​NAA Apartmentalize Success in a New Light in Review - A message from Duy Vu, 2022 PMAM President

The title of any work carries a heavy weight. It encompasses the entirety of it, breathing life throughout and with each utterance a solidification of its being. The mere mention of “Starry Night” and you can see that night sky come to life through the eyes of Van Gogh as he gazed out of the asylum. The raw emotion of each brushstroke encapsulated on the canvas.

I am not sure how far in advance “Success in a New Light” was picked, but it hit a home run for me. The entire industry needed a new light with all that had happened these last few years. You could feel that energy rushing out of everyone as they attended the meetings, education sessions, packed the tradeshow floor, and especially at the networking events among colleagues new and old. Our industry thrives off the people. Bright ideas and brilliant connections are only possible when we have everyone together.
 
This year was extra special for me. As it is my last year serving as the President for PMAWM and PMAM, being able to experience how our industry works through the challenges we face internally and externally has been enlightening. It was never so clear as when I was able to sit in the National Committee and Region Meetings. Discussions and decisions made in those rooms will ripple throughout our industry for years to come. These meetings are open to everyone! I would encourage you to arrive a day early if you can. It is worth it to be able to sit in and listen to our best and brightest carve out a path forward.
 
It is also special to me as I am going through my Leadership Lyceum with NAA alongside Stephanie Linton from the DMAA to become a stronger and better leader for the industry. I see the areas where I can still grow and develop in areas and ways I was not even aware of.  Focusing on this my first day set the tone for the entire week so well for me.

Education Sessions are always the highlight of the event. You get to listen to people who are willing to take on new challenges and share both the failures and successes they have had along the way. I chose sessions that would allow me to focus on what I am doing with my organization to foster and care for our team and residents. It was no surprise that my first session was Reprioritizing People: Rebounding from the Great Resignation, featuring our very own Jessica Eberbach! Seeing what companies are doing to solidify their advantage in the workplace allows me to cherry-pick ideas that we can utilize immediately and store others for later. You can only attract the best in the industry by continually learning.
 
Apartmentalize is intense! You are packed with session after session, meeting on top of meetings, and more networking get-togethers than you can imagine. It is important that you structure your plan to allow yourself breathing room--time to decompress and collect yourself. It is always a good idea to have a backup plan. Have two to three classes picked out that sound interesting to you and if it turns out that a class or a speaker doesn’t resonate with you, you have a  plan.
 
Be sure to attend the tradeshow a few times. Finally, you won’t have a problem during the late afternoon through the evening to pick which fun events to attend. Take in all the sights and fun that is to be had!
The business partners and sponsors of Apartmentalize truly make the week wonderful.  
 
Apartmentalize is an event like no other and it was refreshing to see it back to its glory.