Latest Events

Are you willing to laugh at yourself? Is your staff willing to laugh at themselves too? I love the show "Whose Line is it Anyway?" and I think this would be a cute, fun little skit to do the next time you get your residents together. You need 3-4 staff members who are willing to try their best at improv and one staff member to be the host. You can get your residents involved by having them come up with some of the ideas for you guys to act out--just remind them to keep it clean. You can imitate the local television anchors, weather men, pretend to be absurd superheros, give cooking lessons....what ever your team and residents come up with. Have fun and remember to laugh at yourself along the way!

Everybody knows about the idea of a “breakfast on the go” event where you give a muffin, kolache, or some other breakfast item to people as they drive to work. But one additional option is to give them one extra item that has ribbon/bow tied around it with a business card size flyer, and tell the resident that this extra one is for a friend! Granted, some people will just eat the extra one, but some might actually pass it along, and with it, a resident referral! (Instead of a typical business card, make it like a custom flyer that "speaks" directly to the referral.)

Do you reward any of the young people in your community for their grades? Wouldn't it be great to encourage students in your community to work harder in school by giving them some incentives? How about a "Grading Period Party"? Here's what I would do. I'd have a pool party or dance or dinner every grading period and in order to get into the party, you don't need an invitation, just a report card with A's and B's! Check with your local school to find out how long a grading period is in your district. (Here it is every 6 weeks but other places may be 9 week grading periods)...so that would mean 4-6 events every year for those hard working students in your community. This is also a good way to get kids of all ages together. Your younger kids can learn from the high schoolers study...

I always find it interesting when I visit people in different cities, and I ask them about the tourist points in the city, many of them surprisingly have never actually been to them! It kind of makes sense, as people never think about doing “touristy” things when they live in that very city. But I think that would be a really interesting opportunity for an event! Rent a shuttle bus for the day, and hit the town, checking out the obvious tourist places, as well as the not so obvious. Not only is a great way to do something active with your residents, but it also gives you an opportunity to get some fantastic local landmark pictures along with them! Post them on your website, on your Facebook Page, and in your leasing office for maximum effect. Note: I used the "big" tourist...

Found this recently and had to share!  Sounds like a great activity for kids at your apartment community: "HOMEMADE GLOWING MOUNTAIN DEW: Here is a cool outdoor activity for the kids: Leave 1/4" of Moutain Dew in its own bottle, add tiny bit of baking soda and 3 capfuls of hydrogen peroxide. Shake and it and it will GLOW! Try pouring it on sidewalks to 'paint'. Kids will have a blast with it. MAKE SURE THEY DON'T DRINK IT! Have fun guys." ~ Craig Luecke Source UPDATE! I am sad to report that it appears that this does not work after all.  Here is the Snopes article on it.

There are lots of Social Media games out there so I thought, why not have your residents compete with each other online? I think this would be really easy to get going...but you may need someone familiar with both computers and smart phones to help teach your residents how to take and send screen shots. So, invite everyone who plays something like "Words with Friends" to send you their user names if they would like to participate in a tournament... they don't have to share the rest of their identity with the community if they don't want to but you will need to know if you are to distribute any prizes. Put all the usernames into brackets and post it somewhere. Make it clear who is to start the game so that they're not both inviting each other at the same time. Something like "cutiejill...

This is done in March or April around Easter, and plays on a theme of Easter Eggs. Set up 2 long tables in the clubhouse. Decorate with pastel table coverings and spring colored napkins. Napkins and plates can be placed in a large Easter Basket from the Dollar Store. On the first table, set out the paper goods and plastic ware, and your main dishes (two extra large egg casseroles). On the second table, set out your side dishes (fresh fruit, yogurt with granola, and a large dispenser of juice or punch). Have smaller Easter Baskets placed around the clubhouse willed with candy for the kids. Hide Easter Eggs in a safe common area outside so the kids can have a short egg hunt following the brunch. Make sure you know if your company will allow you to say "Easter"...

I’m a huge advocate of team-based events for apartment communities, because they establish connections between your residents for them, rather than relying upon residents to form their own connections. And a great option for a team-based event is paintball! What is great about paintball is that at the end of a match, everybody ends up with a story to tell. Even though they are all playing the same game, unlike basketball or football, there is still a solo-element to the event, which means each person has the opportunity to share their own story about how they were pinned down, how they flanked the other team, or some other heroic situation that ended up with a win or a beautiful bruise they can show off! Try throwing in a mini contest that gives a $10 gift card for the best bruise of...

This event that has a community service focus while also serving your residents. This even doesn't require residents to bring anything to the office, and doesn't cost anything for you either! The best part? It serves your local Goodwill or Salvation Army with much needed items. The basic idea is that you will provide large plastic garbage bags in the office for residents to get if needed, they fill them with gently used items from their closet and home (no furniture), they RSVP with their apartment number, and they set their bag(s) outside their door by a certain time on a Saturday morning. The community staff drives through the community going to each RSVP door and picking up their donated items. The team then delivers the bags to a local Goodwill or Salvation Army (or other charity organization) for the residents. This is a...

This time of the year is a perfect time to give the little girls on your property a chance to pull out their pretty Easter dresses once again and come out for a community tea party with their little neighbors. What little girl wouldn't marvel over the opportunity to come out and drink sparkling pink raspberry tea along with cute little finger foods. We love to add as much value as possible to our events so we like to throw in a few simple life lessons like how to greet new people and how to be a loyal friend. Whether you opt to give a valuable lesson or not crank on some fun music, throw in a few games, some art projects, party favors (tiaras are always a hit) and a beautiful backdrop for pictures and you're sure to bring plenty of smiles to your residents faces. Learn more...