Natalee Pfeifer
In mid-April, I attended the inaugural VRMA Spring Forum in Charlotte, North Carolina. Historically, this event was broken into Eastern and Western Regional Conferences, but this year was the first time they were combined and named the Spring Forum.
Therefore, a whopping 750(ish) professionals were in attendance at this event. Also this year VRMA aimed to inject interactive elements and workshops into their sessions, and I must say, it was an exceptional addition. There were live website reviews, strategic planning worksheets and action plan building workshops, as well as group practice and an overall open invitation to speak up, to ask questions and to add value to the sessions.
The keynote speakers were spot on, interactive and encouraging. Due to the addition of these interactive elements, (and despite the lack of protein offered at lunch the first day,) this was one of the best VRMA conferences I have attended to date. I left feeling inspired, educated and ready to turn what I consumed into actionable results. I have continued to reflect on this event, and how it has affected me both personally and professionally.
My first key takeaway from the 2019 VRMA Spring Forum: The vacation rental industry is consistently evolving. It is no longer a theory that you need technology to scale, streamline operations and enhance the guest experience; it is common knowledge. Act strategically and be careful when building your tech stack, avoid solution redundancies and test automation where it applies to optimize your time.
Read more about my experience on LinkedIn, including four additional takeaways.
