President’s Message — It’s Showtime

It’s Showtime!

At long last, trade show month has finally arrived for the Apartment Association of Orange County (AAOC), and I couldn’t be more excited. It’s been a year-and-ahalf since we were forced to postpone (and eventually cancel) our 2020 show, but now we’re just days away from presenting our 50th Annual AAOC Trade Show & Conference on Thursday, September 30th, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the OC Fair & Event Center. I hope you will join me, in-person, for what will be a day of celebration and reconnection for our dynamic rentalhousing industry.

As AAOC president and as an owner of rental property, I’m thrilled at the prospect of rental property owners, operators, managers, leasing agents, maintenance technicians, and other multifamily industry professionals coming back together for a day of educational seminars, networking, and introductions to new products and services aimed at helping them in the successful operation of their business and doing their job to the best of their ability. The AAOC Trade Show & Conference truly is one of the best industry trade shows in our state.

As an industry supplier and trade show exhibitor, I can’t wait to once again be able to meet face-to-face with an exhibition hall filled with rental property owners of all sizes — from “mom and pop” apartment owners of a few units or buildings to the mid-sized and large institutional owners with properties and thousands of units spread across multiple cities and counties. All potential business is welcomed, and I know the AAOC Trade Show & Conference is going to provide my company with opportunities, all day long, to meet with individuals and decision makers who are looking to expand their qualified vendor list and establish new business relationships.

Of course, putting on a successful trade show requires a support network of committed individuals to step up and contribute in different ways toward a common goal. I want to take a moment to thank and acknowledge the key players who played critical roles making this year’s show happen.

I want to start by thanking the AAOC board of directors for the wise counsel and leadership you’ve provided over the past 18 months as we have pivoted — multiple times — trying to make the trade show happen as soon as was reasonably possible.

To our AAOC staff, thank you for your determination, perseverance, patience, hard work, and commitment as you have planned and prepared what I know will be a first-class trade show for our members and prospective members to enjoy and benefit from attending. The AAOC membership is fortunate to have such a talented and competent team working on its behalf.

To our trade show volunteers, thank you for taking time away from your regular work responsibilities to help ensure the show runs smoothly for everyone. Your service to the AAOC at the registration booth, in the seminar room, outside the exhibit hall greeting attendees as they arrive, and inside the exhibit hall making sure exhibitors are taken care of and any needs are addressed promptly is greatly appreciated.

Finally, I want to thank our trade show sponsors for their commitment to AAOC and willingness to invest their financial resources to help ensure a successful and beneficial trade show experience for all attendees and exhibitors. To all who attend the show, please be sure to stop by our sponsors’ booths and thank them for their support: Platinum Sponsors: CBRE Multifamily SoCal — Dan Blackwell, and Chase Commercial Term Lending Gold Sponsors: BlueSky Restoration Contractors, JLE Property Management, Optimum Seismic, and WIRE Associates

Maintenance Demonstration Zone

Sponsor: Lowe’s Pro Supply WiFi Sponsor: WR Gorman & Associates Lanyard Sponsor: Cushman & Wakefield — Bridge Multifamily Team Seminar Sponsors: Access Exterminator Services, Buffalo Maintenance, Inc., Dedicated Transportation Services (DTS), and Perch Wealth Technology Sponsor: Arize Smart Apartment Solutions