Interest in the apartment industry is reaching fever pitch as author Chris Schembra, mogul Barbara Corcoran, and industry leaders arrive at AIM Conference 2026 today until May 6th at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach.
The Wall Street Journal bestselling author Chris Schembra will give a talk titled, “Cultures of Gratitude: The More We Give, the More We Receive (at Home, Work and with Our Customers)”, where his talk is described as: “will teach us to tap one of our hidden human superpowers – gratitude – to better connect with ourselves, our teammates and our customers. Gratitude rewires the brain to find peace, calm and connection. It’s a gift that we can give to ourselves, and then to others to create positive feedback loops. Loops of love, engagement and business loyalty.”
In addition to sessions on marketing and industry insight from some of the space’s most recognizable names, this year’s agenda suggests AI will play an important role, with the sector is moving well beyond experimentation into operational overhaul.
What began as a industry meetup for multifamily insiders has steadily evolved into a key gathering for owners, operators, and proptech enteprises looking to modernize one of real estate’s most fragmented asset classes.
The 2026 agenda leans heavily into AI, marketing, and revenue optimization, reflecting a market where expectations are rising.
A quick scan of the agenda reveals a shift in tone: less “what is AI?” and more on “what true AI readiness looks like by focusing on data quality, governance, operational safeguards, and human oversight.”
Speakers include OpenAI’s Anurag Sakhamuri, alongside operators and industry who are actively rolling out machine learning tools in leasing, maintenance, and resident engagement. The emphasis is practical, including case studies.
Still, even with the presence of tech, the human layer hasn’t disappeared. If anything, the conference is doubling down on the intersection of traditional real estate expertise and new technology. That’s where Barbara Corcoran comes in. Her appearance will discuss: “Leasing is a Sport: Barbara Corcoran on Building Sales Teams That Dominate”.
According to the organization’s agenda, “Barbara Corcoran built one of the most successful real estate sales organizations in American history, not by luck, but by obsessing over talent, coaching, and competitive culture. She turned average agents into top producers and scaled it into a billion-dollar brand.”
And AIM is leaning into that hybrid model structurally. The event’s format includes curated roundtables, operator-led discussions, and “first timer meet ups”.
One such company making waves at the end is Get Covered, which sits at the intersection of insurance and fintech. Its focus, which includes streamlining renter insurance and compliance, touches a pain point that operators have historically handled through clunky, manual processes. As leasing becomes increasingly digitized, these backend frictions are becoming harder to ignore.
The company currently serves over 3 million rental units in the U.S. and is recognized for its AI-powered, end-to-end automation of policy verification and tracking, enabling property teams to save significant administrative hours. At AIM 2026 the enterprise is hosting a Happy Hour with the Amenify team.
But the bigger story is also on the tech stack taking shape around the industry.
From discovery to renewal, nearly every touchpoint in the industry is being reimagined through software. Marketing funnels are becoming data engines. Leasing is turning into a conversion science. Retention strategies now look a lot like customer success playbooks from the tech world.
Even building operations are getting an upgrade, with sessions on smart infrastructure and IoT integrations aimed at reducing costs while improving resident experience. Think predictive maintenance, energy optimization, and automated service requests, all tied into centralized dashboards.
Taken together, the agenda paints a picture of an industry in transition: slower-moving than pure tech, but now fully committed to digital transformation.
And timing matters. With economic pressure mounting and supply-demand dynamics shifting in key rental markets, operators are being forced to do more with less. AI isn’t just a competitive edge anymore, rather it’s quickly becoming table stakes.
That urgency is likely why AIM continues to gain traction. It’s not just a place to talk about the future of multifamily, it’s where that future is being actively changed, one workflow at a time.
