3 Tips for Creating a Compelling Multifamily Conference Session

Congratulations! Your pitch to speak at a multifamily conference has been accepted. Unfortunately, now comes the hard part: actually planning your presentation.

Structuring a conference session that attendees both enjoy and get value from can be pretty tough. Coming up with a good idea for a session is one thing, but creating content that effectively communicates that idea to a group of strangers is challenging (and also reminds us why teachers in the U.S. are severely underpaid).

“There’s a real tension between what I might want as a presenter versus what’s good for the audience,” said Steve Lefkovits, founder of the Apartment Innovation and Marketing (AIM) Conference.

On a recent episode of Knock’s Renter Obsessed podcast, Lefkovits shared his top three tips for what makes a truly compelling conference session.

“The commonality in great content is this,” he said: “It’s structured (think who, what, when, where, why, how), it has visuals, and you found a way to include interactivity or follow-ups for people that are natural.”

This last bit is especially important. “If we move our bodies, we remember what we learn kinetically, and if we have an opportunity to follow up with somebody, even if it’s just to get the follow-up piece, it has a much more lasting impression.”

Creating a good session also goes beyond the content — if you have the ability to control the size of your session, aim for a small group. “Oftentimes what’s great for an audience is to be in a small group, to be able to look around the group and say, ‘I’m a part of something.’”

At the end of the day, said Lefkovits, “it comes down to empathy for your audience and trying to figure out what the community needs and how you can position yourself to provide it.”

Want more multifamily industry real talk? Browse past episodes of the Renter Obsessed podcast. (Or better yet, sign up to join our next live recording!)