Apartmentalize, powered by NAA, is back! Starting June 22, multifamily leaders from around the nation will gather at the San Diego Convention Center. See the latest innovations and take part in conversations that will shape the future of multifamily. Find out where success happens at booth 815. We’re excited to share how our solutions are solving for industry trends at every stage of the resident lifecycle. Trusted solutions that fit your workflow We’re here to help you attract quality prospects, convert leads into leases, manage the resident experience and optimize your business. Here’s a preview of just some of what we can help you with:  Attract quality prospects with expert help Ready to attract more prospects that convert? Learn how to grow awareness, traffic and marketing ROI with help from REACH by RentCafe, a dedicated digital marketing agency for multifamily.Schedule a free consultation with our REACH by RentCafe experts during the show. In just 15 minutes, you’ll learn how to create a winning web presence, stand out in search and lower your cost per lease. Convert prospects with automated communication, nurturing & fraud prevention Your customer is more than just a renter. Create a seamless prospect-to-resident experience and assist your staff with these customer-centric solutions: Chat IQ is an automated attendant that responds to chat, text, email and voice. This solution saves our clients time and money, all while delivering superior customer experience 24/7. Yardi’s CRM is your site staff’s ultimate partner. It has online and in-person functionalities that engage with your prospects and residents, supporting your staff through the entire leasing lifecycle. ID Verifyand Income Verificationare mobile-friendly solutions that use AI and automation to quickly authenticate applicant identities and income. No more back-and-forth emails to manually verify applicants – just fast, simple, online leasing. Book a meeting at booth 815 to see these solutions in action! Manage residents with an industry-leading system In multifamily real estate, delivering the right customer experience means retaining residents and keeping them in the family. Make it easier for residents to stay by enabling them to pay rent online, renew their lease, submit a work order and more from a branded resident mobile app. Then, level up with Maintenance IQ, which reduces days from your unit-turn process – making every property hum with efficiency. Stop by booth 815 to see how Yardi software continues to put your customers first. Optimize asset performance with an elevated solution One of the smartest systems in the industry just got smarter. Yardi’s Elevate Suite, including Asset IQ, Revenue IQ and Forecast IQ, helps you optimize NOI and asset value with predictive analytics backed by data and benchmarking. Make more informed decisions with a 360-degree view into your business. Expense and revenue benchmarking allow you to understand the full performance picture, placing you at an advantage to optimize occupancy and increase asset value. That’s just the start. Reserve a private demo at booth 815 to see our solutions work. See more, do more, learn more Make the most of your time at Apartmentalize with sessions that will inspire you to take action. Yardi leaders will be there to share industry insights and more. Here’s a peek: Youth & Wisdom: Pairing Experienced Marketers with Fresh Perspectives – June 22, 12:30-1:30 p.m. What can seasoned marketers learn from new employees? A lot! Hear from KETTLER and The Management Group, two industry-leading brands that create marketing magic by combining proven strategy with innovative insights. Learn how to encourage mentorship and collaboration to drive measurable results. Hosted by Esther Bonardi, vice president of marketing at Yardi and REACH by RentCafe. Imploding Myths on Technology Advancement with Affordable Housing – June 23, 3-3:45 p.m. Explore potential affordable housing solutions and learn about the latest tech to advance your industry knowledge. Join Chris Voss, vice president at Yardi, in a conversation designed to address misunderstandings about barriers unique to affordable housing, including the recertification...

It’s time to introduce the next round of 2022 Changemakers — senior living leaders who are spearheading innovation across the industry. This Yardi-sponsored series, in collaboration with Senior Housing News (SHN), features in-depth interviews with leaders to capture their stories, strategies and advice.   If you’re interested to read about the Changemakers series in its entirety, visit the SHN website. There you’ll gain access to individual interviews, including that of the Changemaker we’re highlighting today: Amy Schectman, president and CEO of 2Life Communities. About Amy Schectman    In leading 2Life Communities for over a decade, Amy Schectman has developed a knack for strategy development. From creating a quasi-endowment to support agency innovation to launching an expansion campaign to fill the gaps in senior housing, Schectman has driven positive change throughout her journey as 2Life Communities president and CEO. In her SHN interview, Schectman covers her focus on powerful diversity, equity and inclusion at 2Life — and that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Read the snapshot below then explore Schectman’s full interview for more. SHN: Thinking back on your career in senior living, what are some of the changes you’re especially proud of leading? Schectman: I am very proud of elevating the profile of affordable, subsidized senior housing to make it more than just a place people have to live. I think we’ve created some incredibly dynamic and supportive environments shaped by what we call “resident-centric property management.” We articulated that, made it our benchmark and figured out how to turn it into a sustainable model. It’s about cherishing and nurturing our folks in the long run. We work hard to prevent unnecessary ER visits and nursing home placements, and we’ve pushed the envelope of integrating housing and health care to maximize the chances of living a great life with us. The whole articulation of aging in community as a model and mapping out the eligibility for affordable housing put us on a path to fill the market gaps that other communities can’t meet. One of those market gaps is the middle market, and the other is people in tax credit housing who don’t have vouchers. Many older adults who earn between 40% and 60% of Area Median Income qualify for affordable housing but not affordable services. We’re working with our case management program to figure out how to serve that group as well. SHN: Do you see yourself as a Changemaker? And are you always excited to drive change, even with the risk involved? Schectman: Yes, I do. I’ve been at 2Life for eleven and a half years. During that time, I absolutely focused on driving change. Before that, I ran public housing and rental assistance for the state [of Massachusetts]. Public housing is two-thirds older adults, but it’s not quite the senior living industry. As I look at my career, the one pattern I can point to is making change and moving agendas along. Today, we’re making changes to expand our reach. We’ve built a stable organization that we’re trying to take to the next level. Understanding change and opportunities, then executing a strategy to realize them has been a consistent part of what I do. SHN: What changes do you believe need to be made in senior living in the next 3-5 years? Schectman: As the baby boomers continue to account for more of the aging population, they bring their value set with them. They don’t want a cruise or a hotel experience, but to continue the pursuit of social justice, positive change and community. I think we’re a different generation. What appeals to my parents’ generation does not necessarily appeal to my generation. We used to hear, “I don’t want to cook. I don’t want to clean. I don’t want to do those things. I want to relax and play cards.” I don’t think our generation wants to be catered to in that way. Our...

Yardi is committed to supporting the community in every city where our offices are housed. Each year, the company distributes philanthropic aid to organizations selected by its employees. In 2021, Yardi offices supported more than 350 nonprofits worldwide. For the remainder of the year, we will be bringing you the stories of those organizations and insight into how they aid their communities. Today, let’s get to know kidSTREAM, a children’s museum under development in Camarillo, Calif. “We educate and inspire children allowing them to explore, play, and discover,” says Michael Shanklin, executive director, of the kidSTREAM mission. The organization has been working to open the museum since 2016 and hopes to do so by next year. “With the funds provided by the Yardi team, kidSTREAM has expanded our community access in significant ways. The investment by Yardi allowed us to develop STREAM Learning Kits in Spanish and English,” Shanklin said. “Our most recent kit which highlighted electrical circuits, motors, maker activities, and art were assembled by a group of community volunteers then distributed to farm working families in Oxnard.” The kits were also distributed to children involved in Ventura County Family Justice proceedings. “In addition to having the directions in Spanish and English, kidSTREAM filmed children volunteers who explained how to do each step in both Spanish and English by using a QR Code on the instructions. All kits were provided to the children at no cost to the family thanks to Yardi!,” Shanklin said. Meanwhile, work to open the museum continues. kidSTREAM is working to secure the museum building from the city of Camarillo, design exhibits hire staff and raise funds. “Our 2020-2023 Strategic Plan has five prioritized initiatives: 1. Open the Museum, 2. Be financially sustainable, 3. Establish community partnerships, 4. Create excellent programs and exhibits, and finally, 5. Become a community leader,” outlined Shanklin.  He singled out the support of Yardi and a longtime Yardi employee who has joined the kidSTREAM board. “We are humbled by the Yardi team’s generosity which has allowed us to provide meaningful STREAM kits so that ALL children can explore, play, and discover!  We are also thankful for our Yardi Board member, Wendy Acevedo-Solis, who has been instrumental in connecting us with local farmworker families,” Shanklin said. Volunteer opportunities in Southern California Yardi team members in SoCal, kidSTREAM needs help to assemble STREAM kits and distribute them to local families working in Ventura County agriculture.  Yardi teammates can connect with Michael Shanklin ([email protected] or 661-289-1369 cell) to arrange a time to help us help the community.   Learn more about kidSTREAM at https://kidstream.org/, and find future non-profit profiles at...

The value of learning management systems as a catalyst for organizational improvement was the topic of a recent webinar hosted by Patty Evans, industry principal for Yardi Aspire, and featuring employees of the Boulder (Colo.) Housing Authority. Learning management systems can promote stability among an increasingly restive employee population. Evans noted that more than 47 million Americans voluntarily left their jobs last year. A recent study of U.S. workers by Cengage Group showed that 64% of survey respondents identified training as integral to their role, while 78% of employees who quit in the preceding six months took an online course to prepare for their next job. An Amazon-Gallup study found that 47% of employees are “extremely interested” in training that upgrades their skills and advances their careers. “It’s clear that if employers do not provide adequate training, employees will find ways to develop the needed skills and that may mean getting a job elsewhere.,” Evans said. “Employers need to have a new mantra: If we want to retain our staff, we have to focus on skills development.” These factors have prompted BHA and other agencies to adopt Aspire, an online learning management system that automates the delivery of personalized learning experiences to half a million users worldwide. Along with live event management, Aspire includes about 1,300 courses on Yardi software, HR topics, compliance and safety, professional skills development and more. Its content is routinely upgraded to reflect changes to Yardi software, industry standards, and federal and state legislation. Learners seeking to refine specific skills can use the site-wide search tool or interactive catalog to locate and sign up for training on more than 200 industry skills and review recommended training options for their current or desired role. Boon to virtual onboarding Along with offering workers immediate skills practice and real-world applications, Aspire also benefits BHA and other organizations as a virtual onboarding tool that automatically assigns relevant training and resources for success to new employees as they begin new roles. The system also automatically recalibrates training assignments as employees transfer to new roles or locations throughout their career. “We can customize the Aspire content with unique company messages such as BHA’s values and mission. This helps make a great first impression of the organization with new employees,” said Carrie Murphy, BHA’s learning management system manager. “You’ll be surprised how much you can do with Aspire’s proprietary authoring and communication tools to make your staff feel not just welcome but connected to your organization. With a little imagination, your employees can dive in and immediately interact with your organization through Aspire,” Evans added. Benefits of automation and personalized learning The webinar revealed that employee engagement and efficiency offered by Aspire holds increasing relevance in today’s work environment. “Since the start of the pandemic online learning has seen a massive increase in participation and continues to grow. Companies benefit when employees feel confident and employees thrive when they’re given opportunities to learn new skills, receive feedback on their training performance and participate in a learning community,” Evans said. Aspire helps BHA’s training administrators by automating time-consuming, repetitive processes, from training announcements, registration management and training and skills assessments to feedback collection and recommended next steps. It also delivers new organizational efficiency and direct cost savings with self-paced content that is automatically developed and maintained by Yardi and industry experts. Trainers can spend less time developing and delivering introductory information and beginning skills and focus more time training advanced topics and imparting institutional knowledge. “Automated training management saves us a lot of time,” Murphy said. Rosemary Mendenhall, a community manager for BHA, offered the user’s perspective. “I love that I can personalize my learning with Aspire. I can pick the classes that I want, with my managers assigning me additional classes that tie in with my job and experience,” she said, noting that the variety of training methods – including highly interactive content,...

Three things are holding back the world’s commercial real estate sector, says Kylie Davis, president of Proptech Association Australia. “Our commitment to Excel spreadsheets and filing cabinets and whiteboards,” are roadblocks to a real estate revolution. And this “very inefficient and expensive” commitment is holding real estate companies back from squeezing more value from assets and creating better experiences for customers. Davis, a serial entrepreneur and futurist who advises several proptech start-ups, recently sat down with Bernie Devine, Yardi senior regional director of APAC, for a chat. Property technology – or proptech for short – has been growing at a “phenomenal” pace over the last two years, Kylie said. Proptech Association Australia has identified 18 separate transactions worth at least AUD$274 million since late 2019 alone, as some of the nation’s largest landlords and most influential media companies accelerate their investment in technology. Proptech may attract the headlines, but scratch below the surface and “really it’s about getting the industry to change,” Devine added. Real estate is certainly resistant to change. Nearly half of Australian real estate companies still use spreadsheets for valuation reporting, budgeting and projections and 52 percent depend on spreadsheets to undertake benchmarking and performance analysis, according to the latest Yardi/Property Council of Australia Proptech Survey. Why is an industry committed to efficiency and asset optimisation holding on, so stubbornly, to spreadsheets? Change can be “painful and scary,” Davis observed. The long development and sales cycle in the commercial real estate sector can be a “real killer of innovation.” Fear of failure plays a part, Devine added. “It’s also a question of what to do first.” But Covid acted as a catalyst for widespread technology adoption, and “convinced the unconvinced”, Davis said. She is excited about the potential for the commercial sector to convert “analog assets” –everything from lights and air-conditioning – into “data streams that can be interrogated.” Davis pointed to several inspiring examples. AI Assets recently tagged more than two million assets in 1,500 Australian buildings in less than a year – 80 per cent faster than with the traditional pen and clipboard method and with a fraction of the people. Exergenics, uses big data, AI and algorithms to optimise HVAC systems, extracting “two or three per cent” more efficiency from every unit. This translates into hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings over the life of a building, not to mention carbon emissions. The outcome will be smarter buildings, but more importantly, better experiences for the user. Proptech “promotes the idea of a building as a device,” Devine added. Where do real estate companies start when they are dipping their toes into the technology waters? Devine’s “rules of the road” start with some simple questions: Whose problem are you trying to solve? And who perceives the most value in solving that problem? “And then bring together the data and process to solve the problem,” Bernie concluded. Click here to watch the latest instalment in Yardi’s Proptech...

Yardi is committed to supporting the community in every city where our offices are housed. Each year, the company distributes philanthropic aid to organizations selected by its employees. In 2021, Yardi offices supported more than 350 nonprofits worldwide. For the remainder of the year, we will be bringing you the stories of those organizations and insight into how they aid their communities. Today, we introduce you to Meals on Wheels of Wake County, which has served homebound elderly and persons with disabilities for almost 50 years. The Raleigh, NC organization will celebrate its half century anniversary in 2024. “The first meals were delivered in 1974, and 48 years later, we have delivered over 10 million meals to date. We are the only daily, home meal delivery program in the county,” said Mary Kate Keith, Director of Development and Communications. “Our program is specifically geared toward homebound seniors over 60 years of age, and other homebound persons with disabilities.” Over 1,500 dedicated volunteers deliver complete meals to homebound clients, while staff provides meals to Wake County residents in eight senior dining sites. Approximately 1,300 people receive a meal every weekday, and over 405,500 meals were served in fiscal year 2020/2021.  Meals on Wheels enhances the quality of the lives of participants with a daily, nutritious, hot meal that improves health and diet. Volunteers offer a daily check-up and visit that makes them feel safer in their homes.  “We also promote independent living which can prevent or delay a move to assisted living facilities and allow participants to stay in their homes with as much independence as their health allows. Without this service, a higher cost to taxpayers would result. The average cost for a nursing home is $240 per day,” said Keith. “Funds from Yardi have certainly helped our program. This past year we have experienced rising costs in food, transportation, and staffing. Our cost per meal has risen from $7 to almost $9 today.” Volunteer opportunities for Yardi Raleigh employees One of the current goals for Meals on Wheels of Wake County is to get back to pre-pandemic service levels.  “We need more volunteers, as many of our previous volunteers did not return,” explained Keith. “We are also working on opening our senior dining rooms, called Friendship Cafes. Currently seven of our original eight dining rooms are open and we hope to open the eighth this summer. Our number of clients is also continuing to rise, which is a good sign.” Yardi staff in the Raleigh area can sign up to donate their time as a group or individuals. Visit https://www.wakemow.org/corporate-partners to find out more information about volunteering as a corporate group.  “We have 12 meal pick-up sites located throughout Wake County to make volunteering convenient from any area. I would be happy to meet with the employees at their office to discuss the possibilities,” Keith said. Learn more about Meals on Wheels of Wake County at https://wakemow.org/, and find future non-profit profiles at...

How can Yardi’s single connected solution simplify your move-in workflow? We have the answers, which we’ve compiled in our newest infographic covering all-things electronic leasing.   In essence, electronic leasing tools in the Yardi Senior Living Suite make the move-in process seamless. With interconnected tools enabling customized online leases, electronic signatures and accessible digital documents, Yardi ensures you never miss a beat in turning prospects to residents.     So if your communities aren’t utilizing electronic leasing tools yet, keep reading to see how making the switch can benefit you, your staff, residents and their families. Learn about electronic leasing functionality What is electronic leasing? In short, electronic leases — or eleases — are a digital version of the rental contract you already know. But with Yardi, electronic leasing is much more than a digital document. Our full-service, integrated electronic leasing management tools helps senior living providers streamline every step of the move-in process. Still curious how the process works, and which Yardi tools are key players? With our interconnected tools, you say goodbye to disparate systems and misplaced documents. Once your sales counselors generate a lease in RentCafe Senior CRM, it’s uploaded to RentCafe Senior Living online portal in real time. From there, prospective residents and family members get notified to complete their electronic signatures. They can log directly into the portal, or sign while in the community using a secure PIN, allowing for convenient access anytime, anywhere. All documents — including signed leases — are automatically tied to the resident record in Voyager Senior Housing. Deposits, recurring charges, one-time charges, lease terms, move-in incentives, care level, concessions, concession approvals and quote sheets systematically flow into the digital lease, eliminating the risk for errors and lost details. The challenge There’s a lot to unpack when it comes to electronic leasing functionality, and the challenges that arise when providers rely on paper-based process or siloed systems. Simply put, without an online leasing workflow, providers face: Hours spent generating leases and ancillary documentsLost prospects who wish to sign forms remotelyDisplaced documents scattered across siloed systemsA halted sales cycle and decreased move-ins Thankfully, full-service solutions like the Yardi Senior Living Suite eliminate these challenges by integrating and digitizing everything you need. The solution If you’re a visual learner, be sure to read the infographic to see how Yardi’s electronic leasing workflow operates from start to finish. This single connected solution allows providers to: Generate custom leases in RentCafe Senior CRM, our mobile-friendly sales and marketing toolEnable residents and families to sign forms in RentCafe Senior Living, our secure online portalSearch, find and update signed documents in Voyager Senior Housing, our community management powerhouse The benefits Going digital for your leasing needs has countless benefits. And with a system like the Yardi Senior Living Suite, housing everything on a single platform, those benefits include: Saving time — eliminate time spent sorting through paper documentsOffering convenience — give staff and prospects intuitive online platformsEnhancing resident satisfaction — help residents and families complete tasks with easeMaximizing occupancy — accelerate the leasing process at every level   See firsthand success from Yardi clients Wondering how providers are benefiting from Yardi’s electronic leasing functionality? Read the infographic to see what our clients are saying. If you’re ready to chat with our team about electronic leasing tools in the Yardi Senior Living Suite, we encourage you to get in touch. We can’t wait to show you...

Yardi is committed to supporting the community in every city where our offices are housed. Each year, the company distributes philanthropic aid to organizations selected by its employees. In 2021, Yardi offices supported more than 350 nonprofits worldwide. For the remainder of the year, we will be bringing you the stories of those organizations and insight into how they aid their communities. Today, we introduce you to Community Action Partnership of Orange County (CAP OC), which provides resources to low-income residents of Orange County, Calif. that fall into two categories: Immediate Needs (such as food, utility assistance, diapers) and Empowering Communities (such as nutrition education, youth/senior programs, workforce development, financial empowerment). CAP OC has worked to enhance the quality of life in Orange County since 1965. For more than 55 years, the organization has actively supported individuals and families with food, life skills, resources, community education, and more. Following its vision of generations of healthy communities where poverty ceases to exist, CAP OC walks alongside the people it serves, working at the ground level to connect them with the help they need.   This year, CAP OC is particularly focused on workforce development, equity, investments in human capital, low-income housing, community resiliency, and a new approach in how to move families out of poverty while empowering the communities it serves. Funds from Yardi will support programs that equip participants with the tools they need to lift themselves out of poverty in two generations. “We are grateful for this donation from Yardi. We deeply appreciate your support, especially as families are continuing to feel the devasting effects of the economic downturn caused by the pandemic. The work we do could not be accomplished without partners like you,” said LaShanda Maze, vice president of philanthropy for the organization. Major CAP OC accomplishments in the past fiscal year include:   The OC Food Bank distributed 43 million pounds of food—the second-largest amount in the Agency’s history, behind only 2020. The Southwest Community Center served 60,000 hot meals to over 300 participants who are homeless or precariously housed.The new Success Coaches Program coached 167 senior participants in the Commodity Supplemental Food Program to create SMART goals to improve their lives. The Diaper Bank program distributed 23 million diapers. CAP OC supported almost 20,000 participants with utility assistance. The organization implemented a complete virtual enrollment/assessment and contactless drop off Southern California Edison Energy Savings Assistance program that served over 8,000 families. CAP OC fulfilled a solar contract, completing certification in installation and design with SunPower and installing solar power in seven homes. The Housing Navigator program helped permanently house three chronically ill homeless participants. The Elevate Youth leadership program reached 188 youth.A new Workforce Development program launched in June, enrolling 92 young adults. By the end of December, 13 were already employed. Nine participants graduated from the Young Adult Court program and had their felony charge removed from their record. Fundraising efforts yielded $4.3 million in community support.  Learn more about CAP OC at https://capoc.org/, and find future non-profit profiles at...

Yardi is committed to supporting the community in every city where our offices are housed. Each year, the company distributes philanthropic aid to organizations selected by its employees. In 2021, Yardi offices supported more than 350 nonprofits worldwide. For the remainder of the year, we will be bringing you the stories of those organizations and insight into how they aid their communities. Today, we introduce you to Food Share, the largest hunger-relief organization in Ventura County, serving approximately 190,000 food-insecure people each year. In 2021, Food Share distributed nearly 19 million pounds of food, the equivalent of just under 16 million meals.                “A county-wide network of 190 pantry partners collects nutritious fresh and shelf-stable food items, at no charge, from Food Share’s warehouse to distribute to their local communities. Food Share also supplies multiple weekly drive-thru emergency food box distributions and runs several programs serving vulnerable communities including farmworkers, low-income seniors, and the unhoused,” said Monica White, president and CEO of Food Share. “We are immensely grateful for Yardi’s generosity and commitment to ensuring that no one in our community goes hungry. Corporate donations on the scale of Yardi’s are one of the main reasons we have been able to meet the dramatically increased need for food that we’ve seen in the past couple of years,” White said. A lost job leaves a family in need Food Share contributed the story of client Hakim and her family, who worked at a senior center preparing and serving meals but lost her job when the center closed and switched to delivery-only. For an already low-income family, the lost paycheck made putting enough nutritious food on the table even more of a struggle. “It gets really hard to feed everybody,” says Hakim, a mother of five with three children still living at home. Hakim was relieved when a friend told her about a weekly drive-thru food distribution in Moorpark where she could pick up a free box of shelf-stable pantry items and fresh produce.  “I love to cook, and I don’t want to waste any food. I enjoy cooking spaghetti, and sometimes we’ve been getting bread, and things like potatoes, celery, cabbage, and zucchini and I’ve been using that to make soup,” explains Hakim. She also remembers to pick up an additional box for a friend in need who doesn’t drive. “I hope it continues. It has been very good to have the extra food. Thank you.” Continuing the fight against hunger In 2022, Food Share will continue to lead the fight against hunger in Ventura County. “With inflation biting hard, we are seeing a new surge in people attending our drive-thru distributions and visiting our pantry partners. Hunger is an ever-present reality for too many,” White said. The current priorities for Food Share are: Increasing the number and scale of the programs serving vulnerable populations including farmworkers and the unhousedInvesting in technology to manage the increased need for food and investing in staffingExpanding operational infrastructure to meet the long term needs of the communityGrowing the supporter base. “Without the generosity and commitment of the people of Ventura County, we cannot lead the fight against hunger,” White said. Volunteer opportunities and how to learn more It takes around 150 volunteers a day to keep the Food Share operations running efficiently. Anyone interested in volunteering can go their website at foodshare.com/volunteer or download the Food Share app at the App Store and Google Play (Search Food Share Ventura County) to view the latest opportunities and sign up. “Every dollar, every volunteer hour, and every can of food donated to us makes a real difference in the lives of our friends and neighbors struggling with hunger,” says White. Learn more about Food Share at https://foodshare.com/, and find future non-profit profiles at...

The first in-person Canadian Federation Apartment Association (CFAA) Rental Housing Conference in three years made up for lost time with a wide-ranging assessment of recent market and technology updates. Key themes resounding throughout the three day event include an optimistic multifamily outlook, rising cybersecurity concerns and increasing commitments to environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG). As CFAA’s 2022 Supplier of the Year, as well as a long-term industry partner, Yardi Canada Ltd. occupied a central role in the event. Yardi presenters underscored the importance of marketing technology, talent development, R&D in IoT and energy innovation. Here are some takeaways from those sessions. Confidently moving forward on marketing On the second day of the conference, panel conversions illustrated the value of making property marketing websites SEO-driven, engaging and easy to use for prospects. Parisa Vafaei, regional manager of sales for Yardi, introduced new technology gaining traction in North America: the omnichannel chatbot, this unique marketing tool applies artificial intelligence and integrates with leasing data to help staff prequalify leads. The bot is built to answer questions around scheduling a tour, amenities, property guidelines, signing leases and more – saving staff time and easing labour constraints. This advanced marketing technology has the ability to target and interact with multi-generations, “elevating a business’ competitive edge and priming them for success,” Vafaei said.  Enhancing talent retention incentives Another CFAA session addressed learning management platforms, which became more widely used during the pandemic as a substitute for in-person training. This includes orientation for new employees to professional development and compliance management. Attendees learned how platforms such as Yardi Aspire help property managers work smarter with automated attendance tracking and reporting. With millions of employees considering new job options, on-demand learning management systems are key to retention and stability, according to Patty Evans, Yardi industry principal for Aspire. “If companies offer opportunities to develop skills, employees are more likely to stay in their jobs. When it comes to skill training, more abilities mean more opportunities,” she said, noting that Aspire enables a personalized approach to building skills that avoids an unproductive “one size fits all” training strategy. Solutions for building operations and ESG On day three, sessions centred on another hot topic: smart building operations and technology that satisfies operators’ need for energy efficiency. During one panel, Yardi’s Jacquelyn Bauer, advised CFAA attendees to consult with experts at the outset of planning a new building or upgrading an existing property. With rising smart tech options for smart locks, lights, thermostats and leak detection, “the goal is to create a seamless renter experience and maintain data security with a single connected platform. The frictionless connection will satisfy investors and residents and create a higher ‘wow’ value for your properties,” Bauer said. Smart tech also contributes towards better managing energy and water consumption, a behavioural shift mainly driven by municipal mandates as well as ENERGY STAR® and GRESB reporting requirements. The best approach to a carbon reduction strategy, according to Ryan Bekar, an account executive for Yardi Energy, involves “leveraging technology to track, centralize and benchmark your utility consumption data. These insights will identify low-hanging fruit among your buildings, enabling your team to apply changes at the property level before implementing them across your portfolio.” Final takeaways Information is power and data will revolutionize the real estate landscape. As more organizations publicly release their data, the market needs to prepare for a growing demand for transparency. Industry leaders encouraged CFAA attendees to select a technology partner that simplifies data management while offering solutions that future proofs their business. To get up to date insights on Canada’s multifamily industry, view the recent Yardi apartment report. To learn more about your technology options visit...

Recently, the Yardi Middle East team, based in Dubai, took part in Al Noor Associations’ volunteer program. The centre offered exciting opportunities to engage in during the holy month of Ramadan for people to give back and help children and young adults. The Yardi team worked closely with people of determination including trainees placed in Vocational Training Units at Al Noor Centre and engaged in activities for the upkeep of the premises, such as painting classrooms. “Being able to give back and help at the Al Noor Training Centre was a great opportunity for the Yardi Team. We took part in workshops with the children and also helped paint classrooms,” said Aditya Shah, senior director of Middle East services and operations for Yardi. “The centre provides great opportunities for people of determination to learn skills in a safe environment and allows them to learn in their own time. Yardi is proud to have the opportunity to help the children and young adults at the Al Noor Training Centre and we look forward to working with them again.” “We would like to thank Yardi and their staff for being a part of our Employee Engagement Program and helping to create awareness for the work we do amongst our community,” said Ms. Ranjini Ramnath, director of the association. “It is due to the support of organisations like Yardi that Al Noor can help people of determination and their families, by providing professionally driven services that impact quality of life and inclusion into the community. “We look forward to an ongoing relationship with Yardi for years to come so that together, we can create a positive impact for the community of determined ones in the UAE,” continued Ramnath. Established in 1981, the Al Noor Training Centre started with just 8 children. With a holistic approach to wellbeing and development, the centre has expanded and now provides high-quality professional training for people with disabilities in Dubai. The centre has specially designed programmes to suit each individuals’ needs, which includes children and young adults with various physical and cognitive challenges such as down syndrome, cerebral palsy and autism. They also employ Trans-Disciplinary Assessment and Intervention methods to ensure each child gets the precise help they need. Today, the Al Noor Training Centre has over 180 students with more than 28 nationalities. The goal of Al Noor’s Vocational Training Unit is to make students of determination skilled and productive members of the community. Training is offered in wood design technology, printing technology, fashion technology and bakery units. The centre includes a well-equipped gym, a large multi-purpose auditorium, a swimming pool and a shaded outdoor playground. If you would like to find out more about the services Al Noor Training Centre provides to their students with disabilities or explore employee engagement initiatives, visit Al Noor Training Centre. Learn more about Yardi’s corporate social responsibility and philanthropy on our Giving...