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| 2010 Conference Update |
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CFAA 2010 Canadian Rental Housing Conference
June 14 & 15 in Vancouver, BC--A Great Success!
For Conference photos, click here.
For inquiries about next year's Conference, please contact Erin Wallace, Membership & Event Coordinator at (613) 235-0101 x 227 or events@cfaa-fcapi.org.
CFAA Expanded Conference Goes Off Without a Hitch!
The first CFAA Rental Housing Conference was a huge success. The Conference took place in Vancouver June 14 and 15. Over 170 delegates, speakers and suppliers attended the conference from across Canada.
“We’re very pleased with the result of the conference,” said John Dickie, President of the Canadian Federation of Apartment Associations (CFAA). “We had a great turnout, interesting speakers and an eager audience. The feedback has been very positive.”
The conference took place over two days and was divided into two streams, one aimed at the information needs of property managers and the other geared to senior executives and rental housing investors.
The first day’s focus was Energy and the Environment. Speakers such as CAPREIT’s Mark Kenney, Effort Trust’s David Horwood, Minto’s John Stang and Boardwalk’s David McIlveen joined with engineers and energy experts and suppliers to discuss a wide range of topics, including the energy price outlook, new energy technologies, energy saving measures and sub-metering.
On the second day, the focus was investment and management. Speakers such as Tom Schwartz, CEO of CAPREIT, Scott Ullrich, CEO of Gateway Properties, Darren Slind of JD Power and Associates, Derek Lobo, Bonnie Hoy, Robert Fleet and others talked about the economic forecast for 2010 and 2011, attracting and keeping tenants in the digital age, ancillary revenue sources and the effects of the new HST. Most sessions included outside experts and then a knowledgeable landlord to comment. Delegates particularly liked the mix of information that approach provides.
Day 2 also included Cross Canada Round Up, when landlords from across the country discussed new municipal and provincial regulations and how they will affect landlords.
Conference delegates came from a variety of backgrounds. Some were landlords who own seven units, while others oversee 5,000 or more units. Whatever the size of their portfolio, the feedback from attendees was glowing. “Without exception, the speakers were all very knowledgeable,” said one delegate. “I enjoyed the theoretical presentation followed by real examples that have been implemented,” said another delegate.
Participants enjoyed the smaller Q&A sessions that allowed them to get up close and personal with the speakers. “I really enjoyed the Q&A session,” wrote one delegate. “It allowed people to focus on what was important to them.”
The two day conference was also an opportunity to network and make deals. After the first day’s sessions, a cocktail reception allowed delegates and suppliers to mingle in a relaxed and open environment.
Mike Chopowick, Manager of Policy at the Federation of Rental-Housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO), thought the conference was a success. “The CFAA conference truly succeeded in bringing together rental housing industry leaders from across Canada” he said.
The next CFAA conference will be held in 2011 in Toronto.
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