Apartmentalize 2024: Key Takeaways and Try Agains

Did you #FeelTheLove at NAA Apartmentalize 2024?

Last week, I spent hours on LinkedIn and social listening to capture your favorite thought leaders' best takeaways and opportunities in the multifamily space. If you’re unfamiliar with it, Apartmentalize is seemingly the Met Gala of the apartment community-community.

Coined as the biggest week in Multifamily, NAA hosts thousands of attendees and hundreds of exhibitors in a new city each year. Many suppliers gear up nearly a year in advance to participate in the main event, marveling at who has the best-dressed booth and who got a highly sought-after speaking opportunity.

This year's conference gathered industry professionals to discuss the latest trends and challenges in the multifamily sector. Simultaneously, the three-day networking extravaganza provided valuable insights for all.

As thought leadership continues to rise, many attendees took to LinkedIn to spotlight areas needing some TLC for next year. Here are the key takeaways and lessons learned from the conference rounded up all in one place!

Try Again: Spam Emailgate

One of the most glaring issues at this year’s conference was highlighted even before it started by The Multifamily Mentor Matchmaker, Tara Samuels.

Leading up to the main event, Tara spoke out about the barrage of spam emails she was receiving from suppliers.

The kicker? Tara is also a supplier, and she was NOT shy about letting her 10k followers know.

Let’s be real: Scrubbing an email list is basic communication hygiene. The cacophony of sales emails we all send to one another before the event not only clutters the inboxes of those frantically preparing for a week out of the office but also severely diminishes the effectiveness of your value proposition and your company’s reputation.

The conversation sparked a 58-comment dialogue among other frustrated attendees, poking fun at the common-sense-is-not-so-common moment. 

Overwhelming attendees with multiple emails, ESPECIALLY WITH SUBJECT LINES IN ALL CAPS, WHICH WE ALL YELL IN OUR HEADS AS WE’RE READING, will effectively decrease the likelihood of sharing a happy hour with your recipient.

In the future, it’s the sender's moral and ethical responsibility to streamline their email strategies to ensure messages are relevant and respectful of recipients' time.

Give Tara's post some love, and listen to Tara’s Transforming Cities episode on Multifamily Mentorship here!

Key Takeaway: The AI Imperative

Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to be a hot evolving topic in the multifamily industry. And who better to talk about the innovative ways renters and multifamily professionals can leverage it than 11x NAA attendee Mike Wolber?

Mike’s session picked up extra traction when he took to LinkedIn and shared a branded yet personal invitation video to join him for his session on positive AI implementation.

“Our team, and several others, did a lot of content activations to drive booth traffic. It really worked!” Mike tells us.

Content like this is a great way to connect with attendees and break through the NAA noise on LinkedIn. It’s no shock that the Apartment List booth showed up and showed out with an expansive lilac-colored display showcasing their proprietary AI, Lea!

The industry, however, is becoming more discerning regarding AI and expects detailed information about the type of AI being used, its training data sets, and its practical applications.

Companies must remain transparent about their AI capabilities and how they enhance operational efficiency and resident experience.

Take a look at the post we're loving, or watch Mike’s episode of Transforming Cities on driving revenue growth in multifamily here!

Key Takeaway: The Surprise Standout, A PMC Exhibitor

If industry heavy-hitter Moshe Crane of Sage Ventures says it’s his first time seeing something, you better believe it’s something worth stopping the scroll for.

When property management company GoldOller set up camp as an exhibitor, heads (and tables) were turned. Attendees enthusiastically applauded their trend-setting move in nearly 100 comments and 400 likes on Moshe’s post.

Based in Philadelphia, GoldOller certainly played to the home-court advantage and set up a booth (can I even call it a booth?) that was so stunning that, at first glance, I thought it was AI-generated.

Will we see more property management companies on display at next year’s show? If so, the bar has been set, and it is set high! Take a look at the post that sheds light on the already glowing display here!

Watch Moshe and Mike’s live centralization debate here!

Try Again: The Rise and Fall of The Word Centralization

At Transforming Cities, it’s no secret how we feel about the C-word.

The term "centralization" has become contentious within the industry. Andrew Bowen, SVP at Leaselock, spotlighted this in his day-one recap post, which garnered likes, head nods, and numerous comments in agreement from other multifamily executives.

Bowen also mentioned a fellow attendee who is rethinking their entire operational models but dislikes the term. Though Andrew states he currently does not have a synonym for the word, our favorite substitute is “functional specialization.” Don’t knock it till you try it!

Finding a more acceptable synonym that works for your core lines of business and highly specialized services being centralized will help you gain broader acceptance and understanding of the importance of the function as a whole.

Bowen’s post in it’s entirety took an honest look at Day One of the conference, and I highly encourage anyone who did or did not attend to give it a read here!

Key Takeaway: It’s The Non-NAA Party, We Can Cry If We Want To

Early last Thursday, an email invite hit my inbox with an idea that was so good I wish I had thought of it. Stacey Feeney, founder and creative director at over Zip Code Creative sent an invite to Revyse users that read:

“For those who have Apartmentalize FOMO this week...

Us non-conference goers are meeting up for a party of our own to talk shop, vent, cry, laugh –or whatever!?

But likely, we'll bring a tasty bev to this virtual live meet-up and talk about what topics are hot and current for you right now and have a peer-share time.”

When I tell you I smashed that RSVP button, I’m so glad I did because it was a huge hit!

I took a splendid hour out of my Friday afternoon to attend, virtually network and share insights with 12+ other industry leaders who did not attend this year’s main event for one reason or another.

Some of the attendees were past NAA speakers, while others had dreams of one day gracing the stage. Overall, it was a special thing to be a part of and listen to everyone’s open and honest perspectives on why they sat this year out.

Revyse's mission is to help vendors drop new products like they're hot, & free up property managers to deliver earth-shatteringly great customer service, and help renters find a place to call home hassle-free. The Revyse community is constantly growing, with new members posting questions, joining discussions, and getting real insights from professional peers.

Join the Revyse community and spark a conversation here!

Until Next Year, Apartmentalize!

The NAA Apartmentalize 2024 Conference highlighted both the strengths and areas for improvement within the multifamily industry.

It will be interesting to see how suppliers and attendees approach these triumphs and trouble areas at other upcoming shows, such as OpTech 2024, which will be coming down the pike this autumn from October 21st - 23rd.

NAA has announced that next year’s show will take place on June 11th - 13th in none other than Las Vegas, Nevada! Will we see more PMCs on the exhibitor's map? Will our inboxes be once again bursting at the seams?

At Transforming Cities, we will be watching and learning! By learning from these lessons, the industry can continue to evolve and create a highly specialized show experience for attendees, speakers, and exhibitors.