Free Toolkit: Video Tips for Multifamily Communities

Holiday Resident Event Ideas

One of the most important times of the year is the holiday season. This is where many of the fantastic property event ideas are going to come from. Try to center some of the ideas around the holiday season. January event ideas can center around a New Year’s Eve party complete with a giant celebration geared for a big group — think balloon drop! April event ideas might include something such as an Easter Egg hunt in some of the open community areas. There can even be prizes for those who find the most eggs. Fall resident event ideas might want to focus more on Halloween, such as a costume contest, trick or treating, and extra candy at the front desk. One of the big summer resident retention ideas centers around the 4th of July. This can be a time for everyone to get together and grill out. Encourage everyone to bring something and the community might provide the entrée or alcohol, if permitted. Or even consider some live music, food trucks, or other fun 4th of July event ideas. In December, consider hosting a gift wrapping station in the club house or holiday cooking contests. If you have a lot of young families in your community, maybe even consider hiring a santa to come in for a cute photo opportunity with the kids.

These are only a few of the property event ideas that can center around the various holidays. This is especially important for luxury apartment buildings who are in more of a seasonal climate. It is important to capitalize on winter, spring, summer, and fall event ideas. This will keep the residents involved and happy while fostering a sense of community. Try to plan for these events to include large groups of people. Different seasons bring different opportunities for events. Use this opportunity to get creative!

Resident Appreciation Events

Appreciation week is one of the biggest times of the year for leasing agents and property managers. This time of year, these leasing and property management professionals turn into full on event coordinators for the duration of the week. The goal is to connect with both new and current residents to figure out how to serve them to the best of their abilities. While this is a chance for the residents to get to know each other, this is a chance for the management team to get to know the residents better as well. Leasing agents, property managers, and maintenance teams should all try to build a personal relationship with the residents who are at the events throughout the week, as they are going to be helping them every day.

Apartment Resident Retention Ideas

One of the major goals of resident events and community events is to retain residents. It can be hard to find high-quality residents and resident retention statistics often reflect this message. Some leasing and management coordinators might even feel like the only residents who stick around are the ones who cause problems. Resident appreciation weeks are a great way to increase resident retention multifamily. Resident retention is greatly impacted in a positive manner when community engagement is high. There is a list of things you can do to increase resident retention and it all starts at day one when interacting with a prospective resident.

First, be responsive to the needs of the residents. This doesn’t involve an event at all but simply involves being there for residents when necessary. If something goes wrong in one of the units, fix it quickly. If a resident gets locked out, this might be annoying; however, people get locked out from time to time. Help them out quickly. Try to make sure that packages aren’t overlooked and that residents are aware when they have something delivered. The little things matter.

Of course, it always helps to show off a little bit of creativity with the resident appreciation events. Free food and drinks work well every time. Get the local businesses involved. Everyone can tell when the enthusiasm is there. Don’t hesitate to dress up, put on some music, and get others involved. Happiness and enthusiasm is contagious. If residents see other people enjoying themselves, they are more likely to have fun as well. This will increase retention.