MFE/DEV Conference 2008

If you weren't at the MFE & Developer Conferences this year you missed a truly great event. I say this because the people who attended this year came with a passion and eagerness to learn/share that I haven't seen in many years.

Attendance was up over the past several years (when most events have been down this year), the programming was on the mark and the speakers were world-class. Here are some quotes I wanted to share from participants:

"Nice to see you…..great job hosting this event……smart crowd, smart sessions….great overall."

"Just wanted to drop you a note and let you know I thought the conference was great! You did an amazing job lining up great speakers to present interesting, relevant and important information."

"That was the best conference I have been to in years. Excellent in every way. Better than shows that have much bigger budgets and more staff. Way to go your excellence showed at every turn!"

"Congratulations on getting another done....and in these tough times...that is a major accomplishment."

"Lots of good content, you attracted a great crowd and everyone I talked to was very pleased that they made the trip and got something tangible out of it. Congratulations. Well done."

Obviously I am proud of what we do, and love to see our staff get a pat on the back for all of the hard work, but these quotes are as much a testament to our sponsors, exhibitors and attendees as they are to our own folks. The people matter and we have some great ones involved as partners.

Kudos to all involved.

Here is the link to the Conference Highlights:
Multifamily and Development Industries Converge on Vegas

Quote of the day

I lifted this quote from a recent Mark-Taylor press release but I think it is a case study consistent of the theory I cited in the previous couple of posts.

“Market conditions change but confident and thoughtful management does not,” said Dale Phillips, president of Mark-Taylor Residential. “ We certainly feel the effects of increased competition with home rentals and failed condo conversions. However, we have nearly doubled our size in the past two years. Owners are calling us to ensure their investments are getting the best care possible. Our team is comprised of dedicated, hungry, and talented people who want the best for the company, and it really comes through during the tough times. ”

In addition, here is some insight on recent marketing strategy from the same release.

Mark-Taylor is one of few apartment management companies to “brand” itself through marketing promotions online, onsite, on the radio, through special events and even its own YouTube channel (mark-taylor.tv). Owners contribute to branded leasing campaigns so every community benefits from a consistent message and offer, paying a fraction of what it would cost to launch a campaign independently.

Going to market with this type of creativity and ambition is exciting to see these days. There is not much we can do about the market conditions and while we all are experiencing a huge economic headwind, and have to work 3 or 4 times as hard to achieve success, it is a worthy battle that will pay off.