Office or Retail, Tax credit, Report Writing, and custom analytics, among many others, and YASC is a great chance to listen to tech professionals and clients talk openly about the hottest issues in the industry. You might pick up new ideas for your company, develop consensus on best practices, or get your brain working in a new and creative direction. See the full list of table topics here:

No. 10: Location, location, location. You might find it hard to stay focused with the beauteous ocean and clear blue skies that make Santa Barbara’s waterfront one of the most gorgeous places to hold a conference that can be found. Hopefully you’ll have a chance to take a walk across the street and feel your toes in the sand .. just don’t forget to come back for your next class!

And don’t forget that it’s easy to keep up with everything that is happening at YASC via our social media posts and updates –  and get all the breaking details about programs, products, promotions and prizes @Yardi and right here on The Balance Sheet. We’ll be covering the conference and sharing some of the insight and highlights from the event each day.