Annual Condo Conference & Expo set for October 24

Janet Aronson, CAI-NE Chapter

Each year CAI-NE hosts the annual Condo Conference and Expo, an event dedicated solely to the unique needs of condominium board members and professional community association managers. This year’s event with expanded education will include a keynote speaker, board member appreciation breakfast and manager recognition lunch, as well as panel discussions and seminars. In addition, a variety of industry professionals and business partners will provide solutions to the challenges facing todays’ communities and offer insight into what’s on the horizon for New England associations and their managers. Set for Saturday, October 24 at the Burlington Marriott Hotel in Burlington, Mass., this year’s conference will educate, appreciate and entertain.

The conference will provide invaluable resources and explore best practices for New England community association success. Educational sessions will include topics ranging from insurance and claims to legal questions and answers. In addition a special panel program for small associations will address unique self-managed challenges. In addition to professional community association managers, the conference & expo brings together hundreds of association volunteer board members from communities of all sizes.

Educational Programs and Forums

Experienced industry speakers will present programs that will address the most pressing issues facing condominium boards and association managers, while panel forums will provide a more interactive exchange and debate of specific audience questions. Challenged with complex insurance questions and claims; budget shortfalls and inadequate reserves; changing laws and legal debates, associations more than ever before are looking for answers to a variety of questions. In addition to these current day problems, the conference will address the age old issues of common interest communities including rules enforcement, bylaw amendments and owner disputes. The ever popular panel discussions, presented by seasoned condominium attorneys, engineers, managers, CPAs and others, will explain what associations and managers should do in everyday situations.

In addition to the 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. October 24 Conference & Expo educational offerings and trade show, the CAI New England Chapter Emerging Leaders Network Committee (ELN) will sponsor a post-conference networking reception from 3 – 5 p.m.

Exhibit Hall and Professional Advice

Business partners from a wide variety of industries will participate in a sold out exhibit hall answering questions and posing solutions to everyday problems and concerns ranging from asphalt to windows and contracts to complaints. All the professional one-on-one advice and expert resources you need can be found.

Keynote Speaker - Elise Simard

Elise Simard

“Our ability to communicate drives all of our successes and failures.”  This principle is the foundation of the hundreds of programs Elise Simard has developed and is the message to the thousands of people she has trained.  She has delivered training seminars to Fortune 500 companies, property management companies and nonprofit organizations to name a few.  Simard’s coaching/training style reflects her belief in instant implementation of her tools and techniques to maximize tangible results.

Appreciation Breakfast for Community Association Volunteer Leaders - Avoid the Fight:  Managing Conflict Association board members are inserted into conflict situations by the shear nature of their responsibilities.  Rules enforcement, assessment collection, neighbor disputes and serving as the messengers of bad news are fertile ground for conflict.  While far from being the sum total of board activities it takes a large share of time and energy.  For some, it can exceed the norm and make the board members role challenging at best and downright untenable in the most severe instances.    Gain insights to help understand conflict and learn essential skills to manage conflict and reduce the stress and discomfort it can bring.

Recognition Lunch For Community Association Managers

Keeping Your Cool:  How Managers Can Mitigate Conflict

Have homeowners made outlandish requests, then gotten mad at you for not complying?  Are you surrounded by squabbles of staff, vendors and residents?  Have you ever thought there has to be a better way to resolve these situations early before they snowball out of control?  Learn core mediation principals and how you can leverage these concepts to defuse conflict before it escalates.

For more information about registration fees and schedule contact the chapter office at 781-237-9020 x10 or www.caine.org.

Janet Aronson, Esq. is the 2015 CAI-NE chapter president, Wellesley, Mass.