Yardi Advanced Solutions Conference – a trip to YASC 2017

The Yardi Advanced Solutions Conference, also known as YASC, is a don’t miss event for Yardi users, with the latest event having taken place in Amsterdam in November.

As always, we dispatched a team of our consultants and support experts to take in the variety of workshops, networking and new feature demonstrations on offer.

This year, our delegates included Kathryn Tantony, Business Applications Team Leader, who attended for the first time and whom I coerced into this interview on her return. Read on to find out what Katie learned at #YASC2017 and why she thinks you should add your local YASC to your diary in 2018.

So, Katie, how did you find your very first Yardi Advanced Solutions Conference?

Two very full days! There’s so much to learn from the Yardi team and so many peers and clients to catch up with that two days is almost not enough.

Sounds good. How does it all work?

We started off on the Wednesday morning with a welcome session hosted by International Vice President Neil Gemassmer. The session featured presentations from Kevin Yardi, the son of the founder (it is still a family business), and Robert Teel the Senior Vice President.

After that, the day breaks into a series of 1-hour classroom sessions on everything Yardi—and I really mean everything Yardi. I counted about 40 subjects to choose from on day one and 40 different subjects on day two, so that gives you an idea of the scale.

From VENDOR Café to Financial Consolidations to ETL2 and Scripted Reports—there is something for everyone. You can only fit in six sessions per day, so you have to pick and choose wisely.

It sounds quite intensive…

It was very intensive, but they did give us time to relax with lunch and a few coffee breaks. There was also a drinks reception at the end of the day, which is great for networking.

…followed by the famous Yardi party?

It’s a gala dinner, actually. There was time for a quick change before we all returned for dinner and some excellent evening entertainment featuring some creative drumming. Each drummer had their own individual light-show and it was brilliantly choreographed.

"OK, so it is a bit of a party, but it is excellent for networking as well as being fun!"

I did feel sorry for those who over-indulged in fun because the classroom sessions started again the next day at 9am, sharp.

So, aside from the party, what were the highlights?

For me, the really useful stuff happens in the break-out seminars. I liked the opportunity to delve into the systems with a subject matter expert and, for people who spend most of their time under the hood, these sessions are really worthwhile.

Which sessions made the biggest impression on you?

The sessions that stood out for me will have to be Bank Book, Month End Processing and Security and that’s simply because we support a lot of clients with these on a regular basis.

We’re always looking for ways to make our clients’ lives easier and, although I didn’t learn too many new advanced techniques, I’ve got some great ideas that will improve workflow. I also know where to help junior members of our team with the next stage of their development.

Anything you missed that you wished you hadn’t?

Yes, but we had a team of four, so I’m hopeful we caught everything we needed between us. We’ll regroup back in London and share our notes.

I have to say that the YASC 2017 app was fantastic. It had all the details of each session, so you could create a personal agenda and then find your way with the map (it’s a big venue!) and connect with other attendees. It made it so easy to navigate around the conference to have all the information at hand.

Sounds like it was well-worth the trip…

Absolutely. It was just a really well-organised day with great content. I’m pretty tired and didn’t get to see much of Amsterdam, but it was definitely worth it. It may have been my first YASC, but it won’t be my last.

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The Yardi Advanced Solutions Conference 2017 (YASC 2017) for Europe took place at The Passenger Terminal Amsterdam, The Netherlands on November 15–16, 2017. You can find out more about future YASC events on the Yardi website.

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