Raleigh with over 45 members in attendance. That was followed up by moving out to Top of the Hill Restaurant in Chapel Hill in April; and Champps Americana at Southpoint in Durham in May. Members networked with colleagues while enjoying complimentary drinks and appetizers. TAA’s annual Trade Show held in April in the Expo Center at the NC State Fairgrounds was the largest attended in the association’s history with over 1200 enjoying “TAA’s Wide World of Sports”. TAA vendor members were able to display their products and services to the Triangle’s multifamily housing decision makers and site personnel and network with their current and prospective clients. Back for a 2nd year was the hugely popular “TAA’s Got Talent.” With 7 acts and 175 spectators – it was an exciting night of showcasing the diversity of our members’ hidden talents. The Longbranch Saloon was the backdrop for the evening and members were treated to singers, soloists and bands. It definitely was a night to remember. The Fall Golf Classic held at Hedingham Golf Club in Raleigh provided another opportunity for members to get together. With sold out sponsorship opportunities and 124 golfers – it was a great way to network between owner/operators and vendor partners. Special Events finished out the year by hosting the 4th annual Maintenance Mania event with its high octane energy for TAA’s maintenance personnel competing for bragging rights and to label themselves TAA Maintenance Titans. Held at Heaven and Earth Landscaping for the 2nd year, the competition was all a buzz with spectators cheering on their favorites to victory. 2011 was a busy year for Special Events with a diversity of networking venues. The Committee looks forward to surpassing expectations in 2012!
Communications TAA finally got on the social media bandwagon and launched its presence on FaceBook, Twitter and started a Blog. This new way (for us) of communicating with members has proven to be a wise investment for the association as our members “like” us on FaceBook, and “follow” us on Twitter; thereby allowing us to update them almost instantaneously on the affairs of the association. Whether that’s Government Affairs Alerts when we need help contacting legislators or just posting photos from events as they are happening. We look forward to continuing to engage our members with these forms of communication. The website, www.triangleaptassn.org remained the 24/7 information resource for the membership. The ApartMentor, the association’s bi-monthly magazine, continues to serve as one of the main vehicles to disseminate information to the members about trends in the apartment industry, upcoming events and continuing education. Each issue features the President’s
Pen, a spotlight on vendors, education and event offerings, and legal and government affairs information. E-News & Legislative Updates are emails distributed monthly to TAA members to keep them abreast of TAA news and legislative issues affecting the apartment industry.
Community Outreach • Komen: 2011 marked the 5th year for TAA’s PR Committee to lead the association’s participation in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Raleigh. More than 100 Team TAA members walked for the cause and collectively raised over $7,500, which will be used to help fight breast cancer in the Triangle. • Mission Possible: TAA asked its members to accept the mission and they did. Over the 2011 holiday season members collected new items for children for TAA’s Tots Tubs of Love campaign. More than 1000 items were donated to the Raleigh and Durham Rescue Missions, and Orange County Social Services to help the homeless and needy in the Triangle community.
Members participate in an Emergency Preparedness Seminar facilitated by CRC: The Disaster Response Experts
Career Fairs / Renting 101 Another part of the Public Relations and Community Outreach Committee’s mission is to educate students about careers in property management and renting that first apartment. Participating in Career Fairs and the “Real World” met those goals. • Career Fairs: Committee members attended two Career Fairs in 2011. One at NC State in the spring and at North Carolina Central University (NCCU), in the fall. Over 100 resumes were collected and made available to TAA members. • Triangle United Way “Real World” Experience: For the 2nd year, members of the PR Committee participated in the Triangle United Way’s Real World experience, a one-day simulation of the real world designed to teach independent living skills to foster care youth, ages 16-18. TAA volunteers staffed the 3 housing provider booths with information on the costs
The Diversified Flooring Team at the Annual Trade Show
and responsibilities of renting 1, 2 and 3 bedroom homes in the Triangle. Students found out first-hand the “real world” experience of paying for application fees, security deposits, qualifying for apartments, purchasing renter’s insurance, and the pros and cons of renting with a roommate.
Products & Services Council The focus for the TAA Associate Members is to support the property Owners and Management Companies with services to help maintain the standard of excellence in the Triangle multi-housing market. The Products & Services Committee’s task is to create networking opportunities with the TAA Associate Members and the Regionals and Owners in the Apartment Industry. The TAA Trade Show was held on April 27, 2011 and hosted 132 Exhibitors and over 1,000 attendees. The PSC encourage first time exhibitors to participate in the Trade Show by assigning a “buddy” to help them learn the ins and outs of a successful trade show booth. They also received one set of O/O mailing labels and $10 credit toward a future TAA event or seminar in 2011. We had 19 first time exhibitors participate! The PSC also offered a TAA Annual Trade Show “Free” Exhibitor Workshop where exhibitors were given tips and techniques on how to attract customers, sell their products, and make the most of their time at the Trade. The Products & Services Committee once again sponsored the “All in the Family” Contest. Communities were challenged to do business with TAA Members and to refer non-members for potential TAA membership. The top two Owner/Operators doing the most business with TAA Vendors starting January 1, 2011 through June 30, 2011 won $500 in TAA cash bucks. TAA Bucks can be use toward the registration of any Educational Opportunity or Networking Event hosted by TAA. They may also be redeemed toward ApartMentor or website advertising On October 27, 2011 the 4th Annual 5 Star Dinner was held at the Brier Creek Country Club. The evening served as a “networking” social opportunity to get to know the Regionals and Owners; and as such, there were no sales presentations or pitches during the evening. Each Regional received a notebook at the end of the evening especially designed for them by the sponsoring Associate Sponsors.
the ApartMentor | January/February
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