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Live from NARPM’s 21st Annual Convention and Trade Show

Posted on 21. Oct, 2009 by Jonathan Brownfield in Events

We had a blast this year at NARPM’s 21st Annual Convention and Trade Show in sunny Orlando, FL at the Buena Vista Palace Hotel & Spa. This year’s theme was “Let the Magic Begin” (official event website) and magical it was. What follows is three days worth of live coverage (video, photos, interviews and commentary) from the event floor. Please, feel free to share your experiences in the comments area at the bottom of this post.

Jump to: Start of Day 2, Start of Day 3

DAY 1 (Oct. 21)

8:50 AM – 21st NARPM Conference Begins!!

8:53 AM – NARPM Designations certify standards of property management education successfully completed.

8:55 AM – NARPM provides ongoing educational opportunities for members in seminar, and online formats. The best way to learn is often through NARPM friends and informal conversations in and out of class!

8:57 AM -Jim and Deb Pickett, from Seattle, are here to learn and visit with their grandkids. An argument broke out about the best ride – He says: Splash Mountain She says: Soarin! I thought these were kids rides.

9:00 AM – Mike Branam of Colorado and Ben of RentMarketer get their booth ready. You mean, vendors actually work at shows? RentMarketer is a network ad platform combining free and paid sites together.

9:11 AM – Annemarie and Chris from AppFolio Property Manager in Santa Barbara, have their worker clothes on. How come their manager doesn’t help?

9:16 AM – Alex Machado (yes, former NARPM President Bob Machado’s daughter!) came in last night after a busy weekend. She saw the USC vs. Notre Dame game on Saturday, and is now getting her RMP certification at NARPM.

9:51 AM – Learning and laughing! Claire Schwartz shares a laugh in the RMP Operations class which started at 8 AM this morning!

10:03 AM -School is in! Dave Holt of Minnesota leads discussion on Marketing, part of the RMP designation requirement. Students are encouraged to share their experiences and approaches for growing their business with each other so everyone benefits from the collective knowledge of the group.

10:42 AM – Thumbs up! Annemarie and Chris Casillas give a thumbs up for their AppFolio Property Manager booth in preparation for evening events.

10:58 AM – Robert Winger and Sylvia Hill of California share a laugh after some NARPM meetings about planning and goals for the organization next year. The NARPM organization works because its membership actively participates in making the organization address and serve the needs of the membership.

5:18 PM – The 2009 NARPM Conference and Trade Show opening session attendees pour into conference room.

5:24 PM – Almost 500 attendees are expected to attend this year’s NARPM Convention in Orlando, FL. Many are at the opening session.



5:45 PM – Candi Swanson (Pacific Region VP and former President of Cal NARPM) from California looks at list of California attendees and friends to connect with while she’s here in Orlando.

5:48 PM – Motivational speaker Steve Oniki uses humor to break down racial barriers and barriers to being positive when things seem bad. Get along, put a smile on your face and look at yourself and ask “would I rent from me?”.

Day 1 of the NARPM Convention and Trade Show ends with a bang.

DAY 2 (Oct. 22)

8:05 AM – Luana, of Bennet Properties in Arizona, gets breakfast before the General Session. She is interested in taking the class about wearing many hats. Luana is a mom, daughter, property manager, and business entrepeneur – she does it all and more, and seeks practical ways to balance all her responsibilities.

8:46 AM – Jayci Grana gets breakfast. She said she was a good girl and in bed by 8PM last night, but laughed when we all said we saw her having drinks with colleagues at 10PM! Jayci wants to take the Oniki class on working and getting along with people. To anyone that knows Jayci, this will seem strange, because she is always positive, treats people extremely well, and meets people with a smile and a hug.

8:50 AM – David Harper and Todd Breen of Florida exchange ideas about property management. David and Todd have property management businesses in adjacent areas and often share ideas. Breakfast is a great place to meet people and learn things informally.

9:02 AM – The breaksfast was surprisingly well attended with lots of property managers rousing themselves out of bed to visit with colleagues and NARPM affiliates over a nice breakfast of eggs, bacon, and fresh fruit.

9:17 AM – The morning general session was full, and focused on why it’s important to focus on positive attitudes, and tactical ways to stay positive. The benefit is happier employees, customers and, most importantly, a happier you.

12:33 AM -  Andrew Hill and Jay Carey manning the Rental Homes Plus booth.

7:36 AM -Carla, NARPM President Fred Thompson and Cher

9:39 AM – Martha, Molly, Cheree and Hector getting together for an AM photo op before they head into the General Session.

12:15 PM – Former NARPM National Presidents Chris Hermanski Owner of Mainlander in Portland and Bob Machado, owner of Homepointe in Sacramento, arrive fashionably late for lunch. On Tuesday, the two presidents squared off in golf. Bob, never shy, tweeted the world that he won the two man tournament on an 18th hole par. Sensitive to his friend Chris, Bob did mention that Chris came in a competitive second.

1:57 PM – NARPM’s President Fred Thompson speaks about economic forecasts.

2:02 PM – April Remine from Rentals.com educates Founder and CEO Dave Sakamoto on their product. Mr. Sakamoto is based in Louisville, CO and develops Custom iPhone Solutions.

2:06 PM – Sarma’s Senior Account Executive, Gerald Arsenault staying connected to his home base in San Antonio, TX.

DAY 3 (Oct. 23)

7:33 AM – Breakfast is served!

7:55 AM – NARPM Instructor Darryl Kazen (First Choice Property Managment in Dallas) and Laurie Collins (GM from Atlantic Properties Management in Alphatetta, GA) share the NARPM love this morning.

9:00 AM – Former NARPM President, Mark Kreditor draws a packed audience for his general session talk on opportunities in difficult times. With his sharp wit, legal, marketing, and business insight, Mark successfully connects legislation and economic market changes into specific tactical actions property managers need to take to protect their business and thrive in difficult times. Mark opened his talk with a song about late fees and a reflection on the importance of good marketing, which he followed with a picture of Gene Simmons of KISS. He waited a beat for the audience to recognize the picture and then identified the photo as a picture of Ray Scarabosio, former NARPM National President.

For more NARPM goodness, check out these candid (and often humorous) videos where we interviewed NARPM members about what they wanted to be when growing up:
2009 NARPM Northwest Conference Video
2009 Cal NARPM Conference Video

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Tags: events, NARPM, tradeshow