Latest Events

Decorate a community golf cart in fun and bright colors then drive circles throughout the property with a cooler filled with icy treats. Hand them out to residents as they pass by or come home from work for a nice cool surprise for your residents as they come home from a long hard day at the office. A boombox with an Ice Cream Truck song plays repeatedly as you make your rounds for an hour or until the treats are gone. This is a quick and easy event on a hot summer day, particularly for properties with kids! Wear your community logo t-shirt or polo, wear that so you can obtain the highest visibility for your community.

While having a discussion about last week’s Apartment Community Fear Factor, Donje Putnam responded, “Hilarious! I hate that kind of stuff though. But I could transform the pool into Wipeout!” And it reminded me of an amazing float system for pools, which would be great for an apartment party version of Wipeout! I think all you would need are some pool noodles and maybe some dodge balls to give to other residents to make it just a bit harder to get across! Here is the link to find the pool float system – a bit expensive, but looks like a blast!  http://www.wibitsports.com/ (The video shows some large-scale options at a lake, but I think a larger pool could work, as well)

While I was considering a good Mother’s Day event for communities, I came across several charities called “Adopt-A-Mom”. They all seem to be local charities which help mothers in need in various ways, their biggest event being on Mother’s Day. So, I thought, wow, wouldn’t this be great for a community to do? Can you get your residents on board with Adopt – A – Mom to help buy gifts for mothers who won’t be receiving one otherwise? And that’s how my idea for a Mother’s Day event has turned into a nice charity event for your community. While celebrating the mother’s in your own community, raise some money for mothers who need a little something to brighten their day. All you need to do is hold a dinner for moms and charge an admission price (make it reasonable so some of the kids can purchase them...

This is an activity you could do with the kids of the community, and is really easy to do! You first need to ask your residents to bring an old silk tie in, if they have one. Make sure to go to a thrift store beforehand to find some cheap ones for those that don’t have a silk tie to use. Cut the silk into pieces that can wrap all the way around an egg, so that the pattern is facing the egg, and wrap string around the egg. (Note, I’ve seen some places that recommend wrapping the egg in white cotton fabric, like an old pillow case around the string, but I’m not sure if that is necessary.) Next, boil the eggs in water and ¼ cup white vinegar for 20 minutes. Let them cool and enjoy your...

Inspiration and focus: This event is held on a weekday morning and will primarily attract retired residents or stay-at-home moms. It provides an intimate setting for them to engage in a topic of interest, get to know each other, and feel part of a niche in the community. You can try 1 per quarter, each with a different theme for the discussion and potentially a giveaway. • 1st Quarter Idea: "Bookworm's Coffee Talk" or "Learner's Coffee Talk" Invite someone who works in publishing or at a local "mom and pop" bookstore to give their insight on great books! Ask them to bring samples, and ask if they would be willing to allow you to raffle off a book. If you don't have luck with this, you can use budget money to buy a best-seller for the drawing, and you can research and create a...

People will do a crazy number of things for the chance at money, fame, or just for the sake of winning a bet. Granted, we can’t do a lot of the crazy stunts the actual Fear Factor does, but one thing that is readily available are the food challenges! I came across a post recently with some absolutely wild foods you can actually buy at local stores. (They may not be in the normal supermarkets, so try different ethnic markets for different options) As for the actual plan, I haven’t watched the actual show in a while, so I don’t know if their format would work for an apartment party setting. Just make sure you have rules in place and try to think about all the possible outcomes (such as if someone yaks). You probably won’t be able to find all...

We would host a jungle inspired party! Using the party to inspire renewals. They can use the dart board below to win prizes once they have signed a renewal lease. We would offer jungle themed food and beverages while playing jungle sounds over the stereo. We could see if “Jungle Jim”, a local showman that brings animals and creatures to parties for display and education, could attend our event. We could use foam or blow-up monkeys to hang invitations to renew and to the party on apartment doors. We can play other games like: pin the tail on the monkey and eye spy (use the binoculars to find hidden prizes throughout the community). We would also have a leasing center set-up for easy lease signing.

The idea for this event is to provide a fun theme around an old favorite: Soup Night. You provide all the soups, but choose only 3 favorite types: typically a chili, a cream based soup, and a vegetable soup. Examples are hearty chili, potato or clam chowder soup, and tomato-basil or vegetable broth soup. This event is best done in a cold month, and the side items can be simple breads or rolls so the overall cost is kept low. Set up 2 long tables in the clubhouse and cover with decorative table coverings. Make sure you have 3 crock pots or other large pots that will stay warm. On one long table, set up 2 crock pots of soup, and remember your ladles! Put each ladle on a paper plate to prevent messy tables. On the 2nd long table, place the...

I participated in an event like this a while back and really enjoyed myself. It's a combination of games and a prize selection/store. Here's what you'll need to do: 1. Decide on something to use as money. This can be play money or pennies brought in from your residents. 2. Gather some prizes. Have your vendors donate some gifts to share or pick out some of your own. This part is very flexible since you can have smaller items up for grabs or larger ones. The nicer the prizes, the more your residents will want them. 3. Drinks and snacks. Your residents might stay a while, so make the environment comfortable. Here's how you play: 1. If you've brought your own fake money, distribute it evenly among everyone who is going to participate. (Maybe at the door...

On Wednesday March 7th, we held a community social event for our residents at both lunch and dinner. We served homemade cabbage, irish beef stew with carrots, and potatoes. Local downtown Belmont businesses: Cherubs, Happy Dog, and WinterPast Flowers & Gifts, kindly donated items to distribute. The turnout was remarkable and we are ever so grateful to have had the opportunity to engage with our residents for fellowship and feedback. We thank all who attended and their devoted time and suggestions were appreciated as well.