Resident Functions

Our management team for our property has been brainstorming ideas for resident functions. We have a rather unique mix of residents in our community. We're trying to stay away from Wine Tastings and anything serving alcohol, as we have a large number of college students on our property. That being said, it seems that the only residents who currently attend our resident socials are the 'homemakers' and their spouses and children. We also have a large number of retired residents, working professionals, etc, but so far none have attended any of our well advertised functions. Any ideas?

What about facilitating some social clubs like Bridge, Maj Jong, Food & Wine, Basketball, Mother's Club, etc.

Are your events "one size fits all"? In other words, are you planning events that try to reach all your residents at the same time? Generally speaking, your college crowd isn't going to have a blast hanging out with your retired group.

I always recommend instead of one large party, split it up into smaller, targeted events that will hit all your demographics a little better. Of course, everybody is always invited to each event so you don't run into problems with Fair Housing, but this allows you to reach different groups in ways that appeal directly to them.

How about a monthly or quarterly Bunco night for moms. A movie and pizza night for families. A 'Guitar Hero' competition for the college set?

That being said, we know that residents' lease renewal decisions are based on how quickly staff responds to calls and emails, and how quickly/thoroughly work orders are completed. While resident events sound like a great way to build community, often attendance is low or unpredictable - and it's not for lack of creativity or effort! Before investing in potentially costly resident functions, I encourage teams to do all they can to maximize a culture of responsiveness. This could even mean funneling resident event funds into a part-time maintenance temp to help during heavy turnover season or to reduce work order turnaround time.