Yale Robbins, Inc. would like to warmly welcome our sponsors, exhibitors, and guests to The Cooperator’s 21st Annual Co-op & Condo Expo on April 29th at the Hilton New York. This year’s event from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. will continue our long-standing tradition of information, education, and networking opportunities for those in the co-op and condo housing field.

Information & Opportunities

This year’s Expo features nearly 300 exhibitor booths representing everything from law firms to HVAC repair professionals, as well as six all-new sponsor seminars presented by an array of industry experts.

The seminars at this year’s Expo have been sponsored by established industry professionals and cover the kinds of topics that are of perpetual interest to boards, managers, and building residents. Our seminars are some of the Expo’s most popular offerings and routinely attract standing-room-only audiences, so it’s a good idea to arrive early and claim a seat well before your chosen seminar is scheduled to start.

Kicking off the day at 10 a.m. in the Rhinelander Gallery seminar area is a distinguished panel of experts from some of New York City’s best-known co-op and condo management and advocacy groups presenting “Secrets to a Productive Board/Management Relationship.” In order for your building community to run smoothly and efficiently, the all-important relationship between board and management must be cultivated and maintained. In this session, you’ll learn ways to maximize the relationship between your board and managing agent by improving communication, reducing and handling conflict, and increasing productivity.

At 11 a.m., Attorney David J. Byrne and the law firm of Stark & Stark returns to the Expo with “Avoiding Litigation in a Complex World.” For this offering, panelists will discuss strategies to help your co-op, condo, or HOA avoid costly, potentially damaging litigation. Discussion will range from strategies for collecting unpaid maintenance to help with finding alternative dispute resolution methods to resolve conflicts among community members.

At 12 noon, Expo veteran presenters Meridian Capital Group headed by Steven Geller will deliver “Understanding the Current Mortgage Market,” aimed at helping building administrators make sense of the heaving mortgage market in 2007-08. As a board member, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed trying to make the best financial decisions for your community. This seminar may help demystify the current mortgage picture and give you and your fellow board members some much-needed tools and information.

At 1 p.m., Verizon also returns with “Get Connected: Tips for Wiring Multifamily Buildings.” Verizon’s Christopher Levendos aided by a panel of experts will present information on how to get the most out of your building’s current telecommunications capabilities, plus tips on upgrades and improvements that can add both service and value. They will also present an overview of establishing a multifamily dwelling unit (MDU) program and how boards and managers can take advantage of today’s new technologies.

At 2 p.m., be sure to catch architect—and Expo newcomer—Douglas J. Lister’s presentation on “Managing Capital Improvement Projects.” This seminar will address a wide range of questions about some of the most important decisions you and your board/management team will make on behalf of your building. Items for discussion will include things like when to start budgeting for a new roof or replacement boiler, the criteria used to evaluate your need for capital improvement work, and how to develop a long-term budget.

Closing out the jam-packed schedule at 3 p.m., another new-for-‘08 sponsor Angus Energy will be presenting “Strategies for Controlling Energy Costs in an Uncertain Market.” Many board/management teams have struggled with balancing their community’s energy usage with increased fuel costs in recent years—and maybe you’re among them. This seminar hosted by Angus Energy’s Philip Baratz will provide your building with concrete, real-world strategies for controlling its annual energy costs. Timely issues such as purchasing choices, price volatility, weather fluctuation, and managing your energy costs will be covered in depth.

As always, seminar presenters encourage your questions and feedback, and build time for Q&A into their presentations to allow audience members to participate in the discussion, usually after the main presentation concludes. Each seminar this year will run around an hour in length, giving you enough time between talks to check out the booths in Americas Hall I and II, and pay a visit to the Food Court, the Cyber Café, or The Cooperator’s Co-op & Condo Bookstore.

Other Offerings

Along with the invaluable chance to interact and network with co-op and condo board members, suburban association members, residents, vendors and service providers from across diverse industries and disciplines, there will be plenty of other exciting activities to partake in at the Expo.

For example, this year’s Expo includes valuable raffle drawings throughout the day. Just put your name and contact information on the raffle ticket inside your welcome bag and drop it off at The Cooperator’s booth (#1820) or the Yale Robbins, Inc. booth upstairs (#2603). Random drawings throughout the day will announce the winners of a host of door prizes, including dinner for two prepared by an in-home gourmet chef, a new video iPod, gift certificates from Gracious Home, or the grand prize of $1,000 towards your monthly maintenance. And that’s to say nothing of the giveaways from exhibitors and sponsors.

In addition to new seminars and exhibitors, this year marks the return of the Co-op & Condo Bookstore, stocked with reference books, guides, and other materials full of useful information for attendees to take home and apply to their own buildings—including The Cooperator’s 2008 Official Directory of Co-op & Condo Services.

The ever-popular free advice booths are here again as well, staffed throughout the day by legal, management, building and financial professionals ready to answer your questions, off the clock and on the house. For guests needing nourishment or access to e-mail, be sure to drop by the conveniently-located Food Court and Cyber Café.

This year’s Co-op & Condo Expo is quite simply the biggest, most in-depth event of its kind in the region. The Cooperator and the Yale Robbins, Inc. family of real estate publications welcome you to the 2008 Expo, and invite you to explore and take advantage of all the educational, professional, and personal networking opportunities our ever-growing event provides.

Hannah Fons is an associate editor of The Cooperator.