Did you attend the Florida Apartment Association (FAA) tradeshow this year? It was held from August 26th -28th at the Caribe Royale Orlando All-Suites Hotel in Orlando, Florida. This year was a huge success as the Florida Apartment Association (FAA) conference opened its doors to more than 450 multi-housing professionals. The conference encouraged attendees to “Catch the Next Wave” of industry innovations. Multi-housing professionals learned more about technology, customer service, green initiatives, marketing, and training. Check out this 2009 Florida Apartment Association Conference and Trade Show highlight video which captures moments from the successful education conference and trade show!
And of course, you know your friendly For Rent Media Solutions staff was there representing! Corporate and Florida employees were decked out in bright colored t-shirts with icon graphics to include ways we reach consumers: text, mobile, social media, video and much more!
Listen to a testimonial from one of our clients Lori Donnelly, VP CFH Group with For Rent Media Solutions to Dori Rones, South Florida GSM of For Rent Media Solutions.
From August 26-28, the Caribe Royale Orlando All-Suites Hotel will open its doors to more than 450 multi-housing professionals for this year’s Florida Apartment Association (FAA) conference. The conference encourages attendees to “Catch the Next Wave” of industry innovations. On Friday, August 28, attendees will also have the opportunity to listen to some of the most experienced social media professionals in the industry during an hour long social media session that starts at 8 a.m. This is a great opportunity to extend your social media knowledge! FAA’s social media panel will answer questions on social media and discuss strategies that may benefit your community, including successful tips on the basics of social media, with an emphasis on video marketing, Twitter and Facebook. Whether you are a supplier or management professional, everyone is sure to benefit from these best practices and general discussion.
Panelists include:
Erica Campbell, Marketing Manager, For Rent Media Solutions™
Melanie Stiles, National Training & Marketing Director, Milestone Management, L.P.
Judy Bellack, VP Operations, Apartment Finder
The session moderator is Kellie Jackson, Milestone Management, L.P.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. My cousin’s favorite song to accompany her favorite sport - football. We’re going to focus on college football for this one though.
The Florida Gators are the preseason #1, no surprise there. I’m not a Gator fan by any means (FSU all the way!), but I’ve heard it is a pretty nice area. If you’re starting school in the fall you may want to check out some off campus housing near Florida State University or the University of Florida. With Tim Tebow returning for his senior season, the Gators are predicted to win their third national title in four years. The top ten also includes: Texas, Oklahoma, USC, Virginia Tech, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Alabama, Penn State and Oklahoma State, in that order.
The top ten rankings don’t show it, but the SEC is going to be a lot stronger this season with five teams in the top 25 (Florida, Alabama, LSU, Mississippi and Georgia). LSU has been known for their defense in the past, but have struggled since power defensive lineman, Glenn Dorsey left in ‘08. I have high hopes for the Tigers, though. Georgia is a school that continues to go after it year after year; they finished last year with a very respectable 10-3 record. Coach Mark Richt has a no nonsense attitude and apparently so does the Bulldogs’ mascot, UGA.
It’s clear that quarterbacks dominate discussion for this season with the top three Heisman candidates, Colt McCoy (Texas), Sam Bradford (Oklahoma) and Tim Tebow (Florida) all starting in the QB position. Two of them hail from the Big 12 conference; Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford. Out of these three, my vote goes to Colt McCoy because I’m neither a Florida nor Oklahoma fan. My hatred for Oklahoma stems back to 2003 win they gave Jason White the Heisman trophy. Larry Fitzgerald got robbed! What ever happened to Mr. White anyway? Has anyone seen or heard from him? Is he even in the NFL anymore? That would be a NO! This is one of the many reasons why I’m looking forward to the Red River Rivalry even more this season.
Last season Texas beat Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry even with the horrible officiating throughout the game. And I will never understand how the Sooners jumped the Longhorns in the rankings last season when they clearly beat them in the head to head. There will never be a logical explanation for that mess. That’s the BCS ranking system for you. But if you’re thinking about moving and you’re an avid college football fan like me, think about Texas as many would argue the Lone Star state is home to the best college football athletes in the country. Check out some apartments for rent in Dallas, Austin and San Antonio.
Schools in the rebuilding phase: Notre Dame. They are currently listed as #23 in USA Today Poll. I think that’s rather high especially with Charlie Weis’ job hanging in the balance. If the Fighting Irish don’t come through this year, he’s probably done. The Irish have ranked in college football’s elite throughout history, but you wouldn’t know it from recent seasons. They finished last season with a less than respectable 6-6 record. That’s not going to get it done this year. But if you’re still holding on to the Irish’s old glory days (like my father) then you’ll want to check out some apartments in South Bend.
Miami is another school that’s had its share of struggles. Miami really hasn’t been the same since the Ken Dorsey/Willis McGahee era (I’m not a Hurricanes fan, but I’m secretly a WM fan). Even though they’re not ranked in the top 25, the ‘Canes have a lot of returning talent and look to start the season strong. However, their first game is against the ‘Noles on 9/7 so that’s a guaranteed loss. Sorry Miami.
It looks like this is going to be a pretty eventful season. Many analysts predict the Gators to win the 2010 National Championship, but I think it’s still up in the air. Either way, I can’t wait for the season to start. Everyone mark your calendar for Thursday, September 3rd. Hard hitting and pigskin, that’s what I live for.
ForRent.com is providing more great information about apartment communities in your area. And check out the most recent uploaded videos…… We upload them to our video syndication network which consists of a variety of sites such as: YouTube, MySpace, Yahoo, Dailymotion and others to make them more accessible for your viewing pleasure! Helping you to find an apartment any time, any where!
We are pleased to announce for the first time the availability of these videos on social media sites such as YouTube, MySpace, Yahoo, Dailymotion, AptsVideo.com. States where apartment communities are featured would include Arizona, California, Florida and Texas.
So, sit back and relax while you absorb the highlights of these apartment communities….(please, don’t spoil the movie by adding your own soundtrack! Turn your phone on silent.) J
Last year I wrote about the Bottled Water Debate and the stats about how consuming water from packaged water bottles was bad for the environment, you can read it here. When I was sitting on my plane from Miami to Atlanta, delayed from my glorious vacation in Key West, Florida, I stumbled on an article in the Delta SkyMagazine regarding American’s love affair with water bottles. It goes through the trends of Americans and their water bottle consumption.
We went from drinking from water fountains at schools, homes and parks to spending almost $6 billion in water bottles alone in 2007. It all started with beautiful green French water bottles that arrived to the United States in 1976. From there the trend materialized. Many more makers started entering the field and sleeker designs appeared; sales skyrocketed and our landfills have increased in size.
Though there was a ripple in water bottle sales in the mid 80s, sales didn’t actually take a decline until last year. I’m pleased to say that according to The Nielson Company, total U.S. sales (excluding Walmart) in bottled water from 2007 to 2008 dropped 3.6%. This can be attributed to many things such as the economy; no one wants to spend money on bottled water when there is perfectly safe drinking water at home! The ‘going green’ movement is also another motivator. Americans have become much more concerned with the environment and the ‘carbon foot print’ we leave on it. In response, companies are coming out with ‘eco-shape’ bottles, reducing emissions in their manufacturing processes as well as with home purification systems.
Even with a drop in sales, water bottles will always have a presence in America. According to Tom Lauria, vice president of communications for the International Bottled Water Association, this leeway extends for emergencies like Hurricane Katrina and the need of joggers. Or, “You’re on an airplane. You can’t just go to the tap.” There is a time and place for everything and the key is always moderation! In places where tap is accessible, it should be used. And when it’s needed, bottled water is an option.
So for my flight back home, my bottled water is suitable. But when I return home to Norfolk, Virginia tap water it is!
Source: “Has Our Love Affair with Bottled Water Gone Tepid?”By Jennifer Vogel. http://www.deltaskymag.com/ May 2009
Though there was a ripple in water bottle sales in the mid 80s, sales didn’t actually take a decline until last year. I’m pleased to say that according to The Nielson Company, total U.S. sales (excluding Walmart) in bottled water from 2007 to 2008 dropped 3.6%. This can be attributed to many things such as the economy; no one wants to spend money on bottled water when there is perfectly safe drinking water at home! The ‘going green’ movement is also another motivator. Americans have become much more concerned with the environment and the ‘carbon foot print’ we leave on it. In response, companies are coming out with ‘eco-shape’ bottles, reducing emissions in their manufacturing processes as well as with home purification systems.