Latest Events

Tennis is apparently so passe, as Pickleball is taking the country by storm! Ok, tennis may not be on its last legs quite yet, but it is true that a quirky sport called "Pickleball" is becoming extremely popular, especially among seniors. The draw for seniors is that Pickleball is played on a smaller court than tennis, about a third the size, which means less ground to cover, as well as played with a plastic ball, similar to a whiffle ball. That means the speed is a bit slower, and is a great low-impact sport. Granted, all ages can play Pickleball, but it does appear to cater towards seniors and would be a great addition to a Senior Housing activity line-up. Here is a clip explaining how Pickleball works: We think this is an absolutely great...

Celebrated every year in May, National Military Appreciation Month (NMAM) offers the opportunity to express our appreciation to both current and former members of the U.S. Armed Forces, including all of those who have given their lives to safeguard our freedom. While Memorial Day may be one of the highlights of the month, a unique opportunity comes a bit early: Military Spouse Appreciation Day. Celebrated every year on the Friday before Mother’s Day, NMAM honors the unsung heroes who keep things running smoothly on the home-front. Here are three ways military housing property managers can acknowledge the ongoing sacrifices of military spouses this May 8th. 1. Get DecoratingWhether you tie yellow ribbons around trees throughout your community, fly the American flag in a visible place, or bedeck mailboxes with red, white and blue balloons, decorating can give your neighborhood a festive feel while honoring not only the...

For communities that focus on healthy lifestyles, and want to offer healthy snacks during a kids event, here is a wonderful setup we found!  We unfortunately don't know the complete source for more info. How quickly can you name all four characters?

The 141st Kentucky Derby – known as “the most exciting two minutes in sports” – will be held on May 1-2 this year. But you don’t have to make a trip to Churchill Downs to celebrate. Instead, let your residents celebrate closer to home with a Derby-themed event at your apartment community. Read on for some tips to make your Derby party one your residents will be talking about for weeks to come. Serve Southern Treats What’s a party without the food? Serve traditional southern favorites like ham and biscuits and pecan pie. Or, order cookies from a local bakery shaped like horseshoes or Derby hats. And don’t forget the mint juleps and sweet tea! Source: Pinterest Dress the Part Folks come to the Kentucky Derby dressed to the nines. Encourage your...

One of the event ideas we love most around here was the Children's Drawing Contest with a Very Unique Prize, and today, we have found a great concept that is similar, but probably a lot easier to pull off! The basic premise of the original idea (although I still recommend checking it out for the GREAT examples we found), was that community would have a children's drawing contest, where the children at the community would make a drawing and winners would get their drawings made into stuffed animals! The value in the event was less in the event itself, but rather the creative aspect of the prize. It would be something unbelievable unique in their world, and would create a ton of good will with the parents. The challenge, of course, was that it was somewhat expensive to make the stuffed animals, and it...

Every community has its share of "foodies", those whose food is their passion. And for that group, a new trend is hitting the country - Spice Mixing Parties! Spice blends have been a popular staple at Pampered Chef parties, Wild Tree, and Taste of Home Entertaining, and now people are taking it upon themselves to create their own spice blends. ‘Take n Go Spice Mixin’ parties are an easy, low-key event that takes very little to organize and host. Request each attendee bring their own set of measuring spoons, and sandwich size ziplock bags. Freezer safe baggies are recommended so the freshness of the ingredients last longer, but generally they should be used within approximately 3 months afterward. As the host, a couple days ahead, collect personal mix suggestions and recipes from the projected attendees or Pinterest for things...

Plan a paint night with your residents! No art smarts needed! We will come out and transform your clubhouse or community center into a fabulous gallery. A professional Gallery Guide will instruct guests step-by-step to create a beautiful piece of art. It's not an art class...it's the Art of Socializing!

Who wouldn’t love a spicy salsa night? Gather up all different salsa recipes. Wait, you don’t have any? Check out my Pinterest board or have your residents submit their favorite recipe. To really make this event pop, put a little thought into decorating to match the theme. Remember, presentation is everything with an event! Don't just set jars of salsa and a couple bags of chips on a table and call that your event. Try using some paper bags for the chips and wood bowls for all the different salsas. Make some cards so you can label your salsas with the name and level of spiciness. Want to take your event one more step further? Don’t worry, I do too. Offer a free salsa lesson at the event or find a local mariachi band. Your residents will...

If you are throwing 100 random people together and hoping they are suddenly going to become fast friends, you are going to have a hard time! So we found a great way to get people to get to know each other! Kristi Dingess found this great template for us, where residents can use BINGO to get to know their neighbors. With this version of BINGO, however, there is no one at the front of the room reading out ping pong balls. Instead, residents get a card with a list of traits and interests, and then try to find other residents who have those specific traits. Just like in BINGO, they try to fill in squares to form lines up and down, left and right, or diagonally. For example, if a resident finds a neighbor who is a vegetarian, they can put...

Combine soccer with giant inflatable bubbles, and you have a new hit craze called Bubble Soccer! We think that this quote from Pinterest user, dra Di, wraps up our thoughts on this fantastic new game: "Honestly, this just looks like such fun -- I'm not sure what motor skill it develops, unless "pure joy" counts!” Small to big teams play against each other exactly like the normal soccer game rules, except one major difference: wearing huge plastic Bubbles. Not only does it not matter what your activity level is, but you can virtually do this ANYWHERE! Jimmy Fallon even had a two on two match in his building lobby, using two opposing open elevators as goals. This overly dramatic video is one of thousands showing how many hours of fun can be spent knocking around with your best-buds...