For more than half a decade now, The New Jersey Cooperator’s Condo, HOA, Co-op and Apartment Management Expo has been the annual must-attend  event for the Garden State’s property managers, board members, building owners, real estate professionals,  shareholders and unit owners. More than 2,000 attendees and over 250 exhibitors  made the trek back to the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus for the  sixth straight year for the best advice, educational seminars and networking  experience the tri-state region has to offer.  

 The annual event on May 1st drew thousands of visitors from throughout the  Garden State, who took advantage of the opportunity to meet vendors, get free  advice from community association and HOA professionals, and sit in on a wide  range of educational seminars covering everything from board governance,  emergency preparedness and Superstorm Sandy insurance claims to pest control  and bylaws.  

 Providing the right information is key. “Obviously our goal is to present attendees with information and products that  will make running their communities, properties and businesses easier and more  efficient,” says Yale Robbins, president of Yale Robbins, Inc., Expo producer and publisher  of The New Jersey Cooperator, “but we also put a great deal of thought into the bigger picture, anticipating  trends and trying to broaden and build on our offerings from one year to the  next.”  

 Henry Robbins, executive vice president and director of sales for Yale Robbins,  Inc., added that with the economy finally emerging from a rough period,  attendance and interest in the Expo—both from vendors and attendees—continues to grow, “It's really our exhibitors and our attendees who make this show what it is,” says Robbins. “Their enthusiasm and interest is contagious—the fact that the event grows and draws more people each year is proof of that.” The 2013 Expo attracted more than 2,000 registered attendees with hundreds of  exhibitor booths to visit throughout the day.  

 Information and Instruction

 While the exhibitors provide valuable information to attendees—the community essentials ranging from alarm systems to roofing, the New Jersey  Expo offered six seminars designed to enlighten attendees about key issues  affecting both condominium and apartment building management.  

 Lively discussions on pest control, understanding bylaws, evictions/collections  and emergency preparedness also whetted attendees’ appetite for information. Association Advisors’ Ramon Cuevas was joined by Hubert C. Cutolo, Esq. of Cutolo Mandel and Tim  Price of The Velocity Services Group to discuss hurricane/emergency  preparedness with their seminar “Are You Ready? Everything You Need to Know About Emergency Preparedness.”  

 The Stark & Stark team of attorneys Chris Florio and Donald Brenner presented a  standing-room only audience with “Depositions and Trial—What Board Members and Management Must Know to Win.”  

 The law firm of Katzman, Garfinkel & Berger hosted a seminar on a very timely topic... insurance claims and  Superstorm Sandy. In this seminar, Alan Garfinkel, Esq. and his partner Leigh  Katzman, Esq., were joined by Attorney Gerry Hanson of Hill Wallack to discuss  how HOAs can protect their community by pursuing their insurance claims.  

 Additionally, The New Jersey Cooperator also hosted “Bringing Your Bylaws Into the 21st Century.” This informative seminar discussed the often confusing and controversial  aspects of association bylaws. The group of panelists included attorney Fran  McGovern from McGovern Legal Services, property managers Louise Krinsky from  Access Property Management and Elaine Warga Murray, owner of The Regency  Management Group. The in-depth discussion led to an especially informative Q&A period.  

 Seminars for Apartment Building Owners and Managers  

 For the second year in a row, The New Jersey Condo, HOA, Co-op & Apartment Management Expo was delighted to host a series of seminars tailored  for apartment building/multi-unit building owners, property managers and  vendors. The seminar rooms were standing-room only for the three seminars  presented.  

 A lively and fascinating seminar was presented by The New Jersey Cooperator for  board members, building owners and apartment managers dealing with that always  annoying problem of pest infestation. “Roaches, Bedbugs and Mice, Oh My!” was moderated by The New Jersey Cooperator'sAssociate Editor Liam P. Cusack and featured distinguished panelists including,  Tracey Goldstein, Esq. from the law firm of Feinstein, Raiss, Kelin & Booker, George Caso from Amco Pest Control and Denise Lindsey of Signature  Property Group, a property management firm.  

 In what proves to be a timely topic these days, building owners and managers  packed the room for a seminar on the eviction process and collections. The  panel was made up of attorneys Jennifer Alexander from the firm of Griffin  Alexander, Derek Reed, Esq. from the firm of Ehrlich, Petriello, Gudin & Plaza and attorney Luke Kealy from the law firm of Greenbaum Rowe Smith & Davis.  

 The final apartment manager seminar entitled “Maintenance Matters” discussed the ever confusing issue regarding who's responsibility it is what  when it comes to apartment buildings, the landlord's or the tenant's. The panel  included Chris Cervelli from the firm of Michael Cervelli Real Estate and Tony  Nardone, a building owner and property manager from Corner Property Management.  

 Free Advice Booths & More

 In addition to networking and educational opportunities, crowds gathered to  visit the show's popular free advice booths. Experts manned the booths to field  questions about association finances, operating policies and day-to-day  management. With everything that was going on attendees and vendors could take a quick break  and dine at the food court or check their e-mails at the “Cyber Cafe.”  

 Various prizes were given away throughout the day including tickets to  professional sporting events and shows, Tiffany bracelets, gift cards galore,  bottles of wine and more. Spotted amongst the attendees was N.Y. Giants legend  Lawrence Taylor, a guest of Association Advisors, who was happy to pose for  pictures with other attendees.  

 $2,500 Reserve Fund Giveaway

 One of the most popular offerings is the Reserve Fund prize giveaway, courtesy  of The New Jersey Cooperatorand Yale Robbins Publications, LLC. One attendee at the Expo will be announced  as the winner of a $2,500 contribution to their building or association's  reserve fund. The winner will be drawn at random after registration has closed,  and a check for the winnings will be made payable to the winner’s association, care of their management company.  

 And don’t forget while this year’s show is but a memory, preparations are already ongoing for the 2014 show which  will be held May 6, 2014 at the Meadowlands Expo Center in Secaucus. Mark your  calendars and don’t forget to join us next year. In the meantime, go to www.nj-expo.com for more  information.