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The Preiss Company is pleased to announce that Kirk Preiss, Principal, recently led a peer-to-peer roundtable discussion at the 2011 National Multi Housing Conference Apartment Operations and Technology Conference & Exposition (OpTech) held from November 7-9 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, TX. Preiss’ roundtable topic,“Purpose-Built Technology for Student Housing”, attracted close to 40 student housing technology leaders.
Based in Washington, DC, NMHC is a national association representing the interests of the larger and most prominent apartment firms in the United States. NMHC's members are the principal officers of firms engaged in all aspects of the apartment industry, including ownership, development, management, and financing. This year’s OpTech offered attendees an unparalleled educational environment, exclusive peer-to-peer roundtables, and the opportunity to explore new operations and technology-related products and services in the trade show. The conference was open to NMHC members and non-members—CEOs, CIOs, CTOs, COOs, Vice Presidents and senior-level industry professionals. Preiss says that in regards to student housing, technology is key and will drive sales more than any other property amenity.
“The wave of the future will be mobile media, mobile groups, and social media,” says Preiss. “iPhones and incredible Apps will be the wave of the future. Apps will tell students who among their Facebook friends are living in a particular apartment, social groups will form in cyberspace, and social websites will not only help students find out where the parties are each night, but which friends are attending those parties. It’s like ‘Socialbook’ instead of Facebook.”
Preiss’ roundtable discussed the challenges posed by student housing properties using “off-the-shelf” technology as it relates to leasing, roommate matching, final room assignments, and more. The discussion allowed property owners, developers, and managers, as well as IT software suppliers and consultants explore how to assist student housing firms with solutions that are not currently met by conventional, multifamily software.
“The general consensus of the roundtable was a clear dissatisfaction with the student housing software currently on the market,” says Preiss. “The fundamental problem is that all of today’s software solution databases are built on a platform of ‘by the unit’ and student housing needs a database built on a platform of ‘by the bed’.”
Joining Preiss at the conference were Phillip Emer, Director of Technology, and Gavin Short, Application Technology Analyst. Additional general session topics included Integrated Approaches: Business & Technology, The Apartment and Property Management Office of the Future, and Building Performance Evaluation as a Risk Management Tool.
About The Preiss Company
With its current pipeline of projects, The Preiss Company (TPCO.com) is poised to become the 10th largest student housing owner and provider in the nation. The company is currently the largest woman-owned student housing owner and provider in the country.
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amy.barger[.]tpco.com 
