A special anniversary Yardi Advanced Solutions Conference (YASC) kicked off this morning in beautiful San Diego, with 2,500 Yardi clients and staff members in attendance for the 20th edition of the event. Yardi president and founder Anant Yardi reflected on the early years of the conference in his opening remarks. “About 200 people attended the first YASC, and we were thinking, how will we cope with 200 guests?” Mr. Yardi reminisced. “Those 200 people would only fill the first two rows of seats here today.” Mr. Yardi then invited two clients who have been to almost every YASC event, Alex Ruiz of Picerne and Carol Kelly Ball of Sierra Properties, to join him on the stage. Yardi employees Nancy Bogg and Anna Markmann, who have worked on the production of every YASC conference, were also honored. YASC is now a global event, with six conferences annually around the world. In addition to the two U.S. based events, there are conferences in the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Singapore and England. Meanwhile, Yardi has grown to a company size of almost 7,000 employees at 45 offices around the world. Two decades on, Yardi’s corporate focus and mission statement remains the same: focused on client and employee success, stellar customer service, innovating new products and platforms and assisting local communities with philanthropy and volunteerism. At the heart of each of those items is the importance of relationships. One of the most valuable aspects of the YASC events is the chance for Yardi to receive feedback and suggestions from clients, and for clients to learn about new products and solve business challenges. In his remarks, Mr. Yardi offered a compelling history of technological innovation over the last 20 years, summarizing the transition from the early days of dot com, to the mobile and social media revolution, to today’s era of big data, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things. “This is the era of continuous connection. But in the world of business, continuous connection hasn’t fully come to fruition. Our goal is to make that happen and provide the tools and technologies that you need,” Mr. Yardi said. Yardi clients look forward to hearing about forthcoming advances in products and innovation at YASC, and Wednesday’s general session offered a breadth of such insight. Following Mr. Yardi’s presentation, Rob Teel, senior vice president, and Kevin Yardi, vice president, consulting practices, offered a detailed look at the Yardi Elevate suite for operational performance, Yardi Energy Suite for energy management, and Yardi Kube for coworking management. “We’re not just chasing dreams,” Mr. Teel said. “Most of the things that Anant mentioned, there are solutions at the end of it that will help your business.” Attendees at YASC will explore those solutions over the next two and a half days and also have a little fun. A special #YASCTurns20 party is planned for Thursday night on the U.S.S. Midway, near the conference venue on the San Diego waterfront. Find a full lineup of YASC highlights and information. To follow along with the event, use the hashtag #YASCTurns20 and follow Yardi on your favorite social media channel:...