Your brand goes here right here, right now!

With the largest captive audience of apartment industry decision-makers, there is no better place than the NAA Education Conference & Exposition for a company to showcase its products and services, introduce a new company name or build on a strong branding campaign.

Eleven industry leaders who are Platinum Sponsors have that distinct opportunity June 15-17 when the 2006 NAA Education Conference & Exposition is held in Denver. They will receive premium placement for name and logo recognition throughout the event. Registration for the conference themed, "Right Here, Right Now!" is on a record pace, giving this group the ideal business forum.

"The Platinum Sponsors see the value of name recognition throughout the country," said NAA Chairman of the Board Joe Sharp, CAPS. "They are leaders when it comes to supporting the industry as a whole and have stepped up to the plate to make things happen."

2006 NAA Conference Chair Ron Shelton, CAPS, Vice President, Amalgamated Management Corp., Dallas, noted that the significant contributions of the sponsors enable NAA to assemble a world-class lineup of speakers and educators.

"Without our generous sponsors, NAA would not be able to deliver the industry's best education conference and trade show," Shelton said. "As Conference Chairman, I hold those supplier partners who become sponsors in the highest regard because they have elected to go well beyond their annual dues commitment to NAA. Our sponsors do all these things in addition to their regular conference costs. They work during the 18 months it takes to plan and carry out a successful conference hand-in-hand with the NAA staff and the rest of the Conference Committee volunteers in selecting speakers and entertainment, as well as formulating publicity and developing ways to increase attendee registration. I cannot emphasize enough the essential role that our sponsors play in this wonderful event."

Mike Hendel, Senior Manager of Strategic Marketing for The Home Depot Supply, San Diego, and Co-Chair of this year's conference, said many of his customers have commented that they like to do business with The Home Depot Supply because of its industry support.

"NAA's Education Conference & Exposition is a great place for The Home Depot Supply to meet and educate our customers on the solutions that we offer to help them achieve their business' goals," Hendel said. "Conference attendees are key decision-makers in their companies, and they are who we need to communicate with regarding the value we offer.

"A core value of The Home Depot Supply is to give back to our communities and our industries. NAA and its affiliates represent a great opportunity for The Home Depot Supply to give back. Our customers support the national and local associations and respect and appreciate that we do."

National Name Recognition

According to Larry Bellack, CAS, Vice President, Sales, AZUMA Leasing, Austin, Texas, there is no better way for a company to gain immediate and national attention than by having its name and logo visible throughout the industry's largest education conference and trade show.

AZUMA Leasing is joined at the Platinum Sponsorship level by Apartment Finder, Apartment Guide Printernet, BellSouth Community Technologies, Coinmach Corporation, For Rent Magazine, The Home Depot Supply, Rent.com, Move (formerly RENTNET), Resident Data Inc. and Time Warner Connect.

"At the 2005 NAA Education Conference & Exposition, in just three days, we had the most important management executives in our industry aware of who our company is and what it does," Bellack said. "You can't get a better return on investment in that amount of time anywhere."

The 2006 NAA Education Conference & Exposition again promises to be the biggest event of its kind in the apartment industry. Thousands of the industry's top executives, staff and service partners will come to Denver for a non-stop schedule of learning, networking, insight and entertainment.

Last year, AZUMA Leasing was a first-time Platinum Sponsor and used the NAA Education Conference & Exposition as an opportunity to gain national name recognition. A large sailboat, which displayed the company's logo, was the centerpiece of AZUMA Leasing's trade show floor display.

Today, AZUMA Leasing uses "finding our sailboat" metaphorically when discussing new marketing ideas, Bellack said.

Gaining name recognition was AZUMA's No. 1 priority a year ago, Bellack said. "Everyone was coming up to us during the show and asking who are we and what do we do," Bellack said. "Everyone was talking about us. We are still feeling the ripple effects from that in our sales today, and we have no reason not to believe that we won't see the same thing this year--only doubled."

Introducing the New You

The NAA Education Conference & Exposition, with more than 4,200 attendees in 2005, is also the best place to introduce a new product or new company name, according to Platinum Sponsors Tamela Coval, National Director, Apartment Guide Printernet, Norcross, Ga., and Maria Pietroforte, President, Move (formerly RENTNET), Westlake Village, Calif.

"The NAA Education Conference & Exposition is always the premier event to roll out new products, and the 2005 show gave Apartment Guide a natural launch pad for our print and Internet product blend--Apartment Guide Printernet SPA (Standard Printernet Ad)," Coval said.

"Apartment Guide Printernet's SPA message is that you can serve all marketing needs in one place, and the NAA conference provides exactly the same thing--one-stop-shop, 'Right Here, Right Now' in 2006."

Coval said Platinum Sponsorship delivers maximum exposure for her company. "We are seen everywhere at the conference, educating, legislating, recreating, celebrating. Certainly attendees see us during the time spent on the trade show floor, but better than that, with our sleeves rolled up during committee meetings, sitting side-by-side with owners and managers who are sharing in the seminar messages. And we are alongside attendees in pursuit of their early morning coffee. As a Platinum Sponsor, we have the opportunity to be the buzz of the conference."

Move has set out to transform its business model--and reshape the way renters look for apartments and how managers advertise online.

"Because we knew this change was coming, we knew it would be critical to renew our Platinum Sponsorship status," Pietroforte said. "With the tremendous work of launching a new brand, it is imperative to partner with a prestigious association with the broadest reach. With the exposure we get every year, the NAA Education Conference & Exposition is a perfect vehicle for introducing our new value proposition to a very qualified audience."

Continued Branding

Other Platinum Sponsors have used the NAA Education Conference & Exposition as a chance to continue what is already a long-standing branded relationship they have with the apartment industry. Coinmach Corp. has been a Platinum Sponsor for 10 years.

"Sponsoring the NAA Education Conference & Exposition has always been a great way to showcase our support for the industry and our laundry partners," said Mitchell Blatt, President, Coinmach Corp., Plainview, N.Y. "Over the years we have made and renewed many great friendships.

"Being a Platinum Sponsor at the conference gives us many additional benefits, one of which is a positive impact on our brand. We have a tremendous focus on brand strategy and positioning, with the ultimate goal of maintaining our identification as the nation's premiere laundry service provider."

Blatt said his company's affiliation with NAA is the focal point of this strategy, helping it reach this goal and sustain this positioning. "Part of building and sustaining a strong brand is consistency, and that's why we are proud to be a Platinum Sponsor for 10 years running," Blatt said.

For Rent Magazine and ForRent.com, based in Denver, are pleased to once again be Platinum Sponsors of this event.

"This year is especially exciting for me, as the NAA Education Conference & Exposition is being held in my hometown of Denver," said Sarah Malone, CAS, Vice President, Sales, For Rent Magazine. "I'm proud and excited to have the NAA members visiting our beautiful city. What a perfect venue for enjoying the many education and networking opportunities available to us when we have Denver's majestic mountains as our colorful backdrop. We at For Rent Magazine look forward to being part of the largest and most successful education conference and trade show in the apartment industry."

Todd Katler, CAS, Vice President, Sales, Rent.com, an eBay company, Santa Monica, Calif., said he believes wholeheartedly in NAA and its ability to bring tremendous value to apartment owners and managers and their supplier partners with this exceptional annual event.

"We appreciate this opportunity to spend valuable time with our 23,000 property customers and to introduce our services to those not yet online," Katler said. "Given these value propositions, Rent.com is thrilled to be a Platinum Sponsor of this event."

Apartment Finder has enjoyed the many benefits of being a Platinum Sponsor of the NAA Education Conference & Exposition for the past five years.

"As a top-level sponsor, our message is placed at the forefront of our customers' minds throughout the entire event," said Marcia Bollinger, CAS, Senior Vice President, Apartment Finder, Lawrenceville, Ga. "It affords us the opportunity to send a unified branded message about the cornerstones of our company.

"We see this high level of contribution as a great source of recognition for our company, and it is also our way of giving back to an industry that has given so much to us," Bollinger said. "Apartment Finder believes in providing leadership and service on national, state and local levels. Our presence at NAA accomplishes our goal of showing that we care about the future of the multifamily housing industry and will step up with monetary donations and valuable volunteer time as often as we can. It is also very rewarding to see so many industry professionals enjoy and learn from this magnificent event. We are proud to be a part of making it happen in a 'top-notch' fashion."

Visibility and Awareness

David Christensen, Corporate Vice President, Time Warner Cable, Englewood, Colo., said, "Exhibiting at NAA's trade show brings our brand before thousands of industry professionals and provides a meeting location to visit with existing and potential customers."

As a fifth-year sponsor, BellSouth Community Technologies sees great value in the opportunity, according to Jill Stewart, Marketing Manager, Atlanta.

"BellSouth firmly believes in NAA's mission to serve the interests of the multifamily market place and better address the rental housing needs of the public," Stewart said. "This opportunity enables BellSouth to increase awareness of the comprehensive bundle of communications and entertainment services it can offer multifamily dwelling units across the Southeast."

Resident Data Inc.'s Director of Sales Mike Davis, CAS, said his Dallas-based company believes the NAA Education Conference & Exposition is the perfect forum to build brand awareness and introduce new services and features because of the wide variety of attendees. That is why it renewed its Platinum Sponsorship for a second year.

"The task of getting our message across to high-level decision-makers and the onsite personnel who use our services daily is easily accomplished at this fantastic event," Davis said. "Each year we are able to show both new and potential clients the latest services available in the resident screening and collections industry. We also use the time to educate attendees as to what makes our services different from our competitors and why we provide, what we feel, is the most thorough search available."