TAA 2021 is around the corner and we are so excited for an in-person reunion with the Multifamily community!
The restaurant scene in San Antonio has labored through the COVID crisis and is now stronger than ever. With a myriad of quality selections, choosing where to go for lunch and dinner with your team while attending a conference can overwhelming. So, how about a little help from PrintWithMe?
We’ve put together a list of mouthwatering restaurants within walking distance from the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center for you to pick and choose from. Let’s dive right in!
CommonWealth Coffee House and Bakery
Breakfast & Brunch, Coffee and Bakery
$$ • 4 Stars on Yelp
Enjoy artisanal French pastries made by a third-generation baker from France together with freshly brewed, locally roasted coffee.
Mexican, Coffee, & Sandwiches
$ • 4 Stars on Yelp
Located in the historic arts village of La Villita and just steps away from the river walk, La Villita Cafe is a friendly, family-owned cafe that serves all-day breakfast, locally sourced coffee, and a rotating selection of craft beer on tap.
Rosarios Mexican Cafe y Cantina
Tex-Mex
$$ • 4 Stars on Yelp
Rosario's uncompromising attention to its food quality and customer service has earned the restaurant a reputation as one of the coolest and hippest destinations in the city. Over the years, Rosario's has received national and local recognition for its contemporary take on Tex-Mex cuisine.
German Deli
$ • 4 Stars on Yelp
Schilos Delicatessen serves breakfast all day and a comprehensive lunch menu. Known for their friendly staff, vintage atmosphere, as well as their staple deli selection including Reubens, split pea soup, and homemade rootbeer.
Tapas Bar, Cocktails and Beer
$$ • 4 Stars on Yelp
Serving traditional Spanish flavors to our menu lineup while infusing it with creativity from chef's specials, Toro Kitchen and Bar is a lively casual, yet sophisticated mature atmosphere with live music and flamenco.
Breakfast & Brunch, Coffee and Bakery
$$ • 4.5 Stars on Yelp
Brothers José and David Cáceres opened bakery-cafe La Panadería in 2014 to share their Mexican heritage and love for baking with the people of their adopted hometown of San Antonio, Texas.
New American, Bar, Vegetarian
$$ • 4 Stars on Yelp
Yard House, the modern American gathering place where beer and food lovers unite, is an upscale, casual eatery known for great food, classic rock music, an energetic vibe, and an endless fleet of tap handles featuring the best American craft and import beers.
Belgian, French
$$ • 4.5 Stars on Yelp
As the city's only Belgian bistro, the restaurant serves up masterfully prepared, traditional Belgian and French fare. situated in a warm and charming European setting. La Frite is also a family-owned business.
American Comfort Food
$$ • 4 Stars on Yelp
Maverick Texas Brasserie is both an everyday neighborhood hangout and a food-lover’s destination for special occasions. Where regulars will want to linger all day eating from small or large plates as they make memories over the open fire.
American Burgers, Lounges, Bar
$$ • 4 Stars on Yelp
When it comes to choosing the best Riverwalk bars to spend your time, the atmosphere certainly matters. The Esquire boasts the longest wooden bar top in Texas - over 100 feet of beer-soaked wood rubbed smooth by the elbows of a zillion tipplers.
Wine Bar, American Burgers
$$ • 4 Stars on Yelp
Zinc serves wines from all corners of the globe with an emphasis on champagne and domestic varietals, many offered by the glass. Zinc features bistro fare with a distinctively Southwestern flair.
Italian
$$ • 4 Stars on Yelp
SILO Restaurants and Food Network Star runner-up and Executive Chef Luca Della Casa announce the opening of NONNA Osteria, offering artisan Northern Italian cuisine, honoring the regional traditions and heritage of Chef Della Casa’s homeland.
Here are the top four multifamily technologies featured at this year's annual NMHC OPTECH conference in Dallas.
Trending topics at NMHC OPTECH this year included artificial intelligence, data privacy, and self-guided tours.
Over 2,000 professionals in the multifamily industry attended this year's NMHC OPTECH Conference. If you haven't already, check out our blog post on the Key Takeaways from Optech 2019 for access to summaries of speaker presentations and slides from the conference.
Many of the speaker presentations at OPTECH focused in on the topics of data privacy, artificial intelligence, and self-guided apartment tours, so we've decided to make a list of companies that have developed innovative technology in some of these areas.
Here is our list of the top 4 companies at OPTECH 2019 with innovative technology that will change the leasing process for renters and save time for your property staff:
Apartment Geofencing | Precise Prospect Targeting
Apartment Geofencing is a brand new company founded in 2019 by Matthew Kilmurry. Apartment Geofencing uses Simpli.fi technology to create digital fences around target zones that rental prospects are likely to visit such as competitor properties, neighborhood points of interest, employers, and more. Prospects in these areas are served targeted mobile ads that encourage them to visit the property website or make an appointment for a tour.
Apartment Geofencing clients can also place a geofence around their own property as a conversion zone, so they can track how many prospects from their target zones actually enter their leasing office. With geofencing, digital advertising can replace traditional community outreach and foot traffic can be digitally tracked. Visit ApartmentGeofencing.com to learn more!
LeaseHawk | AI Leasing Agent (ACE)
LeaseHawk recently introduced a new AI Voice Assistant technology called ACE in the summer of 2019. ACE is a virtual leasing agent that can distinguish callers from residents or prospects and is able to set appointments, check apartment availability, answer leasing questions, and collect guest card info.
ACE technology is able to answer leasing calls when agents can't get to the phone. With nearly 49% of phone calls being missed by leasing office, ACE technology can help fill the gap and give prospects the info they need to continue their leasing journey.
Tour 24 | Always Open. Always Leasing.
One of the most popular topics at OPTECH was self-guided tours. According to survey data, 40% of U.S. adults have passed on a property because they couldn't find time to see it. Almost all renters want to see an apartment before leasing, yet it's extremely hard to get to a leasing office after work.
Tour24 has developed an app that prospects can use for self-guided apartment tours, so that properties are able to keep their doors open for touring 24/7. Renters can follow audio and text prompts on their mobile phones and learn about a community using the Tour24 app. Many management companies have begun to augment their leasing experience with self-guided tours for after hours touring and re-tours. Check out the Tour24 demo video here to learn more.
PrintWithMe | Secure Resident Printing
While printing isn't the most sexy tech innovation, PrintWithMe has developed a product that you'll want to put some thought into. PrintWithMe offers self-service printers that encrypt resident documents and delete them after printing is complete, so that their information is kept completely confidential.
Data privacy was a hot button topic at OPTECH because of the new California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) legislation taking effect in January 2020. PrintWithMe addresses data privacy concerns related to printing, so that can print private documents confidently knowing that their documents are secure. Printing support is also available 7 days per week for residents and all supplies are auto-ordered and shipped directly to the property, so that leasing staff don't have to spend time dealing with printer issues.
That's a wrap of our Top 4 Companies at OPTECH 2019! We hope you've enjoyed our roundup of some of the most innovative tech companies in #Multifamily at the moment. We hope to see you at OPTECH in Vegas next year!
After attending this year's NMHC OPTECH Conference & Expo in Dallas, here are some key insights we had to share. Read on to learn about what is currently disrupting the multifamily industry and what changes to expect in the near future.
Over 2,000 professionals in the multifamily industry attended this year's NMHC OPTECH Conference & Expo. About half of these were CEOs, COOs, VPs, and other C-Level executives. Attendees had the opportunity to share knowledge and connect with other industry professionals during the networking events, peer roundtables, expo showcase, and speaker presentations that spanned over the 3-day conference.
One of the biggest topics at this year's OPTECH conference was self-guided tour technology. This topic came up in numerous presentations and panels throughout the conference. Here's some key points that show that self-guided tours might not just be passing fad in multifamily.
According to 2020 Kingsley Survey Data of over 373,000 multifamily residents, 86% of renters say that they would not rent without seeing an apartment in person. Yet it's extremely hard for prospects to make time for a tour during leasing hours.
Many leasing offices offer the last tours of the day before 5:30pm and renters aren't able to get there in time after work. Busy prospects may pass up communities that don't have flexible touring options and lease elsewhere.
One of the most interesting sessions at OPTECH was the Cage Match: Leasing Agent vs. Self-Guided Tour Performance moderated by Todd Katler, Founder & CEO of Anyone Home Inc. Featured speakers included Khushbu Sikaria of The Bozzuto Group, Mia Wentworth of CWS Apartments, and Phil Rogers of Invitation Homes. There weren't enough seats in the conference room as this was one of the most popular sessions. You can find the presentation slides here.
Here are some data points that were shared at the session:
Conversion rates for self-guided tours are actually higher than agent led tours when both options are offered. Many prospects enjoy the flexibility that self-guided tours give them. They are able to tour outside of regular leasing hours and they can come back to a property multiple times with family members and friends. Prospects are able to tour at their own pace and carefully consider their new home before leasing, without placing an extra burden on leasing staff.
The idea of self-guided tours has certainly caught on with OPTECH 2019 attendees. At the Ask the Tech Pros session moderated by Brian Zrimsek of MRI, attendees were polled about their likelihood to implement self-guided tours at their communities. 65% of industry professionals polled plan to implement self guided tours before the end of 2022 or have already begun the process.
That's not to say that self-guided tours will be replacing agent led tours anytime soon. Most industry professionals simply want to augment their current leasing experience with flexible self-guided options. Some management companies are beginning to offer self-guided options just for retours.
The majority of prospects still prefer to tour with a leasing agent before signing. According to 2020 Kingsley Survey Data, 69% of prospects prefer to tour with a community representative to ask questions.
Another highly discussed topic at OPTECH was automation. 36% of industry professionals polled plan to implement Robotic Process Automation by the end of 2022 or earlier. Another 29% of these professionals admit that it is not yet on their radar.
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a technology that can remove repetitive tasks from the plates of leasing agents. There are many examples of RPA in the lead nurturing process. For instance, RPA software can detect when a prospect is looking for a 3-bedroom apartment and then act by automatically sending over a discount offer on available 3-bedroom options at a community. RPA can also nurture residents through the life cycle process by sending out welcome emails at move-in or renewal email drips near the end of a renter's lease automatically.
Conversational AI (Artificial Intelligence) was also a trending topic at OPTECH this year. 65% of industry professionals polled plan to implement Conversation AI in their portfolios by the end of 2022 or earlier.
An example of an application of AI in multifamily is Voice Assistant Technology, such as LeaseHawk. Automated Assistants are able to answer prospect phone calls after hours or when leasing agents are unable to get to the phone. They can respond to resident inquiries about floor plan availability and book appointments around the clock. Automated assistants make sure that the leasing process can continue 24/7 and are able to convert prospects that might've otherwise been missed opportunities.
AI Powered Call Analysis also allows companies to score leasing agents' phone calls with first time prospects and identify strengths and weaknesses. Another example of AI is website chat bot technology that interacts with prospects and answers questions with the goal to schedule tour appointments.
One of the main takeaways from the session, A Process Audit: Reviewing, Streamlining, and Automating to Save Time and Money, was that 100% self-service is a real option in the multifamily industry.
As time progresses, AI technology will continue to improve and better address the needs of leads that leasing agents don't have time to nurture properly. This will allow property staff to focus on other tasks that will improve community engagement and resident retention.
By far the most concerning topic of conversation at OPTECH was the pending roll-out of California's "CCPA" bill. NMHC hosted special summits on Cyber-Security and Data Privacy Regulation that were well attended by Operations and IT leaders across the industry. More info can be found on the topic here: https://www.nmhc.org/data-privacy/.
PrintWithMe has prepared the ultimate guide to help you experience the best Dallas has to offer!
NMHC OPTECH 2019 is in Dallas this year! Read up on our Dallas travel tips below.
In just a few days, over a thousand decision-making executives will be gathering at the 2019 NMHC OPTECH Conference & Expo for 3 days of networking, workshops, and keynote speakers. If you are one of these industry attendees, be sure to explore the best in technology for multifamily while you’re there (and don’t forget to check out the PrintWithMe booth at #376).
Outside of the conference, PrintWithMe has prepared a few things to make your stay more welcome in one of the most modern cities in Texas.
Here are some of the things you should do while you’re in Dallas:
Dallas is a city known for its unique urban art districts. Enjoy a visit to the Dallas Museum of Art to see over 23,000 works of art from a variety of cultures and time periods. Or, if you're a history buff, check out The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza; their John F. Kennedy exhibit is educational and fun. For a fresh change of pace, take a breather outside at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens -- perfect for a nice fall day!
Explore some of the biggest urban arts neighborhoods in America, with museums, restaurants, and theaters galore. Take a walk through the Dallas Arts District and tour iconic buildings full of culture, with everything from theater to art to music. If you start to get hungry, hop over to the Bishop Arts District, home to over 60 restaurants, bars, coffee shops, boutiques, and more. Then, walk off dinner in Highland Park Village by doing some shopping and browsing at the most upscale shops in Dallas.
Wind down after a long day of exploring with some of the best local drinks Dallas has to offer. The Design District and Bishops Arts District have a variety of craft beverages for you to try. Or, alternatively, you can go to the birthplace of the frozen margarita and try the iconic drink at any of the Mariano’s Hacienda or La Hacienda Ranch locations scattered throughout the city. For an even bigger variety of night festivities, check out Lower Greenville, Deep Ellum, or Uptown Dallas -- there’s something for everyone!
We hope you enjoyed our short guide to Dallas. We can’t wait to see everyone at NMHC OPTECH!
Here are the top 3 takeaways for property managers from ZED 2019, which highlighted the latest apartment amenities and strategies.
Jeremy Brown, Vice President of Marketing at ZRS Management and keynote speaker, Veronica Romney.
Every year, ZRS Management holds their ZRS Education & Discovery Conference (ZED 2019) that features the newest and most innovative technology-driven amenities and marketing strategies in the multifamily apartment industry. Last week's conference in Miami saw dozens of apartment vendors showcasing the latest multifamily apartment amenities, technologies and strategies to grow business in 2019 and beyond.
Here are the top 3 takeaways for property managers in 2019...
Joe Summers, CRO and Kimberly Cameron, VP of Sales at tech vendor, PrintWithMe.
The apartment industry contributes $3.5 billion daily and $1.3 trillion yearly to annual GDP, according to a study published in 2013 the NMHC and NAA.
The industry has continued to grow rapidly in recent years, so there’s plenty of opportunity for property management companies to capitalize on the market – but there’s also lots of competition.
According to a 2019 NMHC report, the top 50 property management companies, such as Greystar, Bozzuto, and ZRS Management control 15.9% of the multifamily market.
What do these big players do differently? They continue to invest in technology.
“We invest a lot in technology," says Jeremy Brown, Vice President of ZRS Management in an interview with Business View Magazine. "We educate all of our folks on the latest and greatest mobile applications, industry trends, etc. It’s an opportunity to reinforce our stance on technology and educate our folks that this is in the forefront of everything.”
The ZRS Technology Conference was founded to educate company managers, leasing people, and the entire corporate team on the importance of technology in areas such as online leasing, smart amenities, and marketing strategies. The company flew approximately 500 people to Miami to expose employees to top multifamily tech vendors including, Respage, Iotas , PrintWithMe, and Modern Message.
Property managers looking to stay ahead of the competition should continually stay up-to-date on the latest technologies that improve property management and resident experiences, including smart home technologies, new property management mobile apps, tech-based lifestyle amenities (like Peloton), and more.
Members of Generation Z make up the largest generation at 27% of U.S. population, and they have grown up with technology at their finger tips. The oldest members of Generation Z are turning 22 this year and have graduated college or skipped it entirely and they are looking to rent their first modern and convenient apartments.
Gen Z relies much more heavily on social media and online searches for their apartment search than previous generations. The average attention span of a Gen Zer is 8 seconds, so property management companies must market to Gen Z with interactive online leasing tools and custom virtual tours in order to stand out among the sea of apartment listings.
With access to more online resources and information about the rental scene, Generation Z will refuse to pay more for apartments without up-to-date amenities including smart home systems and time saving services such as cloud printing and quick drop-off dry cleaning lockers.
Property management companies will have to appeal to the needs of Gen Z'ers if they plan to grow within the next 5-10 years.
Are you a property manager based out of Florida? If yes, then you should definitely be aware of the "Florida Man". If you aren't familiar with the Florida Man, you can read up on it here. Essentially, make sure your new tenants don't meet the 'craziness'-levels that can often be spotted in news headlines about Florida.
One of the biggest highlights at this year's ZRS Education & Discovery conference was the #FloridaManChallenge.
Check out some #FloridaManChallenge pictures from the event here. Photos courtesy are courtesy of Downtown Photo.
That wraps up the top three takeaways from this year's ZED conference. We hope these notes can help to plan for future property management and resident acquisition strategies, and we hope to see you at ZED 2020!
These 5 Denverite facts will change the way you explore NAA Apartmentalize 2019, and any conference in the future.
Technology dominates all topics surfacing from the multifamily industry and it will certainly take centerstage at the upcoming NAA Apartmentalize 2019 Expo too.
Here at PrintWithMe, we have set our visions on streamlining and automating processes using technology so that property managers can spend less time running a print shop and reinvest those time in speaking to the needs of their very own unique community.
As much as we care about efficient technology, our team also deeply cares about serving our communities and giving back to others. We think about how we can help others in every aspect of our day-to-day work.
To do that, we first have to understand the community we aim to serve. To help NAA visitors gets to know Denver a bit better, PrintWithMe has put together a research piece to help us learn about the Denver community we are about to be in when we make our way to NAA 2019 (in two weeks!).
In a study conducted by the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts, nearly two billion dollars were generated by metro Denver art, cultural and scientific organizations in 2013. This comes to show that when you find joy in doing the things you put your hands on, it flourishes.
Trade shows and expositions can be dreadfully long, and exhausting if you’re not injecting the fun into it. PrintWithMe took this finding to heart and we’ve made it a goal to help all NAA attendees create those fun moments.
Check out our hilarious “Office-themed” photo booth with your friends and capture your happy NAA times at Booth #2034!
A study in 2016 done by the Colorado Public Interest Research Group (CoPIRG) and Eco-Cycle shows that Denver’s recycling rate at 12% falls well below the national averages at 35%. One of the reasons Denver isn’t on par for their recycling efforts is because the city currently does not require that apartment complexes with seven apartments or more provide convenient recycling services to their residents.
This is something we can all take into our own hands! This year at NAA, make sure you keep a lookout on exhibitors that are there to provide sustainability solutions such as CheckSammy that makes it easy for residents to trade in their used items.
PrintWithMe has also recently just launched our Green Policy where we are committed to providing paper recycling resources to all of our partners upon request to encourage responsible printing in every community.
The Mile High City earned its name because it sits at an elevation of exactly one mile above sea level. Higher altitude also means bluer skies, warmer sunshine and drier air, something Denverites wear with great pride but might be a challenge to those coming from lower altitudes.
As a reminder, be sure to hydrate to avoid headaches and help your body adapt to the mountain air of the region. If you’re enjoying the Denver’s craft beer scene, know that the rarified air make alcoholic drinks pack more of a punch than at sea level, so drink responsibly!
The home to Coors and thousands of other microbreweries such as Prost Brewing and 14er Brewing Company, don’t expect to find Bud Light on tap when you’re out at a bar in Denver.
Take this chance to explore the local brewery scenes in Denver using this guide. We’d even suggest you to take it one step further by setting up meetings at a nearby brewery instead of the hotel lobby or a conference room.
Denver grew by 30% in the 1990s - an average of 1,000 new residents a week, every week for 10 years. Its diversity brings colorful personalities to neighborhoods like the RiNo Art District where creatives from all around the world reside and made Denver the thriving city as it is today.
Tens and thousands of us travel across the country to gather at NAA. We’d like you to see it as an opportunity to learn from someone of a different ethnicity, educational background, and professional experience. You will find out one of the PrintWithMe team members actually sings acapella!
We can’t wait to see you soon in amazing Denver, Colorado. Meet the PrintWithMe team at booth #2034 at NAA 2019. See you there!
These tech companies are bringing disruptive and positive changes to the apartment industry, as seen at NAA Apartmentalize 2019 in Denver.
Every year, 10,000+ attendees from the multifamily apartment industry flock to NAA Apartmentalize. This year, the highlights NAA presented included a fun-filled Welcome Party on the lawn at the Denver Art Complex, general session speakers like Mindy Kaling, and of course, exhibitors who perfected every inch of their booth spaces to showcase their amazing products and services.
Here are some of the exhibitors that were particularly buzzed-about at this year's NAA conference. Through their innovative technologies and customer-focused mindsets, each of these companies are set to reinvent the multifamily industry for the better:
Apartments List is a smart, simple, and seamless renting platform that automates the lead collection process so that leasing agents can focus on responding to qualified renters. This company is also an expert in researching and putting together solid resources from moving guides to renter migration report.
CheckSammy is the simple one-stop-shop that collects and locates new homes for used items through their elaborate app-based marketplace. They also work closely with city councils and properties to completely take over the recycling process using their extensive distribution network that helps repurposing, relocating, and recycling old goods in a conscious manner.
InfoTycoon is an innovative asset management software that streamlines the due diligence process. Inspectors and property managers can access property performance (and damages) using their app instead of using messy spreadsheets, or worse, handwriting on paper. InfoTycoon’s mission is to help investors make deals fasters and ongoing asset management a breeze."
For only 17.5% of the total security deposit cost, Jetty allows both the properties and the renters to sign their leases faster with guaranteed protection backed by a large insurance company. Properties can reimbursed immediately when a damage was done by the renters and Jetty will take care of the rest of the process.
PrintWithMe is makes printing simple for both property staff and the residents alike. They provide a premium printer amenity that includes a modern printer station, a live support team 7 days a week, and all the supplies you’d need to successfully outsource your print operations. Residents can print wirelessly, securely, and quickly from their own devices from anywhere.
Plus, PrintWithMe proudly only uses sustainable paper and helps residents reduce their individual electronic consumption by encouraging the use of shared resources (one community printer vs. everyone buying their own).
Tide Cleaners is an on-demand, locker-based dry cleaning service that gives residents the luxury to get their laundry done without leaving the building. There is no cost for the property to offer this premium amenity to their community while upping their residents retention rate.
Fetch eliminates the need of a package room in the building and take the concierge off-
site entirely. They provide a door-to-door delivery and an indefinite storage period for residents. Residents simply set the time and date they want to receive their packages, and they will be delivered to their doorsteps in no time.
Click here to learn more about NAA Apartmentalize and attend next year's session filled with more innovative exhibitors.
Bites and insights were shared amongst the nationwide team at the PWM HQ.
The PrintWithMe team (including 2-year-old Sanya!) at the new office
It’s a wrap!
PrintWithMe has been preparing for our first annual 2019 Sales Summit and Office Warming Party for months to bring together the nationwide team to share sales insights and celebrate moving into a new office space in early May. We are proud to have had a successful day planning for 2019 printer expansion across the United States, topped off the super fun office party with over 50 people attendance - including our investors, clients, friends, and family.
The team has much to cheers to. PrintWithMe officially launched a little less than five years ago and we have come a long way – currently in over 700 locations nationwide with more than 300,000 users and growing!
It is at times like this in the year when our hardworking, ambitious team has a moment to take a step back from our desks and witness how much we have come accomplished individually, and as a company. After the conclusion of the sales summit, we are even more excited about whats to come in 2nd half of 2019 and beyond!
We are thrilled that our office party guest attendees enjoyed the live flamenco performance and the food and drinks prepared to you respectively by ZeroCater, and Tropical Twist Bartending.
Our team would also like to graciously thank our generous sponsors, JLL, Cognos HR, Brother, and DLA Piper for making the summit and party a delightful one.
If you're attending the NAA Apartmentalize 2019 conference in Denver, don't miss the party at PrintWithMe's booth #2034. ????
Are you attending the NAA Apartmentalize 2019 conference in Denver, Colorado in two weeks? Well get ready for a party, because PrintWithMe is excited to invite you to our booth #2034 where we’ll be celebrating the special love printing has for esteemed paper companies, like Dunder Mifflin.
In honor of the incredible TV-show, The Office, and in honor of PrintWithMe’s hilarious printer jokes, we will be hosting an “Office-themed” party and you’re invited!
Join us and (card-board) Michael Scott at our epic photo booth where he will pose next to a sexy PrintWithMe printer. We also plan to occasionally send him paper and nudge him to refill the paper tray using our auto-supply reordering technology.
Certified #Dunderheads a.k.a the PrintWithMe team will also be there giving away the in demand Office Survival Kits and happily sharing Dwight-approved printer facts with you.
Be sure to bring your friends and put on your best Dwight Shrute gameface!
See you there!