As a Tier 3 Sponsor of this year’s 2021 TAA ONE Conference & Expo in San Antonio, we were both excited and cautious about our first in-person event. The last event we did before the pandemic forced a shut-down was the IREM/DMAA trade show in Michigan on March 4th, 2020. Suffice it to say we didn’t know just how much dust had collected on our walking skills!
We’ve missed you all!
To state the obvious first – it was amazing to see all of our friends’ faces (the top half, anyway)! This is naturally a people-oriented industry, so conducting business for over a year mostly in the confines of our office or virtual office was starting to wear thin. It was such a good feeling to be back in our natural environment again, even if it was with masks, face shields, and enough hand sanitizer to fill an Olympic sized pool.
But this is where Texas Apartment Association shined. Regardless how successful any “normal” portion of the event was (and it most definitely was successful), TAA did an amazing job pulling off COVID protocols. It was easy to feel more comfortable with the checkpoints in place, social distancing, masks, hand sanitizers, and enhanced cleaning protocols put in place. This is also a testament to the hotels and conference centers, who were no doubt just as responsible for the success of the event.
Education & Expo
The education portion of TAA ONE this year was top-notch. ALN Apartment Data sponsored the customer service track, which had sessions by great speakers like Stephanie Naylor, Colleen Grahn, Andy Masters, Nina Troester, and Michelle Molinaro. These are some of the most talented individuals and we are so honored to be able to introduce them with their sessions.
The trade show floor felt different this year but that does not translate into bad. Not at all, in fact. While traffic felt a bit slower paced, that left time for some meaningful conversations (and reunions). We like the big crowd that TAA typically attracts but this year we enjoyed the more nuanced approach to talking about multifamily data with folks.
Recap: The Norm and the New Norm
Honestly, it was quite easy to slip right back into “trade show mode,” as we call it around the office. There’s a lot of planning that goes into a show and it was nice to get back into that mindset. We learned some lessons on how to deal with the new norm and it will take a few events to get used to it. Most difficult of all? Not just hugging on everyone’s necks like we’re used to doing. We love our industry, and our industry is people.
Not every trade show could be pulled off like TAA managed to do. We’re thankful for their efforts and the efforts of all agencies and companies who made it possible to see one another again. It was truly wonderful to see old friends and to make some new ones. If you weren’t able to attend or make it to our booth, let’s talk about multifamily data soon!
Did you miss us at the trade show?
If you missed our booth or were unable to make it to the trade show – we’d still love to talk with you about your business goals and how we can help!
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