The new year is now in full swing, so it’s time to start looking ahead and analyzing how to make the most of 2023. Conferences create a great learning environment where you can educate yourself on the most up-to-date technologies, develop new skills to maximize income, and connect with colleagues and industry leaders.
Expand your network and grow your business by attending these leading vacation rental events in 2023. Check out the list below to find the right ones for your business!
2023 vacation rental events calendar:
Short-Term Rental Conference 2023
- Date: February 22, 2023
- Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Attended by short-term rental hosts and property managers, this conference provides industry insights through keynote speakers, panel discussions, exhibitors, and more.
Why should you attend?
The Short-Term Rental Conference 2023 is a wonderful learning opportunity, whether you’re experienced or new to the short-term rental industry. With an array of speakers from top vacation rental businesses, such as Airbnb and Vacasa, hosts and property managers can hear from industry experts and are given ample time for networking.
Tickets: $35-60
Website: https://www.shorttermrentalassoc.com
ALP Conference & Marketplace
- Date: February 25 – March 1, 2023
- Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Considered the largest gathering in the independent lodging industry, the ALP (Association of Lodging Professionals) Conference & Marketplace allows rental property owners to get together, share ideas, and grow their businesses.
Why should you attend?
Besides being a great place to network, the ALP Conference stands out because of its marketplace. The event allows you to check out the latest products in the industry to improve your rental property. They also have multiple conference “tracks” you can choose from, including finance, marketing, operations, and technology sessions.
Whatever support you need for your rental property businesses, the ALP Conference & Marketplace will be beneficial.
Tickets: Member: $799 / $749 (guests), Non-Member: $899 per attendee
Website: https://alplodging.com/2023-alp-phoenix-conference-and-marketplace
Level Up Your Listing Summit 2023
- Date: February 27 – March 1, 2023
- Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
The Level Up Your Listing’s first summit is designed to meet the needs of new, experienced, and curious hosts who want to learn more about design, hospitality, and the guest experience within the vacation rental industry.
Why should you attend?
With over 350 attendees expected, the event will feature an array of inspiring speakers, including April Brown, the star of Netflix’s reality show ‘Motel Makeover’, Airbnb Superhost Natalie palmer, and Tatania Taylor-Tait, an award-winning designer and STR coach.
Tickets: $697-$1,597
Website: https://www.levelupyourlistingsummit.com
VRMA (Vacation Rental Management Association) Spring Forum
- Date: March 6-7, 2023
- Location: Kansas City, Missouri
This forum includes a lot of interactive workshops and hands-on training to make it an engaging learning environment. With many scheduled networking sessions, the 2023 VRMA Spring Forum is an excellent opportunity to connect with other vacation rental professionals.
Why should you attend?
With over 730 attendees in 2022, the VRMA Spring Forum attracts vacation rental professionals from all over the country. You can connect with fellow property managers, share ideas, and leave feeling inspired. You are encouraged to participate in discussions and ask questions to get the most out of the forum!
Tickets: $500-$1,150
Website: https://www.vrma.org/page/2023-spring-forum
STR Wealth Conference
- Date: March 20-22, 2023
- Location: Nashville, Tennessee
The STR Wealth Conference 2023 describes itself as an ‘immersive 3-day journey’ that will leave attendees feeling inspired and empowered.
Why should you attend?
This high-energy event is an incredible learning experience for everyone in the STR industry. Property managers and owners can learn from expert speakers while networking with industry leaders and investors and gain valuable insights into the short-term rental business.
Tickets: $127-$2,497
Website: https://strwealthconference.com
ELEVATE Breezeway’s Property Operations Summit
- Date: March 22-23, 2023
- Location: Online
This summit will be held virtually and features 25-minute sessions with a plethora of leaders in the rental property industry. The focus of this event will be operations, property care, guest communication, and safety.
Why should you attend?
Last year’s summit had over 60 panelists and 900 attendees from various sectors throughout the rental property industry, making this event the perfect place to learn while networking. They prioritize maintaining an open dialogue, so you will have many opportunities to connect with other property managers and share ideas.
Tickets: Free registration
Website: https://www.breezeway.io/elevate
NWVRP (NorthWest Vacation Rental Professionals) Annual Conference
- Date: April 25-27, 2023
- Location: Reno, Nevada
This conference has something for everyone in the rental property industry, not just for property owners and managers. Your whole team can benefit from attending together.
Why should you attend?
Although they have not yet finalized the session topics, they say they’ll have a variety of topics that all of your staff, from customer service to upper management, can learn from.
Tickets: $499-$899
Website: https://www.nwvrp.org/attend-the-2023-conference
The Shortyz
- Date: April 26, 2023
- Location: London, UK
This event is an awards ceremony instead of a conference/forum that recognizes excellence among industry peers, showcasing innovation, reviewing industry best practice, and rewarding achievement.
Why should you attend?
This event is a fun change of pace if you’ve already attended a handful of conferences and are looking for something new. You can submit an entry online to The Shortyz for a chance to be recognized and rewarded for your hard work.
Visit their website to learn more about entry requirements and how to enter.
Tickets: £200.00
Website: https://theshortyz.com
Short Stay Summit
- Date: April 27, 2023
- Location: London, UK
“Maximizing Opportunities” has been announced as the theme for this summit. The event is intended to help property managers and owners equip their businesses with the newest tools, technology, and skills to continue offering guests a top-notch travel experience.
Why should you attend?
The short-term rental property industry is growing quickly, and this summit intends to help you be as prepared as possible to keep up with and capitalize on that growth. Come and educate yourself on the skills necessary to be a leading vacation rental property manager in 2023 and beyond.
Tickets: £249+VAT – £1,200 inc. VAT
Website: https://www.shortstaysummit.org
VITUR Summit 2023
- Date: May 10-12, 2023
- Location: Málaga, Spain
VITUR brings together industry leaders in Europe and has 90+ speakers/panelists lined up for the 2023 summit.
Why should you attend?
You can expect engaging presentations, ideas for rental property innovation, and lots of time for networking. They also host an impressive exhibition of booths to help you set your properties apart from the competition. As a vacation rental property manager in Europe, you can’t miss this event!
Tickets: TBD
Website: https://vitursummit.com/join-vitur-summit-2023
2023 VRMA Executive Summit
- Date: May 15-17, 2023
- Location: Manalapan, Florida
The VRMA Executive Summit focuses on business strategy, organizational excellence, sustained growth, and charting a vision for their vacation rental company’s future.
Why should you attend?
Designed for executive-level managers, this is an ideal opportunity to network in an engaging and high-level environment in Palm Beach, Florida.
Tickets: TBD
Website: https://www.vrma.org/page/vrma-executive-summit
Scale Rentals
- Date: May 17-18, 2023
- Location: Barcelona, Spain
This event is geared towards property managers with 25+ properties looking to scale their businesses.
Why should you attend?
The themes of Scale Rentals 2023 will include property acquisition, profitability, owner relationships, environmental impact, exit strategies, and more. The event will focus on common goals and challenges in 2023 and beyond.
This event is for you if you already manage 25+ properties and want to scale your business further. You will have access to industry experts, interactive sessions, and incredible networking opportunities, all in the beautiful city of Barcelona.
Tickets: €199 per person, Early Bird tickets: €99 (until January 31, 2023)
Website: https://scalerentals.show
The Book Direct Show
- Date: May 18-19, 2023
- Location: Miami, Florida
The 2023 Book Direct Show will focus on direct booking strategy education for short-term rental managers, hoteliers, and serviced accommodation providers.
Why should you attend?
The conference will host an array of panel discussions, keynote speakers, and workshops with extensive opportunities for networking with experts in the short-term rental and hospitality management sector.
Tickets: €99-€249
Website: https://bookdirect.show/usa-2023
Urban Living Festival
- Date: July 5-6, 2023
- Location: London, UK
This festival aims to connect real estate ‘urbanites’ from across the globe to “collectively define the evolution of how and where we stay, live and work.”
Why should you attend?
Registration is not limited to just property managers and owners, so it’s a great opportunity to network across industries. 2023 event speakers include Amanda Cupples, Airbnb General Manager for UK & Northern Europe, Leo Colgan of IMS, Matthew Ede of Greystar Europe, and many more.
Tickets: TBD
Website: https://www.urbanlivingfestival.com
DARM Vacation Rental Data and Revenue Management Conference
- Date: August 8-10, 2023
- Location: Nashville, Tennessee
As indicated by the name, the event’s focus is on data and revenue management for rental property managers.
Why should you attend?
This is one of the best conferences to attend if your goal for 2023 is to maximize the profitability of your properties. DARM offers “tracks” on Technology and Data, Foundational Revenue Management, Advanced Revenue Management, Distribution and Marketing, Executive Strategy, Real Estate, and Investing. You will leave knowing how to analyze KPIs (key performance indicators), establish rate rules, optimize marketing and distribution channels, and much more.
Tickets: TBD
Website: https://vrdarm.com
The Glamping Show
- Date: September 14-16, 2023
- Location: Stoneleigh, UK
The Glamping Show is the ideal event for glamping site owners, hosts, and manufacturers to connect and build relationships.
Why should you attend?
As the glamping market continues to grow, so does the demand for manufacturers, industry insights, and ‘glampsites’. To help you maximize your profitability, it’s important guests see the value in your services. This conference allows you to connect with and get inspiration from hundreds of glamping leaders.
Tickets: TBD
Website: https://www.theglampingshow.com
The Glamping Show Americas 2023
- Date: October 3-4, 2023
- Location: Aurora, Colorado
The 2023 Glamping Show Americas aims to equip hosts with the knowledge needed to scale their glamping business.
Why should you attend?
The two-day event boasts an array of speakers, exhibits, and opportunities for networking and making valuable business connections. The conference is attended by hosts, managers, manufacturers, and more, with the chance to learn from glamping experts and buy the best materials for your site.
Tickets: TBD
Website: https://www.glampingshow.us
Vacation Rental World Summit
- Date: October 5-6, 2023
- Location: Barcelona, Spain
Starting in 2014, Vacation Rental World Summit has become one of the largest events offered to vacation rental professionals. Session topics include increasing bookings, streamlining workflows, and maximizing income.
Why should you attend?
One thing that makes this summit stand out from the rest is the Roundtables: 50-minute help & support networking sessions. These allow you to connect with colleagues in a unique and meaningful way that you won’t find anywhere else.
The sessions are facilitated by industry leaders and followed up with resources. Vacation Rental World Summit has a track record of being held in beautiful European cities like Florence, Lake Como, and Porto.
Tickets: €297-€497
Website: https://vacationrentalworldsummit.com
The Phocuswright Conference
- Date: November 13-16, 2023
- Location: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
The Phocuswright Conference is tackling all the tough questions vacation rental property managers are faced with while operating a business in 2023. It’s a refreshingly direct approach to supporting property managers in overcoming these challenges.
Why should you attend?
With the conference spanning multiple days, you can make sure you’re getting the most out of your registration without feeling overwhelmed. Sessions are designed to make space for “smart insights and healthy debate” between colleagues and industry leaders. Past conference speakers have included Steve Hafner from Kayak, Duarte Moreira from Indie Campers, and Steve Kaufer from Tripadvisor.
Tickets: $3,299
Website: https://www.phocuswrightconference.com/Attend/Pricing
Why are vacation rental industry events so important?
Now that you’re aware of the top vacation rental events happening in 2023, you may be wondering why these events are important to attend in the first place.
Networking with other vacation rental property managers
As you’ve seen, almost all of these events focus on networking. Because the more people you connect with, the more you open yourself and your business to future growth. With that in mind, make sure to come prepared to network!
Bring business cards, have your property website handy, and don’t forget networking is a two-way street: you want to spend just as much time listening to other people’s pitches/ideas as you do talking about your own. Every single attendee at these conferences is a connection waiting to happen.
Brainstorming new ideas
Everyone manages their businesses differently, and the industry changes rapidly, so it’s important to stay on top of what’s new in vacation rental property management.
By connecting with colleagues, you can see what techniques others are using and share your own ideas as well. These conferences also host some of the industry’s top leaders, allowing you to hear from them first-hand.
Go into the events with an open mind and be ready to be challenged and inspired to consider different perspectives. Remember to stay in contact with your connections long after the conference to bounce ideas off each other.
Finding potential guests
Property managers take vacations too! If your property catches the attention of a colleague, you might gain a future guest. Outside of professional networking, look at these events as a way to market your properties to your colleagues. If you can impress someone with your property, they are likely to remember you and recommend your stay to someone else.
Learning from industry leaders
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut when you’ve been doing things the same way for a long time. Hearing from others and educating yourself on the future trajectory of the industry is the best way to kick-start your inspiration. It might be exactly what you need to take the next step in expanding your property management business!
Main takeaways
We know your schedule is busy managing your business, but we highly recommend attending at least one vacation rental industry event this year. They are both personally enriching and professionally beneficial, making them well worth the time and registration fees.
Events, dates, and locations are subject to change with or without notice. If you know of an upcoming vacation rental industry event that should be included in our list, please let us know in the comments section below.
