Yardi’s Advanced Solutions Conference kicked off Wednesday morning with over 4,000 attendees – making it the largest YASC ever – in attendance at the San Diego Convention Center. “We have 4,000 of the best minds in real estate in San Diego this week,” observed Esther Bonardi, a vice president at Yardi, as a packed room eagerly anticipated remarks from Anant Yardi, the company’s founder and CEO; as well as executives Rob Teel, Akshai Rao and Kevin Yardi. Anant Yardi, founder and CEO of Yardi, speaks at YASC in San Diego on Sept. 6, 2023. Photo credit: Julian Thomas, Yardi staff. The YASC opening session always offers an overview of real estate technology trends and insight into how they might play out within Yardi’s single connected solution for real estate companies. This year brought an especially exciting reveal: Voyager 8 is currently in limited release to clients and will be widely available beginning in January 2024. “The biggest thing with Voyager 8 to get excited about is the user experience. The user interface is completely different. It’s a big leap from Voyager 7S. It’s not a leap in terms of the upgrade process, though,” said Rob Teel, president of global solutions. “We are really excited about the upgrade process. This is going to be an opportunity for you to decide which users you want to start using Voyager 8. They can use 7S or 8, so you don’t have to choose. You can allow your users to get comfortable with Voyager 8 as you start to roll this out,” said Akshai Rao, president of residential. Clients were able to get detailed demos and highlights of the forthcoming release in spotlight sessions unique to their real estate verticals on Wednesday morning. In addition to the new user experience and simple upgrade process, Voyager 8 is built for compatibility with artificial intelligence (AI), promising a continual opportunity for real estate companies to use the new technology for efficiency and smoother operations. AI and real estate AI’s implications for business functions like marketing are evident across industries, but what about specific uses for real estate? That question was at the heart of Anant Yardi’s remarks on Wednesday morning. Noting that Yardi is fully committed to making use of AI in the most constructive and beneficial ways possible, Mr. Yardi said that he sees the incorporation of the technology as a gradual one. “The future of AI in real estate is not going to be some big bang type of change, that’s not going to happen,” Mr. Yardi said. He noted that Yardi has already made infrastructure investments that will provide processing bandwidth required for AI systems. Teel and Rao provided a look at Yardi products where AI is already incorporated and will have a growing role moving forward. They include chatbots, which already provide automated answers to prospect questions from multifamily clients; maintenance requests, which could be assigned prioritization and dispatch by AI; and a virtual Voyager assistant who will answer software questions, thanks to AI. “We are fully committed to this change and look at this as an opportunity to grow,” Mr. Yardi said. “Anytime there’s an opportunity to embrace and acknowledge change, I think lurking behind it, you’ll see an opportunity for growth.” Spotlight on corporate philanthropy The general session concluded with a look at Yardi’s corporate focus on philanthropy, which has been a longtime priority for the company. “Our guiding principles over the last 40 years and for the next 40 years are to take care of our clients, employees and communities, and candidly, we don’t often talk about what it means to take care of our communities, so I wanted to take this opportunity to spend a few minutes on it,” said Kevin Yardi, vice president. “We provide funding to our 40 offices around the world and our 9,000 employees help guide funding to nonprofits that are meaningful to...
YASC Preview
San Diego Celebration
The 20th Yardi Advanced Solutions Conference (YASC) returns to San Diego, Calif., this Wednesday to Friday, October 16-18. The annual user conference will offer in-depth training, networking and fun for Yardi clients, including a special milestone anniversary celebration. We can’t reveal all the surprises in store, but this is one event you won’t want to miss. “We’re excited to welcome our valued clients to the 20th edition YASC in San Diego. From its early days as a small gathering in Santa Barbara, this special event has grown to be one of the largest and most enjoyable user conferences around. We hope you enjoy the special surprises in store for this year – they’re our way of saying thank you for your support and participation.” Get a preview of YASC San Diego: Yardi Events app Get connected at YASC with the Yardi Events app on your smartphone. Attendees can access all conference information, venue maps, class materials, social networking, in-app messaging and more. Customize your daily schedule with classes, demos, panels and roundtables, and set up one-on-one meetings with Yardi staff. The Yardi Events app is available for download in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. A browser-based version, synced to the mobile app, will also be available, so attendees can access the app features from their desktop. User log-in details have been emailed to all registered YASC attendees. Questions? Email our team at [email protected]. Get personal attention Did you know our Knowledge Central experts have an average Yardi tenure of nearly 5 years? We’ve brought together a friendly group of experts that includes team leads, consultants, and senior account managers to answer your toughest questions, solve your trickiest challenges, and guide you through our newest software solutions. Find Knowledge Central operating hours in the Yardi Events app and be sure to visit our team on the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Indigo Level. Connect with others How many industry connections can you make in three days? There will be over 1,500 attendees representing nearly every segment of the real estate sector at YASC. The conference will offer expanded opportunities to connect with peers in your industry, including morning wellness activities, scheduled breaks and networking receptions. For all conference activities and receptions, bring your conference name badge and get ready to network! Visit the Networking Lounge, located on the Aqua Level, to network with others in your market, check in at the office and recharge your devices. Celebrate with us Learning is first and foremost at YASC, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a good time too! Join us at the Networking Reception on Wednesday evening for cocktails and appetizers. It’s a fun way to wind down and get to know Yardi staff and other YASC attendees. On Thursday night, it’s time to party! The Yardi Party is always packed with music and fun with your new friends from the conference, and we’ve got big plans for our 20th anniversary, so you won’t want to miss this. Don’t forget that your conference name badge is your all-access pass for conference activities and receptions. Please be sure to wear it at all times. New this year: fitness activities on Thursday morning If you enjoy getting a workout in before the day begins, you’ll love our new yoga and running opportunities, set for Thursday morning from 6:45-7:45am at the Bayfront Park (outside the Hilton). Follow the signs to the yoga class or join us for a variety of run distance options! It’s a wonderful time of year to exercise outside in beautiful San Diego. Get social Share your conference experience on social media using the event hashtag #YASCTurns20. Follow Yardi on your favorite social networks for conference news, prizes and more. Connect with Yardi on our corporate blog, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Interested in joining us at the 20th annual YASC event in San Diego? Add your name to the...
AHCA/NCAL Convention
Senior Living Heads to SoCal
For senior living providers, it’s time to break out the flip flops. This fall, October 7-10, thousands of leading long term and post-acute care professionals will travel to southern California to attend the annual AHCA/NCAL Convention and Expo at the San Diego Convention Center. The conference, celebrating its sixty-ninth year, is designed to address current operating and care challenges, also hosts the largest trade show in the industry. So what can attendees expect from this three-day event? Beyond the traditional convention sessions—seventy in all with topics ranging from making data-driven decisions to the forthcoming PDPM implementation—there are many unique events offered. Attendees can partake in a San Diego Harbor Cruise, visit the USS Midway Museum aboard one of America’s longest-serving aircraft carriers, attend AHCA’s annual PAC concert and enjoy a gala dinner with entertainment by Grammy award-winning artist Kenny Loggins. NCAL will also host the 12th Annual NCAL Day dedicated to thought-provoking education specifically tailored to the assisted living sector of long-term care. Keynote speakers include retired astronaut and Navy Captain Scott Kelly, who challenges audiences to dream big, test the status quo and “choose to do the hard things,” along with award-winning motivator Dan Thurmon and mindset expert Steve Taubman. The goal of every convention session is that attendees will take home one to three immediately implementable strategies to improve their business. With actionable insights, networking opportunities, and exceptional events on the schedule, this year’s AHCA/NCAL conference and expo is sure to be a memorable...
YASC San Diego 2018
West Coast Client Training
The Yardi Advanced Solutions Conference returns to sunny San Diego for in-depth training, networking and fun. The sold-out user conference, also known as YASC, will be hosted at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront from September 12 – 14, 2018. Why attend? Choose from a wide range of classes, demos, panels, and roundtables to create a schedule that fits your learning objectives. Attend a class and discover the latest software updates and insider functions to keep your skills sharp. Gain insight from experts and industry peers during a panel discussion. Explore new Yardi solutions with a hands-on demonstration. All sessions provide ample opportunity to ask questions, discuss your organization’s challenges, and share information with industry experts. As one past attendee shared: “I picked up tips I can use back at the office, met new folks and connected with my company’s Yardi account manager. YASC was a great experience!” New features at YASC San Diego: Download The App Attendees can access all conference information, venue maps, class materials, social networking and in-app messaging, and more on the Yardi Events app. It’s designed to enable attendees to custom-tailor their daily schedule with classes, demos, panels and roundtables, and to set up one-on-one meetings with Yardi staff. The Yardi Events app is available for download at the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. A browser-based version, synced to the mobile app, will also be available, so attendees can access all these features from their desktop. User log-in details have been emailed to all registered YASC attendees. Questions? Email our team at [email protected]. Get Personal Attention Open throughout YASC, Knowledge Central is your one-stop-shop for assistance from Yardi staff. Whether it’s a new product you’d like to see, a scenario with your current software that you would like to resolve, or anything else on your mind, come to Knowledge Central to get your software questions answered by the experts. Visit our Knowledge Central Concierge Desk to schedule a time to meet with a member of our team or stop in between classes – we’ll be ready for you! Want to win big? Attend a 15-minute product preview in Knowledge Central and be entered to win our daily Bose travel speaker giveaway. Find Your Network YASC is all about learning, but we also want our clients to have opportunities to meet new friends and reconnect with old ones. Attendees can look forward to scheduled networking breaks between classes, lunchtime table discussions, evening cocktail receptions and industry-focused “Meet and Greets” in our Networking Lounge. Stop by the Networking Lounge to network with peers in your market: Wednesday, September 12 10:45 – 11 a.m. Specialty Residential 3:30 – 4 p.m. Multifamily Thursday, May 31 10:45 – 11 a.m. Public Housing & Affordable Housing 3:30 – 4 p.m. Commercial For all conference activities and receptions, bring your conference name badge and get ready to network! Let’s Get Social! Share your conference experience on social media using the event hashtag #YASC2018. We’ll be running contests throughout the conference, so be sure to post often and follow Yardi on your favorite social networks for conference news, prizes and more! Connect with Yardi on our corporate blog, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. We’re excited to see our clients and staff in San Diego!...
Positive Change
Fighting homelessness
What if you could help to end family homelessness? Not just through a single meal or a temporary residence but through a life-changing and habit-altering program for determined adults? Yardi employees in San Diego were able to do just that by volunteering with Solutions for Change. Vista, California is home to Solutions for Change, one of the nation’s only full service programs to end homelessness. To date, the organization has empowered 850 families in the San Diego area including 2,200 children. Solutions University is the key to the program’s long-term success. The university integrates affordable housing, job training, education, and wellness services. Participants work, pay rent, and attend educational classes that reinforce self-sufficiency. In about 1,000 days, participants can complete the program and emerge ready to end homelessness in their families for good. It is an empowering and effective program that has changed lives since 1999. Yardi participated in a home preparation project for Solutions University graduates. Before the official on-site project, Yardi San Diego team members prepared by collecting donations of much needed items. Cleaning supplies composed most of the donations as well as gift cards for additional home supplies. Team members also donated gift cards for the residents that would allow them to better equip their new apartments. For the on-site event, Yardi employees Melissa Krautwald, Larry Galang, Karen Detmar, Kathy Bretado, Tyler Dalsted, Louie Arzaga, Melissa Krautwald, Jeremy Hoover and Dave Chmelka volunteered. The team helped to “turn units” in preparation for two Solutions University families. Volunteers scrubbed bathrooms, mopped floors, and cleaned windows, walls, doors and door jams. Solutions for Change provided new dishware that the volunteers cleaned and stored. The units went from drab to fab in about three hours. “It was powerful to see some of the families that...
Fall YASC 2017
Welcome to San Diego
The first ever Yardi Advanced Solutions Conference (YASC) to be held in beautiful San Diego, Calif. kicked off on Wednesday, welcoming 1,800 clients and 400 employees to the Hilton San Diego Bayfront resort for three days of product demonstrations, user classes, networking and fun. After being held in Santa Barbara and Anaheim for previous events, the fall user conference moves to San Diego for the next several years. Clients and employees alike expressed approval of the new venue, adjacent to the city’s waterfront, conference center and Gaslamp District. Yardi president and founder Anant Yardi welcomed clients to the largest ever YASC event with a 40 minute talk about the company’s development plans for the future. But he opened and closed his remarks with a focus on the recent hurricanes that hit the U.S. As many as 200 clients are attending the event from the states of Texas and Florida. “Thank you for being here. And thank you for what you have done to help your neighbors,” Mr. Yardi said. His remarks closed with a moving video about the company’s efforts to help clients and residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, which hit Texas on Aug. 25. The poignant imagery brought many in the audience to tears. “The thing that really stood out for me (during the hurricane) was people helping people,” Mr. Yardi said. The company developed a housing registry website to assist those who need to relocate, and donated $1 million to the rebuilding effort. Turning his focus to the Yardi software suite, Mr. Yardi touched on cloud security, role based applications, product development and more. “There has been tremendous investment in the Yardi Cloud and making sure that it is always secure,” he said, describing some of the innovative firewalls, specialized...
YASC San Diego 2017
New Venue + Expanded Learning
Surf’s up! Yardi’s user conference moves to San Diego this fall. The Yardi Advanced Solutions Conference, also known as YASC, will be hosted at The Bayfront Hilton on September 13-15, 2017. “We are excited to welcome guests to our new location in San Diego. The new venue is beautiful and we believe clients will really enjoy the expanded conference space and program we have in store,” said Tim Hoover, creative director for Yardi. With an anticipated attendance of almost 2,000 Yardi clients, this could be our biggest YASC ever. The new location offers ample space for expanded education sessions, in-depth training and great networking opportunities. As one past YASC attendee shared: “I had the sheer pleasure of meeting Mr. Yardi and some of the wonderful Yardi staff I communicate with. Yardi is a top notch and highly professional company that knows how to take care of their customers with hands-on training, great entertainment and wonderful customer service.” Features of YASC San Diego include: A new conference app We’re excited to launch a new conference app that will offer a mobile and streamlined conference experience. Attendees can access conference information, venue maps, social networking and in-app messaging, and more on the Yardi Events app. It’s designed to enable attendees to custom-tailor their daily schedule with classes, demos, panels and roundtables, and to set up one-on-one meetings with Yardi staff. The Yardi Events app is available for download at the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. A browser-based version, synced to the mobile app, will also be available, so attendees can access all these features from their desktop. User log-in details have been emailed to all registered YASC attendees. Questions? Email our team at [email protected]. One-on-one advice at Knowledge Central This is the new home of our Computer Lab...
Renewable City
Clean Energy for San Diego
Blessed with an average of 266 sunny days per year, it’s no surprise San Diego currently generates 189 megawatts of solar power. Though it boasts the second highest solar wattage in the country, the city doesn’t plan to rest on its laurels. Instead, this southern California metropolis of over 1 million has set its sights on something grander: to be largest U.S. city completely powered by renewable energy. Known as the “birthplace of California,” this trans-border urban outpost sits at the center of U.S. innovation, playing host to military, biotechnology and medical research and manufacturing. Over the years, San Diego’s commitment to sustainability and environmentally focused city planning has resulted in an extensive infrastructure renaissance and citywide green initiatives. With an eye on reducing carbon emissions and mitigating the effects of global warming, a bipartisan coalition led by Republican Mayor Kevin Faulconer unanimously approved the city’s Climate Action Plan last December. The goal is to cut greenhouse gas emissions and shift to 100% renewable energy sources by 2035. The Climate Action Plan also includes a goal of 90% solid waste recycling along with significant funding for public transportation. “Today, we are faced with an issue that affects us all. Our city’s responsibility is to ensure a clean, sustainable San Diego for generations to come,” Faulconer writes in his introduction to the Climate Action Plan. “San Diegans from different backgrounds are coming together to proactively address environmental concerns, strengthen our economy and improve our quality of life.” The Climate Action Plan includes practical policies designed to strike a balance between environmental protection and economic opportunity. Those strategies include improved water resource management, targeted public information campaigns, and green jobs incentives. “We have an opportunity to improve the lives of every San Diegan,” concludes Faulconer. “This...
