The Leading Events & Conferences in the Vacation Rentals Industry
There are numerous events and conferences for vacation rental industry professionals and property managers around the world. Most are located across the US and Europe and offer updated educational insights from industry experts whilst also providing fantastic networking opportunities with fellow accommodation providers and tech suppliers.
Some of the Leading Events in the Vacation Rental Industry (2019):
- VRMA International Conference (US)
- Vacation Rental Success Summit (US)
- RezFest (US)
- Vacation Rental Women's Summit (US)
- VR Mastered Bootcamp (US)
- VRMA European Conference (Europe)
- Vacation Rental World Summit (Europe)
- GuestyVal (Israel, Europe)
- KigoWorld (Barcelona, Europe)
- VR Tech Events (Europe)
On-Going
Some vacation rental events occur regularly throughout the calendar year. Here are a few...
Location: Various.
Previous venues have included Barcelona, Edinburgh, London, Madrid and Paris.
Price: Free
Vacation Rental Tech Events is the brainchild of Vanessa de Souza Lage, co-founder of the Rentals United channel manager.
Each VR Tech Event usually takes the form of an after-work session in a sponsored office including talks, networking and a few beers. This is a small and intimate meeting arena for professional vacation rental providers and relevant tech companies.
Location: Several. (Mostly in US)
Locations in 2018 included Orange Beach, Breckenridge, Maui and London.
Price: Varies
VRM Intel Live!
In 2017 VRM Intel began hosting regional educational events - VRM Intel Live! - for property managers predominantly across the US.
Headed up by Amy Hinote, VRM Intel is one of the leading news outlets for the vacation rental industry and produces a quarterly industry magazine.
VRM Intel has held six VRM Intel Live! events with over 1,000 attendees around the US.
Location: US & Online.
Price: Free
HomeAway Software Roadshows - The HomeAway team hits the road regularly to meet and update property managers with news alongside great networking opportunities.
HomeAway Insights and Best Practices Seminars - 90-minute updates with insights and tips on how to grow a vacation rental management business.
Webinars - Monthly webinars covering industry trends and insights. Free for all property managers.
Location: Numerous (US).
Price: $79-$199
Inclusions: Continental breakfast and lunch.
Vacation Rental Housekeeping Professionals
The Vacation Rental Housekeeping Professionals (VRHP) group provide regular educational seminars in destinations across the US.
Session topics include branding, standards, maintenance, KPIs, internal team feedback, inspection and housekeeping kits, linen, bed bugs, lost property and product demos.
Vacation Rental Industry Events & Conferences in 2019
February
Dates: 19-20 February 2019
Location: Ritz Carlton, New Orleans
Price: $749 - $849
Inclusions: Meals, theater sessions, workshops, peer groups and a Mardi Gras Cocktail Party.
Vacation Rental Women's Summit
The inaugural Vacation Rental Women's Summit will take place in New Orleans in February 2019.
The focus of this event is to 'honor the pioneering women in the vacation rental industry, addresses issues facing women in the industry, and creates a network of solidarity and standards that professionalizes and elevates the entire vacation rental ecosystem'.
Keynote speakers include Elizabeth Gilbert (Author of Eat, Pray, Love and Big Magic), Lady Carnarvon, Tina Weyand (HomeAway Chief Product Officer) and Mary Lynn Clark (Wyndham Vacation Rentals President)
Dates: 21-23 February 2019
Location: Westgate Lakes Resorts & Spa, Orlando Florida
Price: $250
2019 Barefoot User Conference
The Barefoot user conference helps users maximize the value of their Barefoot investment.
Dates: 21-22 February 2019
Location: Amari Watergate Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand
Price: From $799
Serviced Apartment Summit Asia 2019
This event is a dedicated forum for networking, education, sharing best practice and doing business differently in the short-term rental industry.
The Serviced Apartment Summit is not your ordinary conference. It offers a series of lively debates designed to challenge your thinking and drive innovation in a truly ‘collective’ environment of hospitality leaders.
March
Dates: 17-19 March 2019
Location: Grandior Hotel, Prague, Czech Republic
Price: From €315 (VRMA members)
Inclusions: Pre-event welcome reception, lunches and evening networking event.
VRMA European Conference
The VRMA European Conference will take place in Prague in 2019.
One of the leading vacation rental industry events, the European Conference offers unmatched business and educational tools to help you deliver superior guest and homeowner experiences. You'll discover:
- Dozens of new educational sessions specifically for holiday rental professionals
- Opportunities to meet peers and exchange ideas and best practices
- Insights from supplier/vendors who provide industry-specific products and services to help your business grow
April
Dates: 1-3 April 2019
Location: World Trade Center, Barcelona, Spain
Price: $375
Get $175 Off: NeedMoreRentals visitors can use KigoWorld discount code REP31 at checkout which will secure a price of $200.
Inclusions: Access to all training workshops, breakout sessions, peer networking and special events, lunches and reception buffets.
KigoWorld is an annual three day conference in Barcelona dedicated to vacation rentals.
This event attracts the best and brightest from around the world so property managers can learn actionable information to take their business to the next level.
150 delegates attended in 2018 and this year sees free half-day training workshops offered on the first day.
With turbo-charged sessions, dynamic expert panels and deep-dive demos, KigoWorld continues to push the boundaries of the vacation rental industry.
Keynotes and industry experts will discuss disruptions in the vacation rental industry, payment processing technologies, supply acquisition, building exceptional guest experiences, asset risk, revenue management, brand identity and much more.
Dates: 15-16 April 2019
Location: Charlotte Convention Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Price: $350 (VRMA members)
VRMA Spring Forum
Replacing the previous Eastern and Western Conferences, VRMA will introduce it's inaugural Spring Forum in 2019 taking place over 2 days in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The industry event is designed to be one of the leading interactive and engaging conferences in the vacation rental industry with innovative educational formats and networking opportunities with peers from across the country.
Date: 23-25 April 2019
Location: Sunriver Resort, Sunriver, Oregon
Price: From $525
The NWVRP (North West Vacation Rental Professionals) Annual Conference takes place at the Sunriver Resort in Sunriver, Oregon.
Join us on April 23-25, 2019 for what will be our best conference yet for camaraderie, education, collaboration and a quality venue.
May
To be confirmed:
VR Rental Success Summit (VRSS)
Florida VRM Extravaganza
Rezfest Australia
September
Dates: TBC
Location: Tel Aviv, Israel
Prices: TBC
Guestyval
GuestyVal 2018 offered an extraordinary platform for short-term rental and property management companies to showcase the value they bring to the industry, while providing a one-of-a-kind opportunity to make lasting connections and mingle with peers and partners from across the globe.
GuestyVal is designed to break boundaries - discussing the strengths and weaknesses of property management today and its potential for tomorrow.
Through a dynamic collection of enriching group sessions and lectures with industry leaders from the likes of Airbnb, Booking.com, Facebook and more, it is sure to enhance anyone’s practical business skills and industry expertise.
Don’t miss out on GuestyVal 2019, sign up here for more information.
Dates: 10-11 September 2019
Location: Westergasfabriek, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Prices: From €550
Inclusions: Full access to the conference across 2 days – including all presentations, panels, workshops, and networking areas. Networking Breakfast & Lunch on both days. Dinner on day one. Goodbye drinks on day two.
Click. by Booking.com
Whether you work in hotels and homes, affiliate and travel agencies, connectivity, transport, or attractions – as a Booking.com partner, this conference is for you!
In 2019, Click. will invite you to take a journey to dive into what this means for the travel industry as a whole, and how we can reach a common goal of the connected experience, catered to all partners across the industry.
Join us through a journey where we learn what we can achieve if we come together to create the connected trip for customers.
Dates: 24-26 September 2019
Location: Red Rock Casino & Resort, Las Vegas
Prices: TBC
Rezfest 2019
At this year’s vacation rental industry conference we’ll connect to discuss insights and changing trends that can open the door to more global business.
Come network, learn and enjoy yourself at the ultimate vacation-rental conversation.
To be confirmed:
October
Dates: October 13-16, 2019
Location: Hyatt Regency New Orleans, Louisiana
Price: TBC
In 2018 the VRMA National Conference was rebranded as the VRMA International Conference reflect the size and relevance of it's global market.
This is the largest gathering of vacation rental professionals throughout the calendar year.
VRMA International runs over 60 educational sessions with subject matter experts and motivational speakers.
Network with over 100 exhibitors and leading suppliers plus thousands of vacation rental owners and management peers.
More details soon.
To be confirmed:
Liverez Partner Conference (US)
Vacation Rental World Summit (Portugal/Spain)
VR Mastered Bootcamp (US)
Association of Scotland Self-Caterers Conference ASSC (Scotland)
November
Date: TBC
Location: TBC
Price: TBC
HomeAway Partner Summit
The annual HomeAway Partner Summit focuses primarily on supporting vacation rental owners and property managers with at least one live listing on the HomeAway network of sites and helping them achieve their goals in the vacation rental industry.
Over the two days there are numerous main stage talks and breakout sessions covering the industry and technology. Network with other property owners, share feedback with the HomeAway team and see the latest available tech tools.
Approximately 600 rental property managers, HomeAway employees and vendors will be in attendance.
Date: TBC
Location: TBC
Price: TBC
Irish Self Catering Federation Conference
The Irish Self Catering Federation's (ISCF) is aimed directly at those providing short-term lets and holiday rental accommodation in Ireland.
The event provides a valuable network for members and exposure to suppliers, industry representatives, international speakers and global operators.
The main conference is preceded by the annual members' AGM.
Other notable large travel events that are not necessarily focused on the vacation rental industry but which provide very useful takeaways are the Navis Leaders Conference, the Direct Booking Summits in Europe, Asia and the US, the Phocuswright Conference, the World Travel Market, ITB Berlin, Eye For Travel and the various Skift Forums in the US, Europe and Asia.
If your organisation hosts a relevant event in the vacation rental industry, feel free to contact us for an inclusion above.
