Insights from VRMA International 2019 in New Orleans
Just about everyone goes to New Orleans to listen. But on our recent trip there, we weren’t only after jazz—though we did end up catching some pretty great music. What we were most excited to hear were insights and stories from property managers and other industry professionals. And we knew there was no better place to hear them than the Vacation Rental Management Association’s annual International Conference.
To get a feel for this year’s conference, watch our highlight video:
We’re proud to be a longtime VRMA partner and conference sponsor. In New Orleans, we enjoyed sharing our vision, discussing our newest tools and improvements, and taking part in panels and fireside chats. But mostly, we came to learn. We’re committed to helping property managers and software providers grow their businesses on Airbnb. To take that support to the next level, we need to hear directly from the people we’re serving.
That’s why the biggest change we made at this year’s conference was introducing the Airbnb Story Studio. With an eye on the future of hospitality, we invited property managers and software partners to share their stories with us in informal, filmed interviews. They generously opened up about their experiences in the industry, sharing how they got started, what they’ve learned along the way, where they think the industry is headed, and what advice they have for others.
Their stories left us feeling inspired as well as informed. Elizabeth, aka “Super E,” a property manager from Indianapolis, talked about growing, in just a couple of years, from a single listing to 21—and probably a few more by now—by never losing focus on the guest experience. Jared, a software product lead from Florida, talked about the challenges of staying a step ahead in such a fast-changing industry. “You want to do the thing that’s going to be important five years from now, today,” Jared told us.
Of course, we also connected with vacation rental management professionals in less structured ways, including a buzzing party at the historic Napoleon House packed with local Airbnb Experiences, some casual dinners, and countless conversations on the conference floor and around our booth.
The perspectives and insights we gained from all these conversations have already proven too rich to quickly summarize—in fact, we’re still digesting it all. In the months ahead, we’ll be sharing what we learned from the Story Studio, and the event as a whole, in a series of posts right here. Stay tuned!
Information contained in this article may have changed since publication.