The National Apartment Association’s annual education conference and exposition brought hundreds of apartment industry professionals to sunny Las Vegas. The week-long event drew a record-breaking 9,000+ attendees to the conference, which was held at the Mandalay Bay Resort from Tuesday, June 23 to Saturday, June 27. The conference kicked off on Tuesday with a celebrity expert “Game Changer” series that focused on personal growth experiences and lessons learned in business. With over sixty industry-focused workshops, the conference offered attendees eight tracks of sessions. The tracks included specialized sessions in Human Resources, Leasing, Legal Issues, Maintenance, Marketing, Operations, Special Needs Populations, and Technology. Particularly helpful, the conference smartphone app allowed conference attendees and exhibitors to view speaker bios, access session descriptions, build customized daily schedules, and find exhibitor booth locations. #NAAEduConf always gives attendees new ideas to consider, and here are three big takeaways from 2015. Generational sub-markets are more complicated than we thought. The housing industry has had a keen focus on the maturation of the Millennial generation, which includes individuals born between 1981 to 1997. A renewed interest in other generations, such as Baby Boomers and Gen Z, was an emerging theme at this year’s NAA conference. The population of aging Baby Boomers in the United States is anticipated to reach 73 million by 2030. The apartment industry is seeing many now senior Boomers selling their homes and searching for tech-friendly senior living communities. Additionally, college-bound Gen Z will be a generation to follow, as they are predicted to become the most technologically advanced and largest college-bound generation to date. Each of these growing populations will have different needs and desires when it comes to housing, and the apartment industry is wise to take a deeper look into the complicated intricacies of each...

LAS VEGAS – Amid the glitz and glamour of the Las Vegas strip, the National Apartment Association kicked off its annual education conference and exhibition at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on Tuesday. According to NAA President Douglas Culkin, this year the event brings together a record-breaking 9,000 multifamily professionals for a week of learning and networking. The conference showcased an expanded educational “Game Changer” series. The six star-studded sessions focused on topics from technology and leadership to business acumen and industry knowledge. Featured experts included Robin Chase, the founder and former CEO of Zipcar, Buzzcar, and GoLoco, and Richard Karlgaard, angel investor and bestselling author and publisher of Forbes Magazine. In addition, the conference boasted over sixty industry-focused workshops and breakout sessions. Attendees heard from experts on everything from sub-market trends and digital marketing best practices to revenue management and prospect conversion. This year, NAA’s conference app allowed attendees to create customized schedules, including the ability to select from a variety of industry tracks. Opening Highlights Thursday morning’s general session opened by revealing the new NAA logo and tagline. The new NAA tagline, “We Lead the Way Home,” was selected for its representation of the industry and mission of its professionals: To create a sense of community among residents and professionals alike. Opening remarks also focused on the continued support of the NAA Education Institute, which according to its website, the committee identified several key areas impacting the apartment industry. These included recruitment, training, leadership development, succession and retention of talent. During the opening session, NAA launched its NAAEI Now capital campaign, which will aim to raise $7.5 million over a multi-year plan to meet these needs. During the launch, conference attendees were invited to contribute to the campaign via text message donation....