The date is fast approaching for The Chicagoland Cooperator’s first annual Chicagoland Condo, HOA, & Co-op Expo, to be held at Navy Pier Convention Center on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Along with the booths and networking opportunities that come along with a high-profile trade show, the Chicagoland Expo will also host four in-depth educational seminars custom-built for board and association members and property managers.

The More You Know...

The Chicagoland Expo is filled with a stellar roster of timely, real-world presentations brought to you by local and national experts in their field.

The day’s educational offerings will kick off at 10:30 a.m. with “Cutting Edge Communication Tools for Managers,” presented by BuildingLink.com. While the day-to-day work of managing buildings in Chicagoland may not change much from year to year, the tools available to managers to help them do their job have undergone radical transformations in the last 15 years. The Internet, online communication, and social networking have transformed how managers, boards, and residents interact. This seminar will delve into the ways the Web has changed how properties are managed, and how today's managers use it to make their jobs easier and more efficient than ever before.

At noon, National Condo Advisors LLC will present “Condo Lending Guideline Updates: FHA and Fannie Mae Compliance and Mandatory Reserve Requirements.” This seminar will discuss the newest FHA and Fannie Mae criteria for securing condo loans—both individual and for associations. Speakers will delve into the risks involved with FHA board member certification, mandatory reserve funding requirements and choosing whether to allow FHA financing within a condominium.

After lunch at 1:30 p.m., Associa will present “Secrets to a Productive Board/Management Relationship.” The relationship between a building's board and its manager is sometimes challenging—but in order for a building community to run smoothly and efficiently, that relationship must be cultivated and maintained. In this session, you'll learn ways to maximize the relationship between board and manager by improving communication, reducing and managing conflict, and increasing productivity.

At 2:15 p.m., The Chicagoland Cooperatorbrings together a panel of experts for “Collecting Common Fees and Enforcing Rules & Restrictions.” If you're a board member or just a concerned resident of a building or association—come learn how to use legal procedures and enforcement actions to protect condos from financial disasters that can result from unpaid common fees. Also, learn about ways of dealing with owners who don’t think the condo rules apply to them, including what to do before calling a lawyer and legal sanctions to bring owners into compliance.

Closing out the day at 3:30, The Chicagoland Cooperatorfinishes with ‘Neighbors at War—Real-Life Mediation and Arbitration,’ a seminar that will bring together an array of legal experts to discuss the ever-present issue of conflict resolution and how arbitration/mediation in the event of conflict can avoid the cost and acrimony of litigation. Learn how boards and managers can work together to defuse conflict between neighbors, and what various options are available to buildings in conflict.

All seminars will conclude with a Q&A segment to allow attendees to raise issues affecting their own buildings and HOAs and get direct feedback from panelists. Seminars at the East Coast Expos routinely attract standing-room-only audiences, so make sure to arrive early to the Chicago show and claim a spot in the audience!

What It's All About

Booths and a full schedule of seminars may be the big draws to the Chicagoland Expo, but that's hardly the whole picture. In addition to networking and education opportunities, there will be free advice booths staffed by professionals from an array of industries, waiting to answer any and all HOA- and building-related questions. If you have questions about your association’s finances, policies, or day-to-day management, you can stop by one of the booths for answers from leading legal, management, maintenance and financial professionals.

In addition to all this, the Chicagoland Condo, HOA & Co-op Expo will feature dozens of raffles and giveaways throughout the day—including the first annual Reserve Fund prize giveaway, courtesy of The Chicagoland Cooperatorand Yale Robbins, Inc. One attendee at the Expo will win 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. Only board members qualify to enter the reserve fund drawing, and attendance at the Expo is required for eligibility. For complete details on how to enter the reserve fund drawing, visit the Expo website, www.chicagocondoexpo.com.

For condo owners and managers, the Expo serves as a one-stop-shop for all services needed to manage and maintain buildings. The express purpose of the show is to bring the right people in the industry together and serve as a prime destination for real estate professionals and board members seeking resources and valuable networks. So stay tuned to The Chicagoland Cooperator for updates and new additions to the Expo’s exhibitor and seminar roster, and be sure to visit us at the Navy Pier on Wednesday, November 16th! For more information on who is exhibiting at the show, to sign up as an exhibitor, or to register for this one-of-a-kind event, go to www.chicagocondoexpo.com.

Hannah Fons is associate editor of The Chicagoland Cooperator.