Executive Director’s Message Trade Show Reflections and Appreciation

Trade Show Reflections and Appreciation

By DaviD J. CorDero exeCutive DireCtor

If you were among the nearly 1,200 rental housing providers who attended last month’s AAOC Trade Show & Conference, thank you for joining us and for spending part of your day connecting with nearly 100 industry vendors, attending informative seminars and maintenance demonstrations, and for being part of AAOC’s celebration of the multifamily industry. The sight of nearly 400 people lined up outside the exhibition hall before the doors opened at 9 a.m. was overwhelming, and it clearly reflected the level of interest, enthusiasm, and desire among rental-housing providers to get back to normal and get back to business. Lines of this length had not been seen in close to 30 years, and this strong, early morning turnout was indicative of what was to come that day. For those of you who arrived early and waited patiently to get inside, thank you for your understanding as we worked as quickly as we could to move attendees through our overwhelmed fast-pass and on-site registration lines. Rest assured, we learned from this unexpected situation, and we are already planning adjustments to improve the flow of foot traffic as guests enter the exhibition hall at the 2023 show.

As you can imagine, putting on a successful trade show requires considerable planning, coordination, marketing and promotion, a dedicated staff, a corps of volunteers, a target market that will register and attend the show, and so much more. If you attended this year’s show, I hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed putting it on for you.

I particularly want to thank my AAOC team for their many contributions over the past eight months which helped make this year’s show a success. Sandy Gimpelson for her diligence, patience, and resolve, her tough negotiating skills, her attention to detail in the planning and execution of all aspects of the show, and so much more. Debbie DiBernardo for her dedication and resilience selling exhibitor booths and show sponsorships, for securing our live entertainment and sponsors for our first-ever trade show after party, and for always looking for new angles to generate interest and participation. Gissel Cuevas for her project management acumen, for making sure the little details weren’t overlooked so that things wouldn’t fall through the cracks, for being the keeper of lists and the reminder of deadlines, and for her experience and counsel. Spartacus Avina for always being ready to step in and assist his fellow team members when the need arises, for his ability to troubleshoot and solve unforeseen issues, and for jumping in to provide graphic design and technical assistance to help keep things moving forward. Chip Ahlswede for sharing his “new guy” perspective, providing reality checks, helping the team assess options and alternatives, and for bringing levity into our discussions during challenging moments. And Van Vo for jumping into a new industry, while also learning about the show, and offering immediate support to her team members on the financial reporting and transactional side of things.

Now, with the trade show behind us, we refocus on the outstanding educational programs, networking events, business development opportunities, and other activities we are planning for the second half of the year. We’ll have information on that in the coming weeks and months, but I do want to encourage you, right now, to buy your tickets for our next big event, AAOC’s Summer Cruise on Thursday, August 4th from 5:30–7:30 p.m. This member exclusive event is one not to be missed. We will once again spend the evening onboard the Wild Goose, the yacht of late motion picture legend John Wayne, for a sunset cruise of Newport Harbor complete with appetizers, cocktails, music, dancing, networking, and plenty of fun. Tickets and sponsorships are now on sale at www.AAOC.com.

Pagter PPIand Perry Isaacson

A PROFESSIONAL LAW CORPORATION r. gIbson Pagter, Jr. MIsty Perry Isaacson

BANKRUPTCY ATTORNEY

CERTIFIED SPECIALIST BANKRUPTCY LAW THE STATE BAR OF CALIFORNIA BOARD OF LEGAL SPECIALIZATION

525 N. Cabrillo Park Drive, Suite 104 Santa Ana, California 92701 Phone: (714) 541-6072 | Fax: (714) 541-6897 gibson@ppilawyers.com | misty@ppilawyers.com