Community LIVE! – the CAI Keystone Annual Conference & Expo – took place April 30 and May 1, 2025. This annual event went through a big change this year. For the first time ever, the event was moved outside of Southeast Pennsylvania. In October of 2019, the Board of Directors adopted a two year strategic plan. Included as one of the objectives was to host the annual conference in a different geographic region from time to time. Locations under consideration were Hershey, the Lehigh Valley, and the Pocono Mountains.
Who knew a global pandemic would dramatically alter in-person events a mere 5 months later?
Yet, the underlying rationale for this objective – that a tug-of-war existed between efforts to create a statewide association and identity, and provide local programming where members live and work – never changed. In fact, the pandemic may have reinforced it because during a time of intense uncertainty, lots of us wanted nothing more than to stick close to home.
But once the chapter move ahead with another strategic objective in 2020 – changing the name of the chapter to reinforce that we are a statewide/multi-state chapter that transcends the once-regional divides that were the result of the original three chapters (Philadelphia, Poconos and Pittsburgh) that make up what is now the Keystone Chapter – it made sense to purse the objective of hosting the chapter’s biggest event of the year – the annual conference – in different geographic regions from time to time.
Again, enter the pandemic. Attendance at in-person events experienced a sharp drop in 2020 and 2021. And even though in-person attendance roared back to record levels in 2022 and 2023, it took longer for attendance at the annual conference to normalize, which it finally did in 2024. That paved the way for the big change to the big event, which took place this year at the Lancaster Convention Center.
So, how’d that turn out?
Let’s go to the surveys!
Where were attendees from?
At least based on the survey respondents, the attendees were concentrated as expected, similar to other conferences held in Philadelphia or Valley Forge.
What did attendees think of the 2025 Annual Conference?
Of those who responded to the survey, 70% were managers/management company staff and 30% were homeowners. Thirty percent of the surveys were from first-time attendees, which, by the way, represented 33% of all attendees. To have one third of attendees as first timers is testament to how fresh the event remains, and this represents a key new audience for exhibitors.
First time attendees listed the networking and educational opportunities at the annual conference as key reasons why they were motivated to attend.
Another notable survey result was the increase in the number of attendees who attended the event on both days over previous years and who spent Wednesday night in the conference host hotel. For 2025, 73% of survey respondents indicated they attended both days and 43% indicated they stayed overnight in the conference hotel. Those numbers were 58% and 22%, respectively, for 2024. Why is this important? One exhibitor stated at the event that the number of attendees who spent the evening of Wednesday, April 30 at the conference hotel, and who were out and about at the restaurants and bars in downtown Lancaster created a whole new networking experience that they had not anticipated. This indicates significant value not only for sponsors and exhibitors, but for attendees as well who made new connections at the event.
Attendees also raved about the Lancaster Convention Center, with 58% of survey respondents indicating that the center was a significant improvement over previous venues. Said one attendee “I much preferred this venue. I found it much easier to get around and find my breakout sessions, it wasn’t as overwhelming and loud, and the Lancaster area was much preferable to the very crowded KOP area.” Another said “First time attending! Loved it and Lancaster was a great venue! Nice, walkable area of town, nice hotel and conference ran great!”
Now it is true that not everyone felt the same and some negative feedback was received about the Lancaster Convention Center, especially because we failed to notify exhibitors and attendees about the parking fees in Lancaster (we’ll make sure that’s corrected going forward!) but overall, the feedback about the event in Lancaster was positive.
Did attendees come on one day, or both days?
In the past few years since the event has become a two day event, attendance has been light on the Wednesday, day one, of the event. That changed dramatically in 2025.
Sixty three percent (63%) of survey respondents indicated they attended the conference welcome reception on April 30 and found it to be a good networking experience. This is a huge increase in attendance at the welcome reception.
When asked what CAI could do to improve the conference experience in the future, responses were quite mixed.
There were many comments, including from exhibitors, about adjusting exhibit hall hours to end the event earlier, and we are going to address that for future events. We do plan to open the hall earlier, and close it earlier in 2026 to address these concerns.
There was a comment about why the event is always in the Spring since that is a busy season for property managers. The honest answer is there is no ideal time for an event as big and complex as this and the busy season is year-round. Annual meetings and budgets make the August to November period busy. Spring and Summer prep make it busy from March to June. July and August are dominated by vacations, and winter weather precludes an event of this nature from January to March. So, there’s no ideal time that will meet everyone’s needs.
There were also comments about the food options, with some requesting a hot breakfast and hot lunch. Unfortunately, the price to attend would have to rise to provide hot breakfast and lunch due to the dramatic increase in food and beverage costs for events like this since 2020. For example, in 2019, continental breakfast was $13 per person and a hot lunch was $23 per person at Valley Forge Casino. This year, those costs were $20 and $29 respectively, and the lunch was a deli lunch, not a hot lunch. Add taxes and service charges, and the price per person is now significantly higher than it used to be. We do the best we can to manage rising costs of events against what we charge per person to attend, while managing to keep this event free for homeowner members of the chapter.
There was another comment about the placement of exhibitors and avoiding having competitors next to each other on the expo hall floor. The reality is that CAI does not assign booths, exhibitors choose their own booth location, and the fuller the hall gets, the harder it is for competitors to not locate themselves next to each other.
There was also a suggestion to revert the event to just one day, like it was prior to 2020. Again, the reality is that this event is too big to squeeze into just one day, especially when there’s a need for multiple education sessions to accommodate the needs of members, while also allowing networking opportunities and exhibit hall hours that do not compete with other activities.
What did exhibitors think of the 2025 Annual Conference?
As with the attendees, most exhibitors (70%) stayed overnight in Lancaster and 82% indicated they attended the conference welcome reception.
Exhibitors were mostly pleased with the basics of their exhibit experience.
There were some exhibitors who were not pleased with the move to Lancaster – 14% indicated this on the survey. However, 75% of exhibitors said the venue was better or about the same as Valley Forge Casino.
Here are some key comments from exhibitors, with commentary from CAI, added.
“The room felt larger and easier to move around in. The attendee participation seemed down a little. It may take people a couple of times to get used to the new set up.”
CAI commentary: There were multiple comments from exhibitors that attendance was down at the 2025 event. It was, but it was not down significantly. Attendance was down 14% from the 2024 event and the attendance at the 2024 event was the highest since the peak attendance occurred in 2019. The chart below details various metrics regarding attendance at the Annual Conference for the last four years.
When compared to 2019, attendance was down 19%. As the comment above notes, we do believe it will take a few instances of this event taking place in Lancaster for the attendance to normalize. Change is never easy. The more we do something, the more familiar it becomes. The board has approved the location for the event for 2027 – the event will return to Lancaster in 2027 based on the feedback, attendance and exhibitor numbers.
“The Lancaster Convention Center is a much bigger, brighter place. It appeared cleaner because of the brightness and high ceilings. There was easy access to the outside and you didn’t have to take an elevator to unload your stuff. The load in and out was very easy to access.”
CAI Commentary: There were multiple comments from exhibitors and from some attendees that the exhibit hall space in Lancaster was much bigger than the space at Valley Forge Casino. This is not true, although the height of the ceilings and the layout of the room in Lancaster may have made it seem larger. The exhibit hall at Lancaster Convention Center is only 1,000 square feet larger than the space at Valley Forge.
“There was also not a forced flow, so people dispersed and I am not sure all attendees went to all booths.”
CAI Commentary: This comment is a bit puzzling! There’s never a forced flow inside the exhibit hall regardless of the venue – Valley Forge Casino or Lancaster Convention Center. Th only time there was a forced flow for this event was the four years it was held at Citizens Bank Park, because at that venue there was only one direction to go in to visit exhibitors. At all other venues, attendees enter through a single set of doors or area and typically disperse into a direction that suits each attendee. Many attendees likely do NOT visit every booth because they may not have a need for a particular product or service.
Each suggestion for improvement on the surveys, from exhibitors and attendees, is valued, because knowing what our members are looking for is key to providing an event experience that meets your expectations and leaves you satisfied with the value you received. The staff and the Annual Conference Committee will be working over the course of the next year to incorporate changes to constantly improve this event.
As for next year, save the date! Join us April 15-16, 2026 at Valley Forge Casino for Community LIVE! 2026. Exhibit booths will go on sale in mid to late September, and attendee registration will open in early January.
