YASC 20th Anniversary Conference Looks to the Future

New products, better business practices, and the introduction of artificial intelligence dominated conversation at the 20th annual Yardi Advanced Solutions Conference (YASC) in San Diego this October.

Saxony Partners sent our team of expert Yardi consultants to YASC this fall to keep our finger on the pulse of all the latest updates and releases that Yardi plans to roll out in 2020 and beyond.

Saxony Partners Senior Consultant Anne Escobedo said the conference’s opening presentation set the tone for the weekend and introduced Yardi’s focus for the future.

“The consensus was that the opening presentation was outstanding,” Escobedo said. “There are new Yardi releases and updates coming, and that’s obviously something we need to be aware of.

“The opening presentation has a lot to do with getting insight about where Yardi is today and where they are headed in the future. It tells us what their big focus is on at the current moment. That gives us a lot of insight to where they are going so that we can direct our business a little bit.”

Saxony Partners Manager and professional Yardi consultant Jennifer Vinyard said that Yardi’s plans to integrate artificial intelligence were evident throughout the conference classes and presentations.

“There were some interesting conversations around the future of AI and Yardi,” Vinyard said. “It was introduced in the opening presentation, and there were several classes on the individual products underneath it. That looks like it could be the wave of the future.”

Beyond the presentations and tutorials, YASC offers our Saxony consulting team an opportunity to identify customer concerns. Based on conversations throughout the conference, Saxony Senior Manager Anne Escobedo said one of the biggest issues real estate firms face is finding solutions for reporting.

“Reporting was the primary concern for most people we talked to,” Escobedo said. “They’re looking for ways to improve what they’re already doing, and that can be done with custom automations, custom reporting, and even some Yardi-driven functions designed to do the same thing.”

These customizations and internal functions are specialties for the Yardi team at Saxony Partners. Vinyard explained that as the Yardi team utilizes their combined long-time familiarity with the real estate industry and technical expertise, they can help Saxony clients streamline business practices like reporting.

“Real estate reporting can be difficult, regardless of the size of your firm,” Vinyard said. “One of the benefits of working with Saxony Partners is that we can solve issues around reporting, including Yardi reporting. That saves you money and it allows your employees to focus on what they do best.”

After learning about new Yardi initiatives and spending quality time with fellow real estate industry professionals last week, the Yardi team at Saxony Partners is armed with the knowledge they need heading in to 2020. As clients search for improvements to their business practices, the team will offer customizable solutions and guided partnership.

“A lot of people don’t have a Yardi expert on staff,” Escobedo said. “Having a partner that you can trust is really helpful. People tend to shy away from consultants because of the cost, but the benefits outweigh the costs.”